Social support is important to our physical and mental health. We need other people who can offer many different kinds of social support. When you reach out to a close friend or family member about a personal issue you are looking for emotional support. This is someone you contact when you just want to talk about a problem and share your thoughts and feelings. You connect with a specialist about accessing a service or reach out to a counsellor or doctor when you’re looking for information or a deeper level of knowledge. Try to identify and connect with people in your life who offer you the social support you need.