All aspects of health are intertwined and strongly connected. Deep Health doesn’t come from a pill or formula.
This is a continuation of the blog on Holistic Well-being. Holistic well-being entails in thriving in all aspects of human experiences., It's the whole person, whole life phenomenon.
Existential well-being can be characterised as finding personal existence meaningful and oneself as competent to cope with difficulties that life brings.
Have you asked yourself - Why do I exist? What's my purpose? Is there a connection to Holistic Wellbeing?
Life's meaning is closely linked to our well-being. This idea includes three main parts: sources of meaning, feeling that life is meaningful, and crises of meaning.
Sources of meaning come from our personalities and guide our basic actions and commitments. These sources give us a sense of coherence and direction in life and are influenced by our views on humanity, society, and the world. For example, health, relationships, and self-growth can be important sources of meaning. When life is going well, we don't think much about these sources, and life feels meaningful naturally.
Feeling meaningfulness happens when we experience coherence, significance, direction, and belonging in life.
Crises of meaning occur when our sense of meaning is disrupted, causing us distress. During these times, we search for new sources of meaning and find more importance in the ones that remain.
In summary, when life is in balance, we feel a natural sense of meaning. During tough times, we actively seek new ways to find meaning and hold on to what still feels meaningful.
In my coaching practice, as much as it's easy to fix most aspects of Physical Wellbeing, its my duty to ask my trainees, what's your purpose in life. It sometimes brings silence from the other side while sometimes just a smile "I am figuring out". Most find purpose with the job they do, the family they raise or the weekend volunteering work at an NGO.
As a health and wellness coach, I ask many times "how you're doing?" and the usual answers are "fine" or "pretty good"? Many times, its a list of complaints? My answer when the question is asked back, "I'm terrific! Things are looking up!"
Diving into the aspects of Existential Well-being:
1. Positive Emotion: This includes feeling happy, peaceful, loved, connected, hopeful, and grateful. It's important to enjoy the moment.
For example, read a good book, spend time with family and friends, or enjoy your favorite ice cream. Doing things you love makes you feel better.
2. Engagement: Have you ever lost track of time doing something you love? This is referred to as "flow." Activities that bring you into this state make you feel fulfilled. For example, like playing with your children, playing a musical instrument, or creating something with your talent.
3. Relationships: Positive relationships are key to our well-being. People with meaningful relationships are happier. These relationships take time and effort to maintain For example, spending quality time with a friend or family member. Being there when needed the most.
4. Meaning: Meaning comes from being part of something bigger than ourselves. We all want to feel like we have a greater purpose. For example, this might be connected to spirituality or religion; for others, it's raising a family, working with a charity, helping others, or mentoring someone.
5. Accomplishment/Achievement: Setting goals and working towards them improves our well-being. For example, could be learning a new skill, reaching a goal, or winning a competition. The journey towards the goal is just as important as achieving it, like training for a race or studying for an exam.
Incorporating these elements into your life can help you feel better and lead a more fulfilling life and improve your Holistic Wellbeing.
Existential health: “Why do you want to make changes to your health?”
The deeper “why,” or feeling like our actions have meaning.
When we have a strong sense of ourselves and what we’re here to do, we feel worthwhile. Valuing ourselves then affects how we treat our minds, our bodies, and the people around us.
STRESS RECOVERY
Something to Ponder upon:
Seek overall purpose: "What motivates you to do this or to live your life in general? What's your driving force?"
Inquire about the "not-why": "What isn't motivating you? What do you not care about doing or having?" (Sometimes it's easier to identify what you don't want, which can help reveal what you truly value.)
Assess their sense of belonging: "How do you see yourself fitting into the bigger picture?"
Encourage action-focused thinking: "What do you think would make your life more meaningful? Is there anything you're already doing that you find meaningful?"
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