Wellbeing is defined as the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy.
Wellbeing is about how you feel in your day to day experience and considers how you function.
Wellbeing is more than just existing and surviving or passively going through the motions.
Wellbeing is having that daily check in with yourself to gain an understanding of how you are; it may also involve asking the bigger questions such as, am I fulfilling my potential? Do I have some control over my life? What purpose am I serving?
I believe it is important to think about your wellbeing when you are feeling happy, comfortable and generally content with life, by doing so you can identify the things that create that state for you. And most importantly, these are things that are going to help you return to these feelings of wellness when life throws lemons at you.
When life does surprise you, by knowing the tools you can tap into that help you feel good, will serve to buffer the negative impact that unplanned events may have on you.
A good first question to ask yourself is, how am I feeling? It may not be something you usually ask but getting into the habit of it can help you gain an understanding about your own experience.
When someone asks you the same question, it can be easy to respond with default answers such as, “I’m fine”, “all is good”, “I have nothing to complain about”, “I’m okay” or “I’m not too bad”. These responses could be for a number reasons, including, time and you not wanting to have a long conversation about your feelings or maybe the person asking you is not the person you want to share your feelings with. Or maybe you don’t know how you feel and it’s uncomfortable for you to admit that.
But when you ask yourself that same question, although it may be painful and uncomfortable there is no rush to have an answer, you can spend time reflecting and gain an understanding of what’s really going on for you. You may even dismiss it because the truth may be hard to acknowledge, but after a while of consistently asking yourself how am I feeling, you may just end up revealing certain emotions.
Another useful question to ask is, what can I do to feel comfortable, healthy or happy?
I’d like you to pause and think about question in a bit more detail.
Firstly, do you know if you are feeling well in yourself? If you do, how do you know? What is showing you that you are?
If that is quite tricky, it may be easier to identify the things that show you, you are not well in yourself.
For example, I know I’m stressed out when my organisation takes a hit and my environment appears messy. Another tell tale sign is when I find myself procrastinating; I know this because I’m really not a procrastinator, so that signal alerts me to take action and think about what has led me to behave in this way.
A sense of awareness is needed to be in tune with your internal experience and you can develop that by pausing. We can easily become stuck in this cycle of doing (work, bills, life admin etc.) which can feel like it’s never ending. But if you dedicate a minute or two a day to just be and ‘actively do nothing’ that is where you can ask yourself those questions above.
It feels nice to feel good and that’s why knowing how to do that for yourself is important. Wellbeing has been associated with positive outcomes such as longevity, higher life satisfaction and good physical health.
Here’s what do I do for my wellbeing:
- learn new things
- meditate
- journal
- reflect
- do meaningful work
- practice gratitude
- spend time with loved ones
- connect with those I care about
- smiling
- go to the gym
- get pedicures
- keeping a streak (the gym, Duolingo, meditation)
- listening to podcasts
- playing music
- writing this blog
- taking pictures / videos of events to capture memories
- go on walks and observe my surroundings
- explore new places
What do you do for your wellbeing?
As with all my posts, I’m here to encourage you to think a bit differently, as well as do something positive for your mental health and wellbeing.
It’s personal and I’m just sharing what I do which may not be right for you. It’s about learning what makes you feel good and doing more of those things.
I’d love to know what works for your wellbeing 🙂