What is Wellbeing and Why Should You Care?

Although moment-to-moment happiness is a factor, it also incorporates other things like how satisfied people are with their lives, their overall sense of purpose, and whether they feel in control.

‘Wellbeing can be understood as how people feel and how they function, both on a personal and social level, and how they evaluate their lives.’ – New Economic Foundation

Feelings of wellbeing are fundamental to our physical, emotional and mental health, enabling us to successfully overcome difficulties and achieve what we want out of life.

What Influences Wellbeing?

Essentially, every aspect of our lives can influence our overall wellbeing. Factors such as having an enjoyable and fulfilling career, earning adequate money, getting regular exercise, sleeping well, eating a balanced diet, and having a network of close friends are all thought to enhance an individual’s wellbeing.

Wellbeing, Work, and Running a Small Business

I believe maintaining positive physical and mental wellbeing is key to running a successful small business. Recent research conducted by accounting software provider Xero found that almost four in five owners at small companies agreed their physical and emotional health had a direct impact on bottom line profits. Moreover, encouraging a positive work-life balance across all levels of a business was ranked as the second biggest productivity boost among owners.

Running a small business can be all-consuming, but adopting a holistic approach to wellbeing should mean the health of your business doesn’t come at the cost of your own.

What Does Wellbeing Look Like for You?

We’re all different. What affects one person’s wellbeing won’t necessarily affect others in the same way. As well as moods and emotions, wellbeing involves evaluating our satisfaction with general and specific areas of life. It’s about how we experience the quality of our lives and how that experience makes us feel. Wellbeing is also dynamic. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year.

If You Do One Thing This Week…

Understanding how and why we experience feelings of wellbeing can help us build a positive lifestyle for ourselves. Ask yourself what factors are involved when you feel happy and healthy. Take some time to gently reflect on events and experiences that contribute to feeling negative or low. Do they include your relationships, your emotions, your body, your thoughts, your finances, or your environment? Are any of these things interconnected or linked?

Further Reading/Watching/Listening

•    How to Improve Your Mental Wellbeing
•    Five Steps to Mental Wellbeing
•    Your Health = The Health of Your Business
•    Six Steps to Improving Wellbeing at Work

Val