Hello everybody!
I hope you are well.
If you like models and theories as much as I do, you may already know the “holistic” model of well-being. It’s a model which was developed at Riverside University in California.
The main purpose of the holistic model is to detail every aspect and context surrounding what we mean when discussing well-being; especially with the intention of taking care of the whole of oneself. We will go on to to review what the model calls the dimensions of well-being below:.
Dimensions of well-being
- Physical: The ability to do all daily activities without fatigue or physical stress. Recognising that our daily activity has an impact on our body, we take care of it with good habits, medical check-ups, diet, sports and avoiding “destructive” habits (such as smoking and drinking excessively).
- Emotional: The ability to be aware of ourselves, how we feel and how we act allows us to face challenges. The ability to recognise feelings of anger, fear, sadness, or love, hope, and joy enhances our emotional well-being.
- Social: The ability to relate and connect with others. It includes being able to build and maintain relationships with family, co-workers, and friends. Relationships have a huge impact on our social well-being.
- Occupational: The ability to find a job that fulfils us, to be satisfied with what we do (ideally having found a balance between work, family, sports, hobbies, etc.). Our desire to add value through our profession, to have a positive impact on the organization where we work gives meaning to our working lives.
- Environmental: The ability to recognize and respond to our responsibility for the quality of the air, water and land around us. The ability to have a positive impact on the quality of the environment in which we live (in our home, our community, the planet).
- Intellectual: The ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences. The desire to learn new concepts, improve our skills and look for new challenges contributes to our intellectual well-being.
- Spiritual: The ability to have peace and harmony in our lives. Spiritual well-being is achieved with alignment between our values and our actions.
How to improve our well-being?
The NHS, which is the health system in the UK, recommends paying special attention to our mental health as follows:
- Connect with those around you. Spend time with your family, friends and neighbours. Take care of relationships.
- Be active: Walk, ride a bike, do whatever you like, but make sure you have time to get around!
- Keep learning: Learning gives you a sense of accomplishment and improves your self-confidence. Want to know how to fix your bike, play a musical instrument, or take the cooking class you’ve seen?
- Be kind: A smile, a “thank you”, a kind word, all the acts count. Volunteering and other “bigger” events improve your mental well-being and connect you socially.
- Be aware: Awareness of the present, including your thoughts, feelings, and body, (as well as the world around you!) Influences how you feel and how you face the challenges that come your way.
As <<Capità enciam>> used to say (a character from Catalan TV) , “small changes are powerful!”
What will you start doing from now on?
Do tell us!
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