In Search of Well-being

The state of our mental health or well-being is being talked about and addressed more than ever. Employers and insurance companies are offering support and making it easier to access these services. There are now podcasts and video’s that offer helpful information and I for one, am really happy that people are focusing on their well-being. Learning to be reflective about your life and paying attention to how you are feeling and choosing to make a change is the best life skill you can possess.

What is the official definition of well-being? Well-being has been defined as the combination of feeling good and functioning well; the experience of positive emotions such as happiness and contentment as well as the development of one’s potential, having some control over one’s life, having a sense of purpose, and experiencing positive relationships.

The life skill I’m talking about to determine your state of well-being is as easy as answering a few questions about your life and relationships. Do you enjoy life and have fun? How much does stress affect your everyday living? Do you feel stuck in your ways or are you able to easily adapt to change? Are your relationships fulfilling or do you always feel at odds with the people in your life?

Life presents us with experiences that can make us feel harmonious or they can challenge our state of well-being. Because of this a person’s emotional state lives on a continuum. Imagine an old-fashioned scale where you place things on each side of the scale to get it to balance. Our life is like that too, our thoughts and experiences either bring us closer to or farther away from feeling good about the life we are living. We are not in a state of harmony all the time nor are we out of balance all the time. The experiences we have will either push us toward or away from well-being. When we feel sad, depressed, or have too much stress in our lives and relationships we become out of balance. It is our job to notice and begin to move in ways that will allow us to regain our well-being.

Being very gentle with yourself and not judging the things you could have done differently. Decide if there is one area in which you can make a small change that will help you bring more harmony to yourself and your relationships.

It can be hard to know where to begin and it might feel a bit overwhelming. It only takes small changes to change things for the better. It can be as easy as choosing to do one thing per week that you enjoy. It could be uninterrupted time to read or watch a movie, it does not matter as long as you love doing it. I know it sounds simple, but the bigger message is that you value yourself enough to do something you love.

There are always two or more right answers so what if you decided to do something differently, or react in a way that is new to you? When you learn something new or do it in a new way, you open yourself to new opportunities.

The best shift in thinking is to create a mindset that empowers you. Negative thinking is a reaction to circumstances that have happened in our lives. Many of these patterns were established long ago and we unconsciously carried them, even though they cause us suffering. When you have a negative thought recognize this as old thinking and ask yourself how you can change it into a more positive thought.

If you feel your life is not as you would like it to be, I urge you to imagine the best story for your life, the way you want it to be. All too often when it comes to ourselves we make the most negative and critical assessment of what is happening and believe it is true. I would urge you not to believe everything you thinking.

Paying attention to how we are thinking and what we are feeling is no small task. It is part of the journey and one we can take on with love and compassion for ourselves. I think you will find that taking small steps to increase your well-being will serve you well.Just as it requires effort to build and maintain physical health, so it is with mental health. Take your time and don’t forget to get help and support along the way.