What Is Wellbeing?

Wellbeing has become a buzzword in recent years, but what does it actually mean? To some, it is the pursuit of happiness, whilst for others it goes much further and includes things such as meaning, growth, connection and purpose. What is important to note is that welllbeing means different things to different people. This can make it hard to support, or even know what the other is talking about when we ask ‘How is your wellbeing?’.

Wellbeing, whilst complex and multifaceted, is also personal. Not only for individuals, but also for workplaces. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself ’What is wellbeing to me?’ or ‘What do we believe about wellbeing?’.? Without understanding what wellbeing is, we can fall victim to seeing wellbeing as a number of activities to do that should make us feel better, yet, which often leaves us wondering: ‘If I am doing all the right things, why isn’t wellbeing improving?’.

Truth is, we need to look more broadly than the activities and events we so commonly do. Morning teas don’t shorten to-do lists, and yoga doesn’t address things that make us stressed. Yes, these activities may help us in the moment, and may give us tools or strategies to along the way, but wellbeing is not something that should be tackled with activities to make us feel better, it should be part of who we are, how we are being, how we work, how we interact and connect, and how we feel, not just what we do.

With wellbeing being unique and personal, yet something we are trying to contextualize to the workplace, it is essential we build our knowledge of what wellbeing actually is.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines wellbeing as:

"a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

This definition highlights the holistic nature of wellbeing, recognizing that it encompasses more than just physical health, but also mental and social aspects.

The WHO also emphasizes the importance of wellbeing for both individuals and societies, stating:

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 they are resilient, build capacity for action, and are prepared to?transcend challenges'.

This highlights that beyond individual wellbeing, the concept also applies to societies as a whole (which is important for workplaces to note). Therefore, if we consider a society to be a workplace, the above would also suggest workplaces that foster thriving staff wellbeing will resilient staff who take action, and are prepared to overcome challenges.

Alongside the WHO definition, we should also be aware of the difference between subjective and psychological wellbeing. Subjective wellbeing refers to an individual's own perception of happiness and life satisfaction. This can be influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, and life experiences. Whereas psychological wellbeing refers to an individual's overall mental and emotional state. This can include factors such as self-esteem, a sense of purpose, and the ability to cope with stress and challenges.

Another way to think about wellbeing is through the PERMA+ model (Positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishments + optimism, nutrition, physical activity and sleep), created by Martin Selligman. This model is quite widely known, and is often used in workplaces and schools.

With definitions from the WHO, subjective and psychological wellbeing, PERMA+, and other wellbeing frameworks becoming more prominent, we are starting to become aware that wellbeing is more than feel-good activities. However, there is still a significant amount of work to do individually, in workplaces, and especially for educators and teachers.

Knowing this, we need to incorporate individual and collective practices that support our physical, emotional, social, subjective, and psychological wellbeing. By doing this we can help individuals and workplaces lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives as well as build resilience and enhance one’s individual and collective ability to cope with life and work challenges.

When I discuss staff wellbeing, I use this framework:

What this highlights is that wellbeing is both an individual and a collective feat. It is not a bunch of activities or a checklist, but a way of being that allows us to thrive personally and professionally. It includes both subjective and psychological wellbeing and aspects of PERMA+, as well as aligns with how the WHO explains wellbeing.

What I have also included in my framework that should be noted is the need to develop self and collective efficacy. Efficacy empowers us to make changes for ourselves and others. Efficacy, combined with an understanding of what wellbeing is (using the multiple definitions above), will support us to decide and commit to a definition of wellbeing that works for us individually and collectively and provide us with the opportunity to get to work on what really matters. Who we are, whom we want to be, the life we want to live and the workplace we want to create.

This is why wellbeing is so much more than ad-hoc strategies or a 1-day PD.

Much gratitude,

Amy

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