Well-being
The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.
(Wikipedia - Well-being, welfare or wellness is a general term for the condition of an individual or group, for example their social, economic, psychological, spiritual or medical state; a high level of well-being means in some sense the individual or group's experience is positive, while low well-being is associated with negative happenings.)
Holistic
Characterised by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
mindtools.com/pages/article/perma.htm
We all want to be happy. When we're happy, we're productive, we're good at building meaningful relationships with those around us, and... we feel great!
Marin Seligman
Positive Emotion
Peace, gratitude, hope, satisfaction, pleasure, inspiration, curiosity, or love.
Engagement
When engaged in a task we lose ourself concentrating on the task at hand instead of our thoughts.
Relationships
Positive ones! Meaningful positive relationships with others.
Meaning
Serving a cause greater than ourselves; deity, religion, cause.
Accomplishment
Achieving a goal, task, or skill.
Mental Health Foundation (2015) Mental Health Foundation. Available at: http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/assets/Five-Ways-downloads/mentalhealth-5waysBP-web-single-2015.pdf (Accessed: 19 July 2015)
Give
Your time. Your words. Your presence.
Giving is more than just the sharing of material things with others. It is about cultivating a spirit of generosity and promoting active participation in social and community life. Volunteering and community involvement has been strongly linked with positive feelings and functioning. Helping others, sharing one’s skills and resources, and behaviours that promote a sense of purpose and
team orientation have been found to help increase self-worth and produce a positive emotional effect. Giving is important for all age groups. It helps
develop strong social cognition in children, a sense of purpose and
self-worth in adults and particularly older people who have left the workforce and have time to offer.
Be Active
Do what you can. Enjoy what you do. Move your mood.
Research shows a strong correlation between physical activity and increased wellbeing, as well as lower rates of depression and anxiety. It is now viewed as essential for people of all ages and has been shown to slow agerelated cognitive decline. Evidence suggests that physical activity can increase self-belief, the ability to cope with difficult situations and provide a sense of mastery. It can also have the benefit of encouraging social interactions. Physical activity does not need to be particularly energetic to be of benefit. Moderate exertion three to five times a week can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, but improvements can also be seen from single bouts of exercise of less than 10 minutes.
Keep Learning
Embrace new experiences. See opportunities. Surprise yourself.
Learning, remaining curious and setting goals is important for all ages. For children, it leads to positive cognitive and social development, while for adults it can lead to improvements in self-esteem, social interaction and a more active and involved life. It has also been shown to be effective in preventing depression in later years. Adult learning in particular includes elements of goal-setting, which is strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing. This is particularly true when goals are self generated, positively focused and align with personal values. Learning is more than just an activity for formal education. It can include any approaches to maintaining curiosity and an enquiring mind.
Take Notice
Appreciate the little things. Savour the moment.
Developing skills that increase awareness of what is immediately happening – both physically and mentally, within and around us – can improve wellbeing. Even short courses teaching simple techniques can enhance wellbeing for several years. Much research has been done on mindfulness, which has been shown to have positive effects that include heightened self knowledge. It suggests that an open awareness is particularly valuable for choosing behaviours that are consistent with one’s needs, values and interests. Alignment to one’s values is also an effective way to ensure that behaviour change becomes embedded over time. Specific approaches that have been shown to enhance wellbeing include gratitude, forgiveness, reflection and the development of meaning.
Connect
Talk and listen. Be there. Feel connected.
Feeling close to other people and valued by them is a fundamental human need. Across all ages, relationships and participation in a social life are critical for mental wellbeing and effective buffers against mental disorder. Strong social relationships are supportive, encouraging, and meaningful, and a wider social network is also important for feelings of connectedness and self worth. The key message of Connect is that giving time and space to both strengthen and broaden social networks is important for wellbeing. The wellbeing of individuals is bound up in the wellbeing of their communities, so actions that focus solely on individual, inward-looking benefits will not be as effective as those that stress the importance of fostering relationships with others.
Michalak, H. and Michalak, S. (2015) YOU CAN'T BLOG THAT! | THE MICHALAKS | #AD. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdQiWm3Y6HA
9:58 - 11:48 and 14:48 - 18:04
"This is okay, I'm allowed to think like this, this is something my brain has taught itself and I need to unteach it"
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