PERMA model of well-being
A popular model of well-being has been developed by Martin Seligman. Seligman suggests that there are five dimensions of psychological well-being and that by tending to each element, individuals can improve their overall sense of happiness, fulfilment, and well-being.
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Positive emotions
Positive emotions that arise naturally during acute grief can help the restoration process. Positive emotion is much more than mere happiness. Positive feelings can occur when you think of positive things about the person who died, when you think about appreciating someone who is still alive or when you do or think something that reminds you of your own genuine values and beliefs. Positive feelings can also arise when you do or think of things that remind you of your ability to make good decisions or your ability to meet important challenges. Laughter and other positive emotions can allow people to reduce levels of distress in the body following loss. The bodily response to laughter and the positive feelings laughter creates reduce distress.
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Engagement
Being engaged is feeling attached, involved, and able to concentrate on activities you love doing. This presents the opportunity to re-connect to your own values and interests, to re-engage with things or activities you previously valued or always wanted to try, with activities that enhance your well-being. Here it helps to draw on your strengths and interests.
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Relationships
The presence and support of close companions is important for adapting to loss. Spending time with sympathetic companions and starting to do interesting things again helps you become engaged in the present and have some hope for the future. Feeling connected, supported, and cared about helps to heal. It is important to acknowledge that isolation is also a feature of grief and may serve as an important transition back into life. Whilst isolation may be something to experience, it’s not a place in which to live. Instead, connecting with others and re-establishing or establishing meaningful social connections supports healthy grieving.
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Meaning
Finding meaning is about finding a purposeful existence. It is about feeling valued and connected to something greater than our self. Having a purpose in life helps to focus on what really matters. Sometimes things become clearer to us when we have lost someone important to us. Meaning or purpose in life is different for everyone. Meaning can be found through our professions, through a social or political cause, a creative endeavour, or religious or spiritual beliefs. It can be found in volunteer or community activities. Meaning is guided by your personal values.
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Accomplishment
Navigating the practicalities of the loss and the changes that occur consequently is an accomplishment. In grief, accomplishment comes from restoring a sense of competence to meet important challenges. This may include learning new skills. It may be as simple as re-establishing a routine. We can create a sense of accomplishment through goal setting and prioritising what is important. We can schedule pleasant events in our day. We can get a sense of accomplishment by navigating life transitions for example returning to work. When we feel capable and make progress towards our goals we feel a sense of accomplishment. It is important to celebrate our success, including the small wins.