Today we celebrate World Mental Health Day, bringing greater public awareness to mental health education, awareness and advocacy. In the world of Wellness, if we believe wellness is the combination of physical and mental well being, then we need to address both to really live life to the full. There is a great deal of information out there on how to be physically well. We know that we have to eat correctly, exercise regularly, keep stress to manageable levels, get sufficient good quality sleep and hydrate. Simple? Perhaps. Of course it’s never that simple because knowing what we have to do, is not the same as actually doing it. But at least we have an idea.
But what contributes to mental well being?
The positive psychology movement with Dr Martin Seligman at its helm is all about answering that very question. Five elements of well being have been identified and they include:
- Positive emotions – we need to experience at least 3:1 positive to negative emotions in day to experience a sense of well being and ward off the black dog.
- Engagement – we are engaged in whatever we do in our lives – be it personal or professional activities. Ie not bored or switched off or disengaged.
- Relationships – the most important factor in good mental health is having supportive, positive relationships in our lives.
- Meaning – we understand why we do what we do and have a sense of meaning around our daily routine
- Achievement – everyone gets pleasure and satisfaction from occasionally achieving something. No matter how small the achievement, it adds to our mental well being.
If you read that list above, how do you score on each factor? It can be such a great awareness tool to do a “stock-take” and see if anything comes up for us that says “improvement needed here”!
