Eudaimonia
Subjective Well-Being (6 Key Factors)
Below is a breakdown of the 6 key factors contributing to subjective well-being - for each factor there is an experiential description of how we might feel when we are fairing well, and not so well, with regards to each. This can be used as a rough guide and intuitive map that can be referenced throughout our journey together, to assess where you are at, and what issues may still remain and need focus on, in moving towards a more fulfilling life.
1) SELF-ACCEPTANCE
High Self-Acceptance: You possess a positive attitude toward yourself; acknowledge and accept multiple aspects of yourself including both good and bad qualities; and feel positive about your past life.
Low Self-Acceptance: You feel dissatisfied with yourself; are disappointed with what has occurred in your past life; are troubled about certain personal qualities; and wish to be different than what you are.
2) PERSONAL GROWTH
Active Personal Growth: You have a feeling of continued development; see yourself as growing and expanding; are open to new experiences; have the sense of realizing your potential; see improvement in yourself and behaviour over time; are changing in ways that reflect more self-knowledge and effectiveness.
Inactive Personal Growth: You have a sense of personal stagnation; lack the sense of improvement or expansion over time; feel bored and uninterested with life; and feel unable to develop new attitudes or behaviours.
3) PURPOSE IN LIFE
Clear Purpose in Life: You have goals in life and a sense of directedness; feel there is meaning to your present and past life; hold beliefs that give life purpose; and have aims and objectives for living.
Unclear Purpose in Life: You lack a sense of meaning in life; have few goals or aims, lack a sense of direction; do not see purpose of your past life; and have no outlook or beliefs that give life meaning.
4) POSTIVE RELATIONS WITH OTHERS
Strong Positive Relations: You have warm, satisfying, trusting relationships with others; are concerned about the welfare of others; are capable of strong empathy, affection, and intimacy; and understand the give and take of human relationships.
Tenuous Relations: You have few close, trusting relationships with others; find it difficult to be warm, open, and concerned about others; are isolated and frustrated in interpersonal relationships; and are not willing to make compromises to sustain important ties with others.
5) ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY
High Environmental Mastery: You have a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment; control complex array of external activities; make effective use of surrounding opportunities; and are able to choose or create contexts suitable to your personal needs and values.
Limited Environmental Mastery: You have difficulty managing everyday affairs; feel unable to change or improve surrounding contexts; are unaware of surrounding opportunities; and lack a sense of control over the external world.
6) AUTONOMY
High Autonomy: You are self-determining and independent; are able to resist social pressures to think and act in certain ways; regulate behaviour from within; and evaluate yourself by personal standards.
Low Autonomy: You are concerned about the expectations and evaluations of others; rely on judgments of others to make important decisions; and conform to social pressures to think and act in certain ways
(This framework is taken from Carol Ryff)
Eudaimonic-Living
The purpose of my practice is to help you in re-framing the way in which you make meaning out of your experience, such that both your subjective well-being and your philosophical disposition towards your life (both as it is lived now and your realistic hopes for the future) are more clearly aligned.
To find out how I can help you in this regard click the button below.
Why Therapy / Counselling?
Everyone Needs Support in Troubled Times
We all face struggles from time to time where we feel like the walls are closing in on us, where our problems challenge us on a level that forces us to confront the very limits of our capability. When we are confronted by such overwhelming stressors, be they financial, physical, psychological, spiritual, inter-personal or all at once - they can often seem like insurmountable problems that threaten the very core of our sense of Self & Identity and our ability to act.
It is in these moments when life seems to have gotten the better of us and we feel we can no longer cope, that we find ourselves posed with Life's proverbial existential question - am I going to 'sink or swim'? and when faced with the reality of being unable to do the latter on our own, we have to make what feels like the bravest choice of all, to swallow our pride, overcome our shame and do the most human thing we can - reach out for help!
Below are some typical signs that might suggest that you could benefit from Counselling:
- You feel an overwhelming, prolonged sense of helplessness and sadness.
- Your problems don't seem to get better despite your efforts and help from family and friends.
- You find it difficult to concentrate on work assignments or to carry out other everyday activities.
- You worry excessively, expect the worst or are constantly on edge.
- Your actions, such as drinking too much alcohol, using drugs or being aggressive, are harming you or others