The PERMA Model of Wellbeing
The PERMA model was developed by Psychologist, Martin Seligman and was published in his 2011 book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Wellbeing. The model outlines 5 components of well-being.
- When you think of positive emotion it is likely you will think of happiness, but positive emotions are much more than that. There are other positive emotions we can experience, such as hope, compassion, joy, love, pride, interest, excitement, amusement and gratitude.
- The P of PERMA relates to doing things that can help to increase our positive emotions:
- It may be about finding things that cause us to experience more positive emotions and making these things more of a priority in our lives.
- Such as:
- Spending time with people like and care about
- Spending time doing activities you enjoy – engaging in hobbies etc.
- Thinking of ways, you can enhance those experience of the nice things you enjoy- for example, if you like walking the dog and listening to music, could you safely combine the two? To enhance your enjoyment
- When we are engaged in things we enjoy, this increase our sense of well-being and creates a sense of ‘flow’. Flow is a concept that includes losing feelings of self-consciousness, and being completely absorbed in an activity- being ‘in the zone’. Essentially it is being present in the moment and focusing entirely on the task at hand. The concept ‘Flow’ was named by another psychologist called – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975.
- There are different ways people can immerse themselves in a state of flow, it is likely this will be different for everyone but some may find it in hobbies such as playing a musical instrument, cooking or baking, playing a sport, or artwork.
- Ways you can increase engagement:
- Engage in activities you really enjoy or love – the types of activities where you may lose yourself.
- Practice really living in the moment – Our mindfulness page may help with this. Please click here to find out more.
- Make time to prioritise these activities and avoid distractions.
- The quality of relationships we form with others around us can have a big impact on our feelings of wellbeing
- The PERMA model highlights how experiencing relationships where we feel loved, supported and valued by others can be very beneficial to our wellbeing. It is important that we seek out relationships that build us up
- It doesn’t mean you have to be socializing with people all the time. It is about having good quality interaction with people to the level that you find satisfying.
- If you want to develop or build relationships, here are some ideas:
- Joining a new class or group to meet people with similar interests
- Get in touch with someone you haven’t seen or spoken to in a while
- Get to know people better – ask questions to find out more about them
- Having a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives is important to wellbeing. Some people may find meaning in their jobs, through a social or political cause, through a religious/spiritual belief or through other things like art or sport, outdoor activities. Finding meaning in life doesn’t always have to be through a big movement, it could be through smaller more personal things.
- A person’s sense of meaning and purpose will be guided by their own personal values, so this can look different for everyone
- Ways to build meaning:
- Spend quality time with loved ones and people you care about
- Think about your values and passions and what activities might fit with these
- Volunteer at a local organisation that matters to you. We often gain the benefits of this for our own wellbeing alongside helping others.
- Try new activities that allow you to be creative, that you can connect to.
- Consider joining a local church or spiritual organisation, if faith or/and religion is important to you. Research has shown that healthy spirituality can have beneficial impacts on mental health and wellbeing
- Working on reaching a goal or mastering a difficult task can give us that sense of accomplishment and allow us to look at our achievements with a sense of pride.
- Not only are we rewarded with positive emotions when we accomplish something but it can increase our feelings of effectiveness and encourage us to do more. It is important to remember though, the goals we set ourselves need to be achievable to feel this sense of accomplishment.
- Ways to build accomplishment:
- Set yourself achievable goals – you might do this through using the SMART principles
- Learn and reflect on past experiences and successes
- Celebrate your achievements – be creative in how you do this!
To find out more about Positive Psychology and PERMA, visit Authentic Happiness page.