{"id":4812,"date":"2026-04-20T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/?p=4812"},"modified":"2026-04-14T11:06:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:06:05","slug":"how-community-can-support-our-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How community can support our mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We might be more connected than ever through technology – but with the stress and busyness of everyday life, it\u2019s easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected in today\u2019s world. When we\u2019re overstretched and under pressure, one of the first things to go can be our connection to the community around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sense of connection is worth prioritising. It\u2019s key to our long-term wellbeing, and plays a big role in protecting and maintaining our mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Olio, we\u2019re all too aware of that. While our app started out as a way to share surplus food and reduce waste in our homes, what\u2019s emerged over time is something much more than that: a network of people connecting with one another in small, but meaningful ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact,\u00a075% of Olio-ers<\/strong> told us that sharing on Olio has had a positive impact on their mental health<\/a>, and 65%<\/strong> said they\u2019ve made new friends through the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s one of the reasons we\u2019ve partnered with the Mental Health Foundation<\/a>: to explore how everyday actions and community connections can support our mental health in simple, practical ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how exactly does community benefit mental health?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why connection is so powerful<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to the Mental Health Foundation, feeling connected to others and being part of a community plays an important role in protecting and maintaining our mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger social connections are linked to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Lower stress and anxiety<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Improved overall mood and resilience<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 A sense of belonging and purpose<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loneliness and isolation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Loneliness, especially long-term loneliness, increases the risk of mental health conditions<\/a> like anxiety, depression and stress. Feeling socially isolated can also reduce our resilience to stress, meaning we find it more difficult to cope in stressful situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, regular social interactions can help us feel less isolated<\/a> and protect our mental health, reducing our risk of anxiety and depression<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOlio and its community have undoubtedly changed my life. There are no words for how much my friends\u2019 actions meant to me; I can\u2019t thank them enough for the number of barriers they helped me break down. Olio also continually gives me purpose by providing a platform for me to find broken things, fix things and of course reduce my food bill. It\u2019s a huge part of my life. \u201c <\/em>Olio-er Craigy from Hemel Hempstead<\/strong> (read his full story<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower stress and anxiety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People with strong social networks tend to experience less stress and fewer mental health struggles<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This could be because community support helps people with mental health difficulties<\/a> to manage their symptoms and feel less alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, having a strong community around us<\/a> helps to protect us against common mental health issues in the first place. So, people with strong social networks may be less likely to experience mental ill-health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved mood and resilience <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we have strong connections to the people around us, we tend to feel more satisfied<\/a> with our lives and happier overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Having a strong community can help when we\u2019re going through a difficult time<\/a>, especially during periods when stressful events happen unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belonging and purpose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re social creatures and our need to \u201cbelong\u201d links back to our survival instincts<\/a>, when living in groups gave us more protection from predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having strong connections to our community helps us feel like we belong, which can improve our mood<\/a>. Interestingly, feeling like we belong can also reduce our heart rate, and activate the brain regions that calm us down in stressful moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being part of a community also gives us a sense of purpose<\/a>. Taking part in community activities like volunteering<\/a>, boosts our self-esteem, confidence and overall wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVolunteering with Olio has changed my life \u2013 I\u2019m doing something meaningful, helping others, and for once, I feel proud of myself. I\u2019m loving every minute of it.\u201d<\/em>Olio-er Teresa from Newcastle <\/strong>(read her full story<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding your community with Olio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Building a sense of community isn\u2019t always straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many of us, things like time, confidence, or simply the pace of everyday life can make it harder to form new connections, even when we know they would be good for us. It\u2019s not always about joining a new club or putting yourself out there in a big way. More often, it starts with smaller, more manageable interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s part of what makes Olio different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection on Olio doesn\u2019t rely on having lots of time or a wide social circle. It happens in simple, low-pressure ways \u2013 through sharing something you no longer need, arranging a pick-up, or exchanging a few sentences over a doorstep. These moments might be brief, but they can still create a sense of familiarity and trust over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some people, that might be all it is. For others, those small interactions gradually build into real friendships<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of small actions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you’re using Olio, you’re already taking part in something that brings people closer together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time you list an item, collect surplus food as a Food Waste Hero<\/a>,\u00a0request something, or connect with someone locally, you’re contributing to a wider sense of community \u2013 often without thinking about it in those terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quick doorstep conversation. A message that says thank you. Recognising someone’s name from a previous exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individually, these moments may feel small. But collectively, they help build the kind of everyday connection that we know is important for our mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019d like to build a little more of that into your day, you might try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Starting a short conversation at a collection<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Sending a friendly message instead of a quick one<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Listing something you no longer need<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Taking a moment to say thank you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of these are big actions. But together, they help create a stronger sense of connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We might be more connected than ever through technology – but with the stress and busyness of everyday life, it\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":4813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow community can support our mental health - Olio | At Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how community connection supports mental health \u2013 and how Olio's 75% of members say sharing has had a positive impact on theirs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How community can support our mental health - Olio | At Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how community connection supports mental health \u2013 and how Olio's 75% of members say sharing has had a positive impact on theirs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Olio | At Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-20T01:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/04\/Blog-header.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"neringamikutyte\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"neringamikutyte\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"neringamikutyte\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/09978905fa5acc1bbf026d97d25a2688\"},\"headline\":\"How community can support our mental health\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-20T01:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":990,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/1\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Blog-header.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Our community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/\",\"name\":\"How community can support our mental health - Olio | At Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/1\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Blog-header.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-20T01:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/09978905fa5acc1bbf026d97d25a2688\"},\"description\":\"Discover how community connection supports mental health \u2013 and how Olio's 75% of members say sharing has had a positive impact on theirs.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/1\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Blog-header.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/1\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Blog-header.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/our-community\\\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How community can support our mental health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Olio | At Home\",\"description\":\"Don\u2019t need it? Olio it.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/olioapp.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/09978905fa5acc1bbf026d97d25a2688\",\"name\":\"neringamikutyte\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How community can support our mental health - Olio | At Home","description":"Discover how community connection supports mental health \u2013 and how Olio's 75% of members say sharing has had a positive impact on theirs.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How community can support our mental health - Olio | At Home","og_description":"Discover how community connection supports mental health \u2013 and how Olio's 75% of members say sharing has had a positive impact on theirs.","og_url":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/","og_site_name":"Olio | At Home","article_published_time":"2026-04-20T01:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/04\/Blog-header.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"neringamikutyte","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"neringamikutyte","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/"},"author":{"name":"neringamikutyte","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/09978905fa5acc1bbf026d97d25a2688"},"headline":"How community can support our mental health","datePublished":"2026-04-20T01:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/"},"wordCount":990,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/04\/Blog-header.png","articleSection":["Our community"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/","url":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/","name":"How community can support our mental health - Olio | At Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/04\/Blog-header.png","datePublished":"2026-04-20T01:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/09978905fa5acc1bbf026d97d25a2688"},"description":"Discover how community connection supports mental health \u2013 and how Olio's 75% of members say sharing has had a positive impact on theirs.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/04\/Blog-header.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/04\/Blog-header.png","width":1000,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/our-community\/how-community-can-support-our-mental-health\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How community can support our mental health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/","name":"Olio | At Home","description":"Don\u2019t need it? Olio it.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/09978905fa5acc1bbf026d97d25a2688","name":"neringamikutyte"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4812"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4818,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4812\/revisions\/4818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}