Positive Psychology

Are You Flourishing or Languishing Through Life?

No one’s life is picture perfect. It’s full of high moments and low moments, whether you like it or not. The key is maintaining a balanced life physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. That way, you can enjoy those high moments and fight through those low moments with ease.

In psychology, an individual’s well-being is measured on a continuum consisting of flourishing to languishing. On one side of the spectrum, the individual is experiencing high levels of well-being (flourishing). On the other, the individual is experiencing low levels of well-being (languishing).

Understanding which side of the spectrum you land on is extremely important to maintaining a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. It’s a difficult question to answer, especially since anyone can land on either side of the spectrum, whether they’re suffering from a mental illness or not.

So, be honest with yourself, are you flourishing or are you languishing?

In order to answer that question honestly, you need to understand what it truly means to be flourishing and what it truly means to be languishing. This is best described by Corey Keyes, a psychologist who currently teaches at Emory University in Georgia.

Best known for his work in positive psychology, Corey Keyes created the Flourishing Model — a way of determining which side of the continuum you land on. It breaks down an individual’s well-being into social well-being, psychological well-being, and emotional well-being.

● Social Well-Being: Consists of social coherence, social contribution, social growth, social integration, and social acceptance.
● Psychological Well-Being: Consists of positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, personal growth, and environmental mastery.
● Emotional Well-Being: Consists of interest in life, satisfaction, and happiness.

According to Keyes, a flourishing life is achieved when an individual experiences at least one of the three traits listed under emotional well-being, as well as six of the eleven traits listed under social and psychological well-being. Using this model, are you flourishing in life? Or are you languishing?

What About the PERMA Model?

The PERMA Model is another model that’s commonly used to measure an individual’s well-being. It was designed and created by Martin Seligman, one of the founding fathers of positive psychology. In fact, many institutions use this model on a daily basis in their teachings.

It consists of five core elements, which make up the ‘PERMA’ acronym. Let’s take a closer look:

● P – Positive Emotion: This is when you feel good, you’re flowing with positive emotions, and are filled with glowing optimism on a daily basis.
● E – Engagement: This is when you’re showing an extreme amount of interest in what you do daily, you’re engaged with what’s happening around you, and are leading a fulfilling life.
● R – Relationships: This is when you’re connecting with others on a personal level, you’re open to love, intimacy, and embracing emotional and physical interactions daily.
● M – Meaning: This is when you’re finding a heavy purpose in life, focusing on the why in life, and being presented a level of meaning that many people have to fight hard for.
● A – Accomplishments: This is when you’re setting realistic goals for yourself, you’re proud of yourself for your achievements, and take great pride in your daily ambitions and visions.

It’s estimated that nearly 23% of people are flourishing in life. That’s a sad number, especially considering it means nearly 77% of people are languishing — or struggling — in life.

At YoMenGa, I’m dedicated to helping turn that number around. There’s nothing I love more than helping others find happiness, success, and meaning. If you feel you aren’t achieving everything you wish to achieve in life, feel free to contact me today. I can’t wait to turn your life around.

“We are living longer — on average 30 years longer than at the start of the 20th century — yet we are not living healthier. The question is: Are we just living dependent and sick, or are we living healthy and able to contribute?”
                                                                                                 — Corey Keyes

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