Psychological well-being: 15 habits to achieve it

What elements of daily life can lead us to a state of psychological well-being?

There is a lot of talk these days about concepts such as psychological well-being or happiness, and it seems that, despite being a common desire for many individuals, not everyone manages to live in this state.

Psychological well-being is a complex concept, but it has to do with feeling good in a general sense.. That is, to be well with oneself, to be aligned with the motivations and objectives that structure one's lifestyle, to enjoy the emotional balance necessary to face day-to-day life and even to have good physical health. The problem with this type of definition, however, is that in reality psychological well-being is an abstract and, of course, subjective concept.

What is psychological well-being?

This abstraction has to do with beliefs and expectations, with the empowerment of the person and with being surrounded by a context of tranquility and hope.

Today there is a lot of talk about the welfare society, but who could have psychological welfare in a time of war? who could have psychological well-being in a time of war? Obviously, the path to well-being depends on oneself, but environmental conditions have an influence. It should also not be forgotten that the definition of psychological well-being may vary from one culture to another.

For psychologist Carol Ryff, professor at Pennsylvania State University (USA), psychological well-being is composed of six dimensions. They are as follows:

• Self-acceptance
• Positive relationships with others
• Having a purpose in life
• Personal growth
• Autonomy
• Mastery of the environment

All of these would shape psychological well-being in a holistic way, feeding back on each other.

Habits to improve psychological well-being

With the above points in mind, below we have listed 15 habits that will help you to improve your mental well-being.

1. Accept what you can't change and love yourself

As Carol Ryff says, self-acceptance is key to well-being. If we want psychological well-being to be a lasting trait rather than a fleeting moment, we must learn to love ourselves and accept ourselves as we are. We must accept the things that happen to us, when they are unavoidable, and turn the page when we cannot control them. In short, if you can't change it, accept it..

2. Do what you like

Logically, if you don't do what you like, you will hardly achieve psychological well-being and happiness.. This refers to both your work and your hobbies. Regarding the latter, the more good moments you have doing what you like, the better you will feel.

Regarding employment, if you don't enjoy what you do and don't feel developed, your psychological well-being will suffer. People spend many hours at work, and if we become bitter every time we set foot in the place where we offer our services or products, this will affect us in our day-to-day life and our emotional balance.

3. Sleep well

Sleeping hours are important. When we do not get a good night's sleep or suffer from insomnia, our quality of life, our emotional balance and our psychological well-being are seriously affected.

That is why, good sleep hygiene is essential for good psychological health.. Sleep hygiene is a series of practices that will help us sleep better.

• If you want to improve it, you can read our post: "10 basic principles for a good sleep hygiene".

4. Forgive

Forgiveness is closely related to our mental health. This not only includes forgiving others, but also forgiving ourselves, something that is of vital importance if we want to restore emotional balance in our lives and, therefore, our psychological well-being. In other words, if resentment takes hold of us, our happiness is hijacked..

• If you want to go deeper into this topic just click on this link.

5. Have realistic goals

Wellness experts pay a lot of attention to the importance of the purposes we have in our life and the goals we set for ourselves. and the goals we set for ourselves. This happens mainly for several reasons, but mainly because the goals we set are our vital motivation and are related to our happiness. However, these objectives, if they are not realistic, cause frustration, and in the long run we will suffer the negative consequences of having irrational expectations. Goals must be achievable.

6. Surround yourself with friends

As Carol Ryff says, Positive relationships are necessary for our psychological well-being.. In fact, there is a lot of research that affirms that having friendships and an active social life has a positive impact on our happiness and mental health.

7. Be proactive

People who enjoy greater psychological well-being are those who are always on the move, who are proactive.who are proactive. This means that they feel empowered and take certain risks. This is what Ryff means by autonomy.

8. Nourish yourself in a healthy way

Nutrition is also related to our mental and emotional health. As psychologist Jonathan Garcia-Allen states: "There is a reciprocal relationship between food and our emotions. Not only does what we eat affect how we feel, but how we feel also affects the way we eat. This explains why when we are stressed our eating habits change, or that eating well will also affect how we feel throughout the day.

9. Play sports

Another healthy habit is to practice sports.. Although we often associate exercise with physical well-being, this practice also has an effect on us at a psychological level. Practicing sports causes us to release chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins or serotonin. These make us feel better and change our perception of life for the better.

10. Reflect and connect with yourself

It is difficult to stop for a moment and reflect on who we are or what our emotional state is today. The accelerated pace of the society in which we live makes it difficult for us to look inward. We are always looking at the outside.

Stopping for a second and reflecting is one of the best alternatives to achieve our well-being.. To do so, you simply have to dedicate 15 or 20 minutes a day to yourself. For example, by filling in a diary of emotions before going to bed.

• You can find all the information you need to fill in a diary of emotions in this article: "Emotional management: 10 keys to master your emotions".

11. Meditate

Another way to connect with yourself and your emotions is through meditation.. Meditation provides you with a moment of inner peace and helps you connect with yourself and your body. Scientific studies show that people who practice meditation have a greater psychological well-being, so learning to meditate has a very positive impact on our well-being.

12. Practice gratitude and compassion

Today, psychologists use Mindfulness as a therapeutic tool, aware of the benefits it provides for the welfare of people. Mindfulness is a philosophy that uses meditation to be in the here and now, but also follows a series of principles or values. These are: awareness, self-acceptance, non-judgmental mentality, compassion and gratitude.compassion and gratitude towards ourselves and others.

13. Live in the present

In addition, Mindfulness is also a way of being in the present. is a way to be in the present, to let go of irrational expectations.. It helps you to become aware of your own emotions to know yourself. To be present. Because if you don't know where you are right now, you can hardly go anywhere.

14. Get out of your comfort zone

If earlier it was mentioned that people should be proactive to enjoy greater well-being because it was a symptom of empowerment, another reason to be proactive is to get out of the comfort zone. The comfort zone is a zone of non-learning, non-growth and it limits you from growing and developing. Not developing is not having psychological well-being. So staying in the comfort zone is not good for you.

15. Practice Emotional Intelligence

Emotions play a very important role in our well-being.. Research shows that emotionally intelligent people enjoy greater life satisfaction and are happier. Knowing one's own emotions and those of others, and regulating them if necessary, avoids many conflicts and, ultimately, provides us with greater well-being.