Positive mental health is more than the absence of mental illness, it is the presence of flourishing.
According to Seligman, the following five essential components that form an easily remembered mnemonic, PERMA is needed to flourish.
P – Positive emotion: happiness and life satisfaction.
E – Engagement: being present in every activity.
R – Relationships: as social beings, we need to foster healthy relationships.
M – Meaning: belonging to and serving something greater than oneself.
A – Accomplishments: setting and achieving goals.
In the presence of mental disorders, flourishing can still be achieved. Some meaningful ways to achieve this could involve,
P. Discovering your unique talent, the one thing that you love to do and develop it, or if you're already doing that, find new ways to expand your potential. If unsure what your one unique thing is, explore different opportunities until something resonates and inspires you.
Remain open and curious.
E. Practice mindfulness, the art of being present in every interaction and every action. Live in the present, rather than always ‘wishing things were different’ or always wanting the ‘next thing’, as both will ultimately prevent you from enjoying the present.
Stay connected, look for the gems in each moment.
R. It is a fallacy to believe you need an extensive network of friends to be happy. More importantly, we need to develop meaningful relationships, beginning with those closest to us and then extend outward.
Focus on quality over quantity.
M. A life lived for self, is to live a life unfulfilled. Find a cause and invest in making other people's lives in lesser circumstances, better. Volunteering is a great means to achieve this. Being present in daily interactions offers an opportunity to identify someone in need of a kind act or a kind word.
Maintain an outward focus over an inward focus.
A. The land of procrastination will rob you of achieving your dreams or having a sense of achievement in life. Dream big, set goals, make plans and celebrate the wins along the way. Fulfillment ensues from action rather than inaction.
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