They say you need to “kiss a few frogs before you find your Prince (or Princess) Charming”. You know, date a few people to find out what you like and what you don’t...
Well, it’s the same for enhancing wellbeing – you need to kiss a few frogs. Try a few things – tools, approaches, strategies. Explore them. Test them. Learn what you like and what you don’t. When you find something you like, you might hang on to it. Commit to it. Make it part of your life. And if there’s something you don’t like, you let it go. Part ways and move forward. But, just like dating, you’ll want to give it the energy and the time to really understand if there’s potential.
How to enhance wellbeing?
Unlike what we’ve been told and sold, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to wellbeing. Not everything works for everyone. For instance, meditation seems to be the ‘thing’ right now – everywhere you turn, there’s someone spruiking meditation. And whilst there is a stack of evidence to suggest meditation can be incredible for your wellbeing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for you. We need to shift our focus from ‘what works’ to ‘what works for whom’.
In fact, no single activity is helpful for everyone because we’re all so unique … we have different personalities, values, strengths and lifestyles. Instead, it’s important for us to focus our efforts on the activities that best suit us as individuals. (Psychologists call this ‘person intervention fit’ or ‘person activity fit’).
You’ll be happy to know that unlike dating, there’s research that tells us what we should be looking for.
A leading researcher in positive psychology, Sonya Lyubomirsky, developed a Person Activity Fit Diagnostic that suggests reflecting on interventions / activities and considering what it would be like to do them every week for an extended period of time. Based on this, here’s a checklist to help you work out whether a particular wellbeing practice is right for you:
Does it feel ‘natural’ to you and will you be able to stick with it?
Do you enjoy doing it and do you find it interesting and challenging?
Is it important to you and does it reflect who you are – would you do it freely even when it’s not enjoyable?
If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to the above, great! But ...
Would you feel ashamed, guilty or anxious if you didn’t keep doing this activity?
Would you need to force yourself to do it?
Would you keep doing this activity because someone else wants you to, or because the situation demands it?
If you answered ‘yes’ to the last three questions, perhaps it’s not right for you.
With all of this in mind, we suggest you keep kissing (wellbeing) frogs. Be curious. Be open and find what works for you. And just like dating, you’ll know when you’ve found it. You’ll get that feeling. That spark. That chemistry.
The concept of 'person intervention fit' is the ‘why’ behind Myndly. We create a variety of tools and kits so you can find your 'fit'. They’re evidence-based and designed to make your work-life better. Our tools are also aesthetically beautiful, which is completely intentional. We want our tools to become a part of your lifestyle – items you showcase in your home, your office... things you'll keep and use for a long time.