{"id":40299,"date":"2019-07-11T06:00:17","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=40299"},"modified":"2019-07-09T13:51:56","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T20:51:56","slug":"7-ways-well-being-promotes-happiness-and-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/7-ways-well-being-promotes-happiness-and-mental-health-0711194","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways Well-Being Promotes Happiness and Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GroupWhat if I were to propose that well-being may do more to enhance your mental health than the pursuit of happiness<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Of course, we all desire to be happy. Yet if you ask ten people what their definition of happiness is, you may get ten different answers. As it turns out, happiness alone may not be the greatest contributor to mental health. Well-being, contentment, fulfillment, and joy may be the more desired outcomes regarding mental health and happiness.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin by taking a closer look at well-being. Well-being has many aspects to it. It is not just a sense of deep happiness\u2014it\u2019s much more than that. Well-being means you feel good about yourself, your life, and others. Well-being influences many life domains: emotional, cognitive, psychological, physical, relational, and the spiritual.<\/p>\n

Dr. Martin Seligman\u2019s research has contributed to a greater knowledge of well-being. In this article, we will look at a brief overview of his theory on well-being, as well as other strategies that can improve mental health.<\/p>\n

Well-being influences many life domains: emotional, cognitive, psychological, physical, relational, and the spiritual.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key Elements of Well-Being<\/h2>\n

According to Dr. Seligman\u2019s theory, well-being has five key elements:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Positive emotion<\/li>\n
  2. Engagement<\/li>\n
  3. Meaning<\/li>\n
  4. Positive relationships<\/li>\n
  5. Accomplishment<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Emotion<\/h3>\n

    Emotion<\/a> is explained as the “pleasant life.” The pleasant life can be measured subjectively and includes happiness, life satisfaction, and other positive emotions such as pleasure, comfort, ecstasy, warmth, and joy.<\/p>\n

    What we know from research in the fields of neuroscience and neuropsychology<\/a> is that we can actually change the neurochemistry in our brains by adapting the way we think about things. If we focus on thinking about things that are more positive, we can actually begin to change our mood and emotional state. If we do this for an extended period of time, we can alter neural pathways and synaptic<\/a> connections in our brains. This, in turn, can lead to greater mental health.<\/p>\n

    2. Engagement<\/h3>\n

    Engagement, like positive emotion, is measured subjectively. Engagement involves being actively engaged in what you are doing. Another way to look at engagement is being intentional about being involved and present in life. Ask the following questions and then reflect on your level of engagement:<\/p>\n