Working on your Wellbeing
Many of you would be aware that South Australia is known as the ‘State of Wellbeing’...
Especially with the Wellbeing and Resilience Centre at SAHMRI (known as the cheese-grater on North Tce) working with schools, businesses and the community, in building the wellbeing and resilience of people. You can find out more at Be Well Co.
Council's Community Health & Wellbeing Division has previously run workshops for older adults and staff in the past and may do so again in the future.
Wellbeing Model
The model of wellbeing that has been used in South Australia is Martin Seligman’s PERMA+.
The letters stand for…
- P – Positive Emotion
- E – Engagement
- R – Relationship
- M – Meaning
- A – Accomplishment
- + (H) Health
Over the next few editions, we will highlight some practical ideas on how you can develop these pillars of Wellbeing.
P - Positive Emotion
Dial up Positivity by finding your ‘Jolts of joy’. Reach for a favourite song, a funny video, or anything /anyone that makes you smile. Maybe watch a beautiful sunset
What went well? Reflect on what went well today and just as important, identify what made this possible (ie think about why it went well). Take note and try to replicate. Eg I was in a good mood; I made the effort to go and had a good time; ‘x’ always makes me laugh’.
E – Engagement
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Discover your strengths. Take the free survey at Via Institute On Character
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Reflect and envisage. Write about what might be possible if you were using your strengths each day. Between activities, pause, take a deep breath, ask which strengths you will use next.
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Meditate daily. Download an app like ‘Headspace’ and take a few minutes each day to be still
R – Relationships
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Reach out to others. Small actions or gestures can make a huge difference in helping someone feel seen.
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Listen empathetically. Try to be aware, curious and non-judgemental when people are sharing stories
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Do a 5 minute favour. Each day take 5 minutes to help someone in your network.
M – Meaning
- Adopt a Service mindset. What’s one thing you could do today to make a positive difference for others?
- Uncover your story. Each day take 5 minutes to journal about what’s happened and why it matters to you.
- Alternative Passions. What would you like to pursue purely for the joy of the activity? Make this happen.
A – Accomplishment
- Set learning goals. Each week set a learning goal to build your competence in something and stretch.
- Invest in small wins. If there was one small step you could take towards your goal today what would it be?
- Create a Mantra. What would a wise and kind friend say to you in the moments you fall short.