In my opinion, a loose definition of “well-being” is the state of how comfortable you are with your current lifestyle in regards to happiness, health, and prosperity. There are plenty of factors at play when it comes to defining and determining well-being, though. Sometimes it’s not about being rich, famous, or have the perfect body; you don’t need glimmer and glamour to have a sense of well-being.
I have three dimensions to my model of well-being, and they are listed and described below.
Psychological:
- Limit stress in your daily life. Avoid situations that may bring it when it is not needed
- Live with a positive, optimistic attitude
- Set goals that bring fulfillment and accomplishment when finished and along the way
- Seek help when needed in any regards
- Accept yourself and love yourself
Physical:
- Eat healthy to ensure your body has the energy and nutrition it needs for you to feel best
- Exercise regularly
- Get fresh air
- Take care of illnesses
- Get enough sleep that your body needs to function properly
Social:
- Have deep, quality relationships with people you enjoy being around
- Join clubs for inclusion and new activities with new people
- Talk to people when you need
- Attend events that could strengthen the other aspects of well-being
In Robert Waldinger’s TED Talk, he touches on the longest study of happiness and the lessons learned from it. A huge takeaway from the study involved three lessons that were learned. The first lesson is that social relationships are healthy for us. People with strong relationships tend to live longer, and the saying “loneliness kills” holds truth. More isolation leads to people saying that they’re less happy, and their brain functions get worse as time goes on. The second lesson is that you could have infinite number of friends, but it won’t help unless the relationships are quality. Warm relationships are protective, and a few quality relationships are better than many shallow ones. The third lesson is that good relationships protect our brains as well. Our memories stay sharper, and people in the relationships can count on the other for help in times of struggle.
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Finding a perfect well-being doesn’t mean all three of these components need to be completely balanced. The best combination is something that is determined by the individual, and ultimately different for everyone.