“Wellbeing” is a tricky term. We all think we know what we mean by it, but health experts disagree about its definition. For many of us, it’s just another word for “health” – how we feel today. But when someone asks about “our health”, we usually respond with physical health in mind: “Oh I’m feeling a bit unwell today” – ie my physical health isn’t so good!
But what about other parts of our lives – our minds, emotions and relationships, to say nothing of the bigger picture, like our sense of purpose and direction in life? Don’t they have some state of “health”?
One specialist wrote that the concept of wellbeing should extend “to a range of different dimensions beyond the individual”, including family, community and society! Clearly, there’s more to “wellbeing” than we think! Some experts say that wellbeing has to do with everything in our lives, well beyond our physical “health.”
In recent years a huge amount of research has been carried out into wellbeing, health…and happiness. And from what we’ve already seen, it becomes clear that “happiness” also amounts to more than just having a smiley face all day!
