How would you rate your psychological wellbeing? The terms psychological wellbeing and happiness are used interchangeably these days; however, these two terms differ significantly in their meaning. Happiness is generally defined as an individual’s state of being happy. Wellbeing on the other hand, has more to do with how we feel on the inside including being comfortable, healthy and happy in our own skin. Wellbeing also includes experiencing life satisfaction, having a sense of purpose and meaning, generally enjoying life, possessing good coping skills and having the capability to form meaningful social and intimate relationships with others. Happiness can’t be measured, however there are ways that we can measure our overall wellbeing.
According to Jim Harter, Chief Scientist, Workplace Management and Wellbeing, Gallup’s workplace management practice, psychological wellbeing is composed of five factors. These are:
Career
Social
Financial
Physical
Community
According to Harter, fundamental issues such as our career isn’t just limited to those of us who are employed; it also relates to those who are retired, students and those who are volunteers in the community. Wellbeing in our career area relates more to whether we like what we do on a daily basis, rather than what we do.
Social wellbeing is about having good relationships, possessing the ability to handle conflict positively, having healthy boundaries and our ability to engage positively with others. it’s also the extent to which we feel a sense of inclusion or belonging, having solid relationships or love in our life.
A sense of financial wellbeing isn’t just about having a certain amount of money; it’s about how we use our money to create security and reduce any financial stress. We all need a certain amount of money to create a sense of security so that we can feel as though our money allows us to meet our day-to-day needs. It’s also about feeling in control of our everyday finances and having enough money to allow us the freedom to enjoy our lives.
Physical wellbeing includes looking after our physical health and is a significant contributor our overall wellbeing. This includes having and maintaining healthy eating habits, being active and maintaining a healthy weight. As physical health is so closely interconnected with mental health, it’s recommended to include stress reduction, good sleep hygiene and mindfulness into our physical wellbeing practice, to ensure that we achieve an overall good physical wellbeing score.
Becoming involved in our community can contribute greatly to our overall sense of psychological wellbeing. It can provide us with a sense of belonging and social connectedness. There are numerous ways in which we can help our community. Volunteering is one way in which we can improve our own sense of wellbeing whilst helping someone else. Mentoring, visiting those who are lonely and isolated, working on community projects, getting involved in a local clean up or bush regeneration project, provide many benefits for the community. It can also provide those who volunteer with a sense of fulfilment by having given their time or resources to others.
Psychological wellbeing is indeed measurable, and it can assess the way that we are functioning in our everyday lives. It can also help us to determine the ways in which we can make improvements to the way we feel and work.
Here is a link to a wellbeing assessment that you may be interested in taking.
https://sparqtools.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Psychological-Well-Being-18-items.pdf
So then, why should we care about our wellbeing?
When we feel good about our lives, ourselves and others, we feel connected rather than lonely and we feel a sense of purpose about our lives rather than feeling as if we’re directionless. The greater our sense of wellbeing, the less stressed, anxious and depressed we’re likely to feel. In addition, research has indicated that if we prioritise and maintain our wellbeing, we are less likely to get sick and will increase our chances of living longer.
Here are some ways that we can improve our psychological wellbeing:
Begin by assessing your life and make a list of the things you want more of. A word of warning here; don’t choose things that you think you should like or that you think others think you should like and will approve of.
When making your list, try to find at least one activity that will enhance each of the five aspects listed above.
Examples might include:
Becoming more physically active
Eating better
Consolidating your superannuation accounts
Catching up with friends and family more regularly
Taking up mindfulness meditation to reduce stress
Donating food to a local food bank
Make sure to schedule your wellbeing activities into your weekly calendar. Think about ways in which you can make more time in your week to include the activities that make you feel happy and fulfilled.
Determining our personal values can make an astonishing difference in improving the quality of our lives and improve our psychological wellbeing. Our values reflect the fundamental choices of who we are and the person we want to be https://sydneyhillscounselling.com.au/blog/the-importance-of-values-why-they-are-important-and-how-to-identify-them/
If you scored poorly on the wellbeing assessment or if you can’t seem to feel better or feel a sense of purpose in your life, depression and / or anxiety may be blocking your ability to feel good. Sometimes it’s helpful to seek support to work through our challenges and low moods before we can conjure up the interest to work on improving our wellbeing. A qualified, registered counsellor can help you identify the causes of any anxiety or depression you may be feeling and provide suggestions and tools which may help to increase your psychological wellbeing. Call us today on (02) 9159 6277 for a confidential chat or alternatively, you can email us at [email protected].
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