Empowering the Self through the PERMA-V Model
By: Marga Ancheta, Jewel Camacho, and Ica Policarpio
The term well-being is tossed around so often that its definition has become confusing and muddled. With the pandemic giving us opportunities to reflect and focus on self-improvement and learning, it’s about time we begin taking charge of our well-being.
What Is Well-being And Why Is It Important?
Contrary to popular belief, well-being isn’t purely about one’s mental state or physical health. Instead, it encompasses 6 different dimensions, which we can better understand through the PERMA-V Model.
Positivity: Experiencing all human emotions, both positive and negative, to expand receptivity to moments in the present.
Engagement: Paying attention fully to the present moment.
Relationships: Building meaningful and enriching relationships
Meaning: Working towards a purpose bigger than ourselves
Achievement: Sense of accomplishment and progress in one’s goals
Vitality: Taking care of our physical health through nutrition, sleep, and exercise
From this, we see that well-being spans over different aspects of our lives. All 6 dimensions are crucial to optimizing our well-being; if we neglect one aspect, we fail to show up in the world in the way we want to. We may begin wondering why we may not be feeling at our best or excelling despite working on specific aspects. On top of this, we may feel pressured to do our best and follow a strict plan to achieve success. You may not be getting enough sleep and exercise because of school requirements, you may be having difficulty finding purpose in your current workplace, or it's a struggle for you to build strong bonds with people. This changes how we perceive ourselves and our performance.
How Can PERMA-V Improve Our Well-Being?
Now that we have an understanding of well-being and its importance, what can we do to improve our well-being? No one has perfected the art of protecting and enriching well-being--and that’s okay. Learning is a constant and continuous process as we learn many skills and mindsets throughout our lives. That being said, PERMA-V invites us to introspect and learn more about how we manifest each dimension of well-being.
It serves as a reminder as well for us to continue honing the aspects of well-being we tend to neglect. The PERMA-V model guides us to enhance certain aspects of our well-being, or work on all aspects collectively, and ultimately improving the qualities of our lives.
Improving the Experience
To optimize our well-being, we can start by improving the experience with the first element of the PERMA-V Model: Positive Emotions.
According to the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions, experiences of positive emotions broaden and expand people's attention, cognition, and receptivity to present moment experiences. This theory lies in the notion that positive emotions, like gratitude, love, and hope, play an essential role in our survival and that our minds broaden and open up to new ideas when we experience them. Experiencing and holding onto positive emotions is a sign of good well-being because we develop a sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Now we understand how positive emotions increase well-being. How can we improve this experience? Here are some things you can do:
Savoring moments
Gaze at the sunset, take a moment to count your blessings, or indulge in the home-cooked meal prepared by a loved one. Savoring is a good way to develop a long-lasting stream of positive emotions!
Recalling positive memories
Especially in times of stress and sadness, happy memories can help redirect our thoughts and reshape how we see ourselves for the better.
Writing a gratitude letter
Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions and build strong relationships. Think of a person in your life that you are grateful for and write him/her a letter of gratitude!
DOWNLOAD: Gratitude Letter Exercise from Positive Psychology
Doing acts of random kindness
Kindness promotes compassion, empathy, and it leads to a sense of interconnectedness with the people around us. Practicing random acts of kindness will make us and the recipients of our acts feel positive!
The 3-to-1 Positivity Ratio
For every negative emotional experience you go through, you need to experience at least 3 positive experiences to uplift you!
Achieving good well-being will always be a process rather than a permanent state. Just by finding interest in understanding the concept through the PERMA-V Model and reaching this far in the article, it’s already a step towards optimizing your well-being. At the end of the day, the journey really starts with YOU!
To help you progress more into your journey, feel free to watch a webinar on the PERMA-V model facilitated by Jericho Capinpin. Stay tuned as well for a course on PERMA-V that will be released soon!
Celestine, N. (2021). Broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. PositivePsychology.com. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/broaden-build-theory/
Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and build. In P.Devine & A. Plant (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 47, pp. 1–54). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Fredrickson, B.L. (2011). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3122271/
