Philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle argued that human motives and actions are di- rected toward goodness and well-being. As mankind thrives, each person strives to make progress in achieving more goodness and happiness which raises their ultimate well-being. A couple years ago, I encountered an experience that led me to take an action towards my well-be- ing. I have always had a passion for soccer. Even as a young boy, I played soccer year round. Through my elementary and high school years, soccer had become the greatest interest in my life.
It was so integral, that it was my defining factor for choosing the college I would attend. I decided that I would go to Augustana College with a scholarship to play the sport I love. Through one full academic year there, I enjoyed playing the game while my class grades suf- fered. I slowly began to realize that I cared a lot more about my academic success and an inter- est in a future medical profession than I first thought. At that point of my life, I knew that I had to make a change to improve my overall well- being. I decided to transfer to a school where I could reach my academic goals for my futuren well-being.
From my experience, I can hypothesize my own personal definition of well-being. Well-being is a physical and mental state that consists of having all human needs to live; with a social and personal network of goals that lead to a purpose. Some indications of optimal well- being beyond meeting one’s basic needs are: a supportive network of friends/family, goals for accomplishments in life and additives such as faith, hobbies and fun. All of these things come together to provide a physical state and mental position of stability for a healthy mind and body.
This is a state of well-being. The definition of well-being is a complex task that may have diverse answers. The World Health Organization begins this task by defining health as, “A state of optimal well-being, not merely the absence of disease and infirmity” (Hassmen 17). The Medical Wellness Archives begins with this definition as the center point of defining well-being (Hassmen 17). Wellness practitioners focus on a wide array of dimensions that create the whole concept of well-being. The components of well-being include the interactions that one has throughout their life .
These include physical, mental, emotional, environmental, spiritual, and social interactions (Has- smen 18). It is important to have each of those components in order to achieve ultimate well-be- ing. The total experience of life from each component directly correlates to the vitality and well- being of the individual. This hypothesis of well-being originated in ancient Greek times by Hip- pocrates, and has evolved through modern times (Hassmen 19). Modern medicine’s success rate in separating disease and illness from the patient has also allowed for a greater opportunity to im-prove well-being.
It is the entire experience of life that defines a person, and well-being is made up of the dimensions that are experienced. In my opinion, a diverse balance of each component would be most beneficial for the optimal state of well-being. As soccer is of great interest to me, it may not be what provides an improvement in someone else’s well-being. Although, physical exercise is one of the most successful ways of increasing one’s well-being. Physical exercise has plenty of benefits for improving health. It is an integral component to living a healthy long life.
As physical exercise contributes to our physical health, it influences our mental and social health as well. All of this factors into the overall state of well-being. A population study conducted in Finland observed physical exercise and psychological well-being. Dr. Peter Hassmen led the experimental study in 2000. After examining 3,403 par- ticipants between the ages of 25 and 64, the results of the experiment showed that anyone who exercises at least two to three times a week will experience less stress, depression, and anger than those who exercise less or not at all (Hassmen 17).
Physical exercise also brings to light the behavior that would be recommended to im- prove personal well-being. The results of the study had shown that those who exercised at least twice a week experienced less stress and sadness. As exercise is something that can form into a habit. If performed regularly, it relieves stress that is accumulated from life (Breuleux 26). Physical exercise also takes our minds off of things that cause stress in our lives. This gives our mind a positive stimuli through exercise, and not a negative stimuli from problems that we may face.
Although the problems that we face still remain, our minds are fresh from experiencing a rewarding task from physical exercise, and thus our mind can handle the stress in a new way. Physical exercise is one of the most powerful ways to increase our well-being physically, men- tally, socially and emotionally. In order to increase our overall well-being, stress needs to be managed effectively. Stress occurs in throughout life from different sources. Each person handles stress differ- ently, and is affected by stress in different ways.
As one difficult situation may arise, different people will handle the corresponding stress differently (Breuleux 24). For some people, the stress may be so overbearing that anxiety and depression may cause the person to struggle through their day (Breuleux 25). Other people may keep their composure through the difficult time, and their behavior does not change much. For every person, it is beneficial to have a strat- egy to handle their stress effectively, regardless of how intense the stress is. One of the most effective ways to manage stress is physical exercise.
As stated before, physicians and researchers agree that exercising at least 20-30 minutes a day, significantly im- proves a person’s well-being and reduces stress. One nationally recognized physician, Dr. William C. Shiel Jr. , includes exercise as the first and foremost step in reducing and managing stress. Whether the stress is derived from work or home, exercise provides improvement in over- all fitness and relaxation, which also leads to better sleep (Shiel Jr. 4). Another subcategory of exercise is another stress reliever, yoga.
Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that connects the body and breathing with the mind (Shiel Jr. 4). In addition, provides the benefits of balancing the body with an increase in flexibil- ity and relief to tense muscles from stress. Overall, it helps clear the mind and prepares the body to handle stress with greater ease. Another strategy to handle stress, is to take short breaks throughout the work day. Short breaks for snacks, coffee, or stretching, help provide the mind with time to relax and find relax- ation through stimuli that is different than the source of stress (Shiel Jr. 5).
These short breaks will also help to mentally see the positives from the work that has been completed prior to the break, and gives momentum going back into the work that causes stress. Physicians and researchers who investigate well-being offer plenty of options to make changes in my life. I am already a very active person, and I enjoy the health benefits that it pro- vides. However, I do not take much time for meditation. I plan to meditate each morning, which will help lower daily stress and improve my focus for the day. Taking the time to meditate will also provide my mind and body with relaxation.
These changes will help increase my overall well-being, which allows for a healthy life.
Works Cited Hassmen, Peter, Nathalie Koivula, Antti Uutela. “A Population Study in Finland, Preventive Medicine”, Physical Exercise and Psychological Well-Being, Volume 30, Issue 1, January 2000, 17-35. Web 25 July 2013. Breuleux, Christopher, Ph. D. “Well-being and Health. ” Medical Wellness Archives, Volume 1, Issue 1, January 2004, 20-42. Web 20 August 2013. SHIEL JR. , WILLIAM C. MD, FACP, FACR. STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Medicine Net. WebMD. www. medicinenet. com/stress_management_techniques.