Following on from my post from a week or so ago, when I was sharing feeling a little bit low, I thought I would share some thoughts on wellbeing. I note I am currently in a slightly better place than I was having re-established some positive habits such as reading and running plus being a bit more conscious of and seeking to better manage my mood.
So what is wellbeing? I think this is key to establish what it is as it is multifaceted involving taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health. I found a diagram which talked of deep health including physical, emotional, mental, environmental, relational and existential elements which might be a useful model. But the key, no matter the model used is that the elements are all inter-related. I remember reading about an experiment where researchers asked their subjects to hold a pencil in their mouth with some asked to have the pencil length wise, thereby forcing a smile, or endwise, so forcing a kind of frown. When they asked how the individuals felt those who had the pencil length wise, which forced their mouth to assume the shape of a smile, provided more positive responses than those who held the pencil endwise. Also when I think about my running, if I am not in a good place mentally or emotionally, I struggle and tend to run slower, while when I have a good run I generally feel better. So basically physical events can impact on emotions rather than always being the other way around, and vice versa; e.g. you feel good so you are more inclined to smile, or you smile/laugh and feel better. Physical, emotional and mental are inter-related. And here in lies the challenge in wellbeing, it involves a number of inter-related facets so managing your own wellbeing isn’t easy.
My recent challenges highlight this. If your mood isn’t in a good place you are likely to feel less happy and emotionally drained which means you are less inclined to smile, which reinforces feeling emotionally drained. Being drained you are then less likely to engage in physical exercise, so become less active and healthy, with this in turn likely to result in more emotional negativity. Basically its a negative spiral.
A positive spiral is also possible where you get into a habit of physical exercise, which makes you feel more emotionally positive and balanced, leading to more smiles and laughs, which in turn make you feel better. You are also more likely to engage with other people and social contact with this again leading to more emotional positivity.
The above positive and negative examples are however extreme and the reality is we spend a lot of our time in a delicate balance. We might have the physical exercise bit sorted with regular runs which makes you feel good and healthy but due to limited time you are not challenging yourself mentally through reading for example, which therefore has a negative emotional toll as you are aware of the lack of reading. So you allocate more time to reading but then find you are spending less time with family or on exercise, so feel better for the intellectual challenge but feel worse of for the reduction in social contact and in exercise. We want our wellbeing to be rather stable albeit positive but the reality is it is a constant rollercoaster in need of monitoring and management.
Ideally you hope to have positive wellbeing but the reality is that your wellbeing will fluctuate with your efforts, successes/failures, with interactions with others and with local and even national events, among other factors. You will have occasional negative spirals and positive one. The reality is far less even than we would like as I have tried to indicate in the below diagram:
So what are some of the things we might consider in seeking to manage our own wellbeing:
- Exercise regularly: Exercise is one of the best ways to improve your physical and mental health. Regular exercise can help reduce stress, boost your mood, and improve your overall health.
- Eat a balanced and healthy diet: Eating a balanced and nutritious diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases, and improve your energy levels. Note: Balance includes some enjoyable food and drink where I count my Irn Bru as part of this equation.
- Get enough sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential for your mental and physical health. Aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
- Manage stress: Stress can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health. We also need to note that challenge, or good stress exists and is an important part of our wellbeing in the need to feel successfully. We therefore need to seek out challenge and things which push us to achieve while finding healthy ways to manage negative stress, such as through meditation, yoga, or deep breathing, or whatever you find works for you personally.
- Connect with others: Social support is crucial for maintaining good mental health. Spend time with family and friends, join a club or group, or volunteer in your community.
- Practice self-care: Self-care involves doing things that make you feel good, such as taking a warm bath, reading a book, or going for a walk. Make time for self-care activities each day.
- Seek help when needed: If you’re struggling with your mental health, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Talk to your doctor, a mental health professional, or a trusted friend or family member.
Remember, managing personal wellbeing is a process that requires consistent effort and self-awareness. By taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health, you can lead a happier and more fulfilling life but I think we also need to accept that things are not always positive and that we therefore need to manage the negative when it arises.
Wellbeing, like so many things in life, is messy and cant be distilled into a simple list.
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