The definition of well-being has been debated for thousands of years. Our modern conceptualizations of well-being are rooted in the thoughts of Socrates and his two students Aristotle and Aristippus. Aristotle believed that well-being comes in living a balanced life and having good physical, mental, emotional, family, and occupational health. He believed that if there is no suffering in these key areas you have well-being. While Aristippus agreed on many key points, he posited that well-being comes only when you are satisfied with your life. It does not matter how you are doing objectively or how great others perceive your life to be, it matters if you perceive your life to be worthwhile and enjoyable.
Rather than pick a winner in this millennia old debate, the Well-Being Evaluation conceptualizes well-being in both ways. Our goal is to help you identify any areas of your life where you are objectively doing well and areas that need improvement. Just as important, we want to help you explore if you are satisfied with these areas of your life and if you’re not, determine why.
How do I interpret my well-being score?
The Well-Being Evaluation presents you with a single well-being score. This score is meant to represent how you feel about life in general. It is meant to help you understand how satisfied you are with life and how you are doing objectively. If this score is high, you are likely satisfied with life in general, even if the rest of the evaluation shows areas that need improvement. If your score is low, this suggests that you are unhappy, even if objectively things are going well.
How can I improve my well-being?
The whole point of the Well-Being Evaluation is to help you identify areas that need improvement. Even if you are satisfied with life, there are always opportunities to make things better. Your well-being also changes over time. The things you are concerned with today might not be concerns tomorrow. Well-being is fluid and as with many things in life, improving it requires constant work and attentiveness.
Here are some key questions to reflect on:
1. What areas in my life need improvement?
2. What steps do I need to take to make my well-being more of a priority?
3. What do I need to remove from my life to make my life better?
4. What can I do more of to improve my overall satisfaction with life?
We are here to be a resource for you. When you meet with one of our clinicians to go over your Well-Being Evaluation, don’t be afraid to ask them questions about well-being. We are committed to providing you with whatever resources we can to make your life better. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to the clinician you met with directly or email us at Info@TheLanierPractice.com.
About the Author
Ian Mudge Ph.D., L.P.C. is an officer's kid and an expert in pastoral well-being. With over a decade of experience as a counselor, he has worked with thousands of clients and hundreds of officers, with a main focus on helping them thrive. He has his doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology with expertise in helping denominations implement policies to make the lives of their pastors better. You can reach him directly at Ian@TheLanierPractice.com.
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