Let’s Talk about WELLBEING
By Cathy O’Toole Consultant
Whilst it is difficult to define wellbeing, as we each have a view of what wellbeing means, Dr. William Glasser and the World Health Organisation (WHO) both agree that “a state of wellbeing is one where you are realizing your potential, you can cope with the normal stresses of life, you can work productively and fruitfully, and you are making a contribution to your community”.
It could be argued that if you are in a state of wellbeing, you are aware of what is happening within and around you, you feel a sense of belonging in the communities that you are a member of and you are connected to those who are near and dear to you.
The Qld Alliance for Mental Health’s Wellbeing First Report (July 2021) identifies the following three distinct areas of wellbeing. Each area offers a few tips to reflection upon to measure your wellbeing.
Emotional Wellbeing: you mostly feel…
- Cheerful
- In good spirits
- Happy
- Calm and peaceful
- Satisfied
- Full of life.
Psychological Wellbeing: you experience…
- Self-acceptance: you like most things about yourself.
- Positive relationships with others: you have supportive, warm, and trusting relationships.
- Personal growth: you see yourself as growing and becoming an effective person.
- Purpose in life: you have a sense of meaning in life.
- Environmental mastery: you believe that you can shape the world around you to a greater extent to meet your needs.
- Autonomy: you believe that you are reasonably in control of what happens to you (i.e., rather than others, fate, or luck being totally in charge).
Social Wellbeing: you can see…
- Social Coherence: society as meaningful and understandable.
- Social Actualisation: society offering potential for growth.
- Social Integration: belonging and acceptance in communities.
- Social Acceptance: acceptance in most areas of society.
- Social Contribution: yourself contributing to society.
In his book, Let us Dream – The Path to a Better Future, Pope Francis offers the following very poignant words for consideration… “we need a movement of people who know we need each other, who have a sense of responsibility to others and to the world. We need to proclaim that being kind, having faith, and working for the common good are great life goals that need courage and vigor, while glib superficiality and the mockery of ethics have done us no good. The modern era, which has developed equality and liberty with such determination, now needs to focus on fraternity with the same drive and tenacity to confront the challenges ahead. Fraternity will enable freedom and equality to take its rightful place in the symphony”.
We now see the Albanese Federal Government taking a wellbeing approach to the budget process, where it is not just the GDP that matters but there will also be a focus on how taxpayer investments are spent in deliver flourishing communities where the wellbeing of the people matters.
