The Three P’s

A Wellbeing Blog

This month we’ve been considering the concept of positive wellbeing. How can we grow in our emotional health and even begin to flourish as a person?

We’ve considered techniques like regular gratefulness or the ‘Power of Positivity.’ We’ve looked at having depth not breadth in our relationships through the Wellbeing triangle as a model for wellbeing - balancing self, others and a sense of the other.

This week I want to encourage us to consider 3 P’s …

• Being present

• Perspective

• Our passions

being present

Central to healthy wellbeing is an ability to live in the present.

Sadly, as much as we’d like to, we can’t effect the past or the future. The past has gone, what has has happened has happened. The future is yet to be lived - we can plan for it but we can never know for certain what might happen and we certainly can’t control it.

Living in the present means we can be here now, enjoy the moment and take more positive feelings from living life. Even in tough times, the present is the only place where we can really make any changes.

Ask yourself - what is happening for me right now? How might I take it seriously, live that moment and even enjoy it?

If you want to explore this further, try this Mindful exercise.

PERSPECTIVE

One of the things being present does is that it can give us perspective.

When we are in the middle of a situation it’s hard to see it as it really is. We are affected by it’s emotions and the feelings we have may make it harder for us to know what to do. Perspective gives us the ability to find a little distance and to see things from a different perspective - a little like a bird flying about something see’s it differently to when we might see something on the ground.

Think about a problem you’re facing … find a new perspective on it by:

• asking a friend for advice.

• going for a walk and taking some time to think clearly.

• leaving it for a day and coming back to it when you’re calmer.

Watch this week’s film Small Me, Big Planet for more inspiration.

YOUR PASSIONS

What are you passionate about? What gets you out of bed in the morning or motivates you to try again? What things do you love to do? What big dreams do you have?

Part of who you are is made up by the passions you have …

Listen to our audio reflection this week to find out more.

Growing your wellbeing

So there you have three tools to try this week. Practice being present, in everyday circumstances, enjoying the most that life can bring. Think about things with perspective, trying to see everything that is going on. Lastly consider your passions - those things that give you energy - and find more time for them in your life.

Let us know if these are helpful to you and how they’ve benefited you. We’d love to know.