Wednesday Wisdom
What exactly is wellbeing?
I often get asked to talk or write about wellbeing fads. The kind of thing that may be trending on social media channels, what ever product someone is trying to sell, the new next thing.
I often think of the messages in The Lorax and how O’Hare comes about selling fresh air after there are no more trees left post the popularity of the thneed.
If you have not read that story or watched the film I can thoroughly recommend it.
The Once-ler creates a sign carries a significant message. The word “Unless” is inscribed on a small pile of rocks, serving as a final reminder of the Once-ler’s regret and the consequences of his actions.
It symbolises the idea that unless someone cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better – it’s not.
This single word “Unless” encapsulates the central theme of the story: the need for personal responsibility and environmental stewardship.
It’s a call to action for readers and/or viewers to be the change they wish to see in the world.
So, what does this little foray into the message within The Lorax got to do with wellbeing?
Well as a neuroscientist who (very much unconsciously) began her quest considering the effects of the environment (the external) on the central nervous system and all associated systems (the internal), the connection between how well we are and where we live is huge.
I remember once saying to a TV producer that I could make a really good programme which was based around the lines of ‘show me where you live and i will show you your destiny,’ as I am so aware of how the environment shapes us and either enables or disables us.
I still say that that would be good viewing in an educational as well as humanity reaffirming way, however we can all take a good view of our own lives to predict our own levels of wellbeing.
I would like to share with the World Health Organisation’s definition and vision for wellbeing:
Well-being is a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. Similar to health, it is a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic and environmental conditions. Well-being encompasses quality of life and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose. Focusing on well-being supports the tracking of the equitable distribution of resources, overall thriving and sustainability. A society’s well-being can be determined by the extent to which it is resilient, builds capacity for action, and is prepared to transcend challenges (Glossary of Terms 2021).
The WHO works with Member States and partners to advance well-being as it pertains to global health and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Well-being is a major underlying driver of policy coherence across sectors and encourages galvanised action. Advancing societal well-being helps create active, resilient and sustainable communities at local, national and global levels, enabling them to respond to current and emerging health threats such as COVID-19 and environmental disasters.
WHO coordinated the 10th Global Conference on Health Promotion in December 2021, where the Geneva Charter for Well-being was endorsed by participants.
It outlines 5 key action areas:
design an equitable economy that serves human development within planetary boundaries;
create public policy for the common good;
achieve universal health coverage;
address the digital transformation to counteract harm and disempowerment and to strengthen the benefits; and
value and preserve the planet.
It is interesting to me as a researcher and also as a policy, strategy adviser and writer that although these key areas are virtuous and honourable in their intentions, the perception and reality is that they are not translatable from a grassroots level.
Which gets back to the message within The Lorax:
Unless
Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing is going to change, it’s not.
Societal wellbeing should begin with personal, individual wellbeing.
Personal, well-being is about how individuals feel about their own lives.
It involves various dimensions, including:
Emotional Well-being: This includes the presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g., happiness, contentment), the prevalence (or not) of negative emotions (e.g., depression, anxiety), and satisfaction with life.
Psychological Well-being: This involves self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy, and positive relations with others.
Physical Well-being: Good physical health, which is maintained through regular exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient rest, contributes significantly to overall personal well-being.
Social Well-being: Having strong, supportive relationships and a sense of belonging and connection with a community enhances personal well-being.
Workplace Well-being: Satisfaction with one’s job and work environment, a sense of achievement, and a balance between work and personal life are important for personal well-being.
Financial Well-being: Feeling secure in one’s financial situation and having the resources to meet personal and family needs without undue stress.
Consider all of the above dimensions.
What do you think are the best and latest fads to support those?
I will give you a clue.
None of them.
What is needed, are the following -
Awareness of where you are and where you want to get to.
Balance which is not about doing the same thing everyday and every week but about knowing what you need and when.
Consistency and knowing that slow and steady wins the wellbeing race.
Discipline involves training oneself to do what is necessary or expected, even in the face of difficulties or temptations.
Enduring which is lasting over a period of time; durable, and which can imply robust health.
I am tempted to invent a pill, a magic pill, that is called
Dr Rachel’s Magic Pill
and for it to encompass all the ingredients that will support all in the A-E of being well.
Maybe I should, and if I advertise it as a placebo with the power of placebo in it, it may be the next big thing.
However before I bring my magic pill to market, here is all you need to have real wellbeing, not just a fad -
Look at the above model and if you choose to run throughout it all the intention of having optimal wellbeing, filtering all choices and decisions through those five points, I can promise you that you will be well.
I live with chronic conditions, so much so that it is a kind of running joke in our family about how many times my children have said a ‘goodbye’ to me, so I know both professionally and personally what it means to be well and what it means to not be well.
I keep a measure of who I am when I am well and what has to happen for me not to be well.
Even if you are living with a disease and/or conditions it is still possible to have high levels of wellbeing in your life.
Wellbeing is not a tiktok trend, nor is it toxic self-care and that race to the bottom.
It is about you personalising and choosing how well you want to be and deciding to do it, no matter what.
Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing is going to change, it’s not.
I meant no harm. I most truly did not. But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got.