WELL-BEING

 

While there are many descriptions of well-being, the fact that it is important to every person is irrefutable. Well-being has many components such as follows:-

Social Well-being is a sense of belonging to a community and making a contribution to society.

Emotional Well-being means feeling good. Being happy, experiencing positive emotions like love, joy or compassion and feeling generally satisfied with life.

Spiritual Well-being can include feeling connected to a higher power, a sense of meaning or purpose or feelings of peace or transcendence.

The World Health Organization describes ‘well-being’ as a “resource for healthy living” and “positive state of health” that is “more than the absence of an illness” and enables us to function well: psychologically, physically, emotionally, and socially. In other words, well-being’ is described as “enabling people to develop their potential, work productively and creatively, form positive relationships with others and meaningfully contribute to the community”.

There is a deeper kind of well-being, which is about living in a way that is good for you and good for others around you. Further to this concept of well-being:

·                     Feelings of happiness, contentment, enjoyment, curiosity and engagement with their community are characteristic of someone who has a positive experience of their life.

·                     Equally important to well-being, is our capacity to psychologically function well in the world. Maintaining positive relationships, having some control over one’s life and having a sense of purpose, self-esteem and self-confidence.

·                     Well-being does not mean that you never experience feelings or situations that you find difficult but it does mean that you feel you can cope with tough times.

It is important to understand that ‘well-being’ or ‘being- well’ is something you do, rather than something you are. The things we do and the way we think can have a big impact on our experience!

Benefits from Well-being.

Hundreds of research studies have proven, well-being does not just feel good - it is important for happier, healthier living:

·                     Optimism and positive emotions can reduce the risk of a heart attack by up to 50%. Optimism can be learned!

·                     Experiencing three times more positive emotions compared to negative ones leads to a tipping point beyond which we become more resilient to adversity and better able to achieve things.

·                     Happier people live longer - potentially adding 7½ years to their lifespan.

·                     Our expression of positive emotions, such as happiness and optimism, influences the people we know and studies show our positivity can be passed on to others.

·                     Having high levels of well-being has been shown to increase our immunity to infection, lower our risk of some mental health problems, reduce mental decline as we get older and increase our resilience.

·                     A high level of well-being is as good for heart health and provides as much protection from coronary heart disease as quitting smoking does.

Research also shows that people who report higher levels of well-being tend to be:

·                     More involved in social activities and community groups.

·                     Environmentally responsible.

·                     Experiencing better family and social relationships at home.

·                     More productive at work.

·                     More likely to be working or studying full-time.

·                     More likely to recover quicker from a range of chronic diseases.

·                     In young people, higher levels of well-being may influence alcohol, tobacco and drug use.

Psychological well-being includes a number of different aspects:

·                     Autonomy: the freedom to make your own decisions.

·                     Self-acceptance: satisfaction or happiness with oneself. This includes an awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses. It results in an individual feeling that they are of “unique worth”.

·                     Mastery: the ability to manage everyday situations.

·                     Positive relationships with family, friends or others.

·                     A sense of purpose or meaning in life.

·                     Personal growth: facing challenges that are manageable and lead to developing new skills or becoming a better person.

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