The quality of life Is a concept related to health and standard of living that can be defined as"the level of well-being, happiness and satisfaction that a person has at a given time."
It can be evaluated and measured, and strategies and interventions can be developed to improve it. Its main indicators are health, personal well-being, happiness and personal adjustment.
4 Indicators of high quality of life
Human quality of life is a concept that is used to determine the level of well-being, happiness, satisfaction that a person has in a moment determined.
A high quality of life would consist of a good physical, psychological and social functioning, allowing a good adaptation of the individual to his Environment so that you do not have impediments to living properly.
Thus, it is a concept that encompasses many others, of which the most important are health, well-being, happiness and personal adjustment.
1. Health
It would be defined as"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not only the absence of disease or infirmity"
Health is not considered an abstract state but a means, which allows us to lead a life individually, socially and economically productive, and therefore Both allows us to have quality of life.
2. Personal well-being
It refers to the overall assessment of the person's status.
Just as the quality of life is concerned with the present of the individual (present state). However, this concept requires security in the future.
That is, an individual will have personal well-being if all or most of his functions are in an optimal state in the present and the Continuity of this correct operation.
3. Happiness
It could be defined as a personal satisfaction based on the specific goals and desires of the individual.
In this concept the objectives and expectations of the person become very important. Happiness is a concept that would explain much of the quality of life.
4. Personal Adjustment
It could be defined as the harmony of the different facets of the person with their environment.
This concept makes special reference in the relation between subject and environment. An individual has personal adjustment if all aspects of his or her life Work properly, according to each other.
Thus, quality of life is a concept that encompasses many facets of our life and that ultimately refers to the wealth of all our Areas.
Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life, we have to work in 3 different aspects: psychological component, physical component and component Social.
Anyone who wants to have quality of life and achieve a state of satisfaction, happiness and well-being, has to have an active role, to work In these 3 aspects and never expect to receive these things passively.
And is that the quality of life is not received or is found by chance. Well-being, happiness or personal fulfillment creates you yourself during the path of your existence.
10 strategies to increase the quality of life
1-Analyze your emotions and thoughts
Everything we do during the day, what we think, how we do it and what feelings we have, has a direct effect on our well-being and Our quality of life.
Put another way: depending on how we interpret, think and do things we will be better or worse.
And the way we function is the first requirement for our well-being.
So, do not limit yourself to performing automatically and work to improve those aspects that are not quite right.
Inquire what your usual thoughts are for a whole day. Are they always positive? They are Mostly negative ? Do they always respond to a logic or Are you guided by your emotions and feelings?
There is no magic formula to think that you Cause well-being , But if you do the exercise of reconsidering on the way you have to think you will already have Much to your advantage.
Keep in mind that the positive emotions and the prolonged moments in which you have A good mood , Will increase your quality of life and you satisfaction.
Look inside and analyze if your way of thinking and the feelings that you have usually are facing towards this goal, if they are not Try to change the way you approach things.
2-Analyze your activities
Our behavior always has a direct effect on our thoughts and feelings.
Thus, it is not enough to analyze how you think and what feelings you usually have, but at the same time you will have to do the same with your Actions.
Analyze your schedule of activities you have for a week. Point out what you do, how you do it, the motive and the feeling that each activity produces.
Are they all justified, have a clear objective and reward you for something?
How many activities do you take to suit your occupation needs? Would you like to do more or less? Are there any that you would like to stop Do it or there are activities that you would like to do but do not do?
To reach the state of quality of life is very important that your life you like and you feel at ease with what you do every day.
Obviously you will not be able to create an agenda of activities that adapts to the millimeter with your wishes, since we all have a series of obligations that do not Allow us to live at our whim.
However, it is very important that you ensure that each of your activities has a specific objective, you are reported some kind of benefit, and that you Agenda is tailored to your aspirations.
3-Check your goals
Everybody We need to have goals in our lives , So if when reading this you can not think of any personal objective you have today, The first thing you have to do is include some in your life.
Goals do not have to be dreams or goals in the very long term, the goals are anything you want to achieve in your life.
Keep the current job, take care of the relationship with your family, get your children to receive a good education or continue to see your friend Childhood with whom you keep such a good relationship are already objective, and very important.
So, make a list of all the personal goals you have and make sure that:
They are specific, measurable, achievable and relevant to you.
They have defined deadlines and are not in the air without any organization.
You have mechanisms to get them, you know what those mechanisms are and you are executing them.
Having them gives you some kind of satisfaction and well-being.
If your goals meet these 4 premises you will be focusing your life in a suitable way.
4-Work your conscience
With conscience work I refer to doing those actions that allow you to increase your mental clarity and increase your confidence in the actions that You do.
To do this I propose these two activities.
Practice meditation
The Meditation activities Such as yoga or yoga activities Mindfulness Have innumerable benefits for both your body and your mind.
If you are able to have control over your consciousness, Modulate your concentration And orienting your attention properly you will have a greater clarity of ideas, Which will give you personal satisfaction.
Manage your emotions
Do not automatic the ones you feel and the emotions you have during the day. Think about them, think about them, how they happened, why, and what your reaction was.
If you do, you will be aware of the feelings And emotions that you have during the day and you will increase your capacity to manage them and improve your emotional state.
5-Promote your health
Once we worked our psychological aspect, the next step would be to work on our health.
And is that if you develop a disease or do not have an optimal state of health, your quality of life will be greatly hampered.
That is why you have to take a leading role and carry out the activities necessary to promote your physical and mental health:
- See your doctor regularly to prevent the development of any type of illness.
- Eat in a healthy and balanced way to promote your health, avoid eating problems and improve your personal image.
- Exercise frequently to improve the state of your body, prevent physical problems, and increase your mental well-being, Improve your state Encouragement, your self-image and Your self-esteem .
6-Rest properly
Likewise, in order to function properly you must provide your body with the rest it needs.
Try to never sleep less than 7 hours or overexpose your body to extremely aggressive physical activities for a long time.
Resting properly will provide you with multiple physical benefits: immune system, blood pressure, heart rate, metabolism, etc. And it will allow you to reach a state of tranquility and well-being.
7-Avoid risky behaviors
To promote your health with the activities mentioned above and to rest in a proper way will not guarantee you to have good health if you avoid Risk behaviors.
So that:
Although you eat in a healthy and healthy way, try not to eat foods that can be harmful to your health, such as excess salt, sugar Or fried foods with excess fat.
Even if you do physical activity, try not to carry out an extremely sedentary life. Try to make your lifestyle active and do not Spend long hours sitting or lying down.
Avoid hygiene problems and treat yourself adequately daily.
Avoid toxic habits, consumption of substances such as alcohol, tobacco or other Drugs .
8-Take care of your personal relationships
Finally, the last aspect that we must work to improve our quality of life is our social area.
For this, the first requirement is to have enriching personal relationships. Do not abandon your relationships, be they friends, family or friends.
Invest time in taking care of them since nothing can provide you with a stimulus more rewarding than the one that can bring you a precious person for you.
Spend time with your children, organize family events, stay with your friends often, worry about the people in your environment and always help them always That they need it.
9-Enjoy your surroundings
It is very important that you are able to enjoy the environment in which you live. Do not always stay indoors and go out into the street often.
Our environment can be a source of great gratification and you must get used to it.
Get in touch with nature whenever you can, make a quiet walk in the mountains or in the park behind your house.
If you live in the city you invest time and effort in visiting the most beautiful areas, look for which corners have a special beauty and you see them.
Sometimes we think that the area in which we live can not provide us with any kind of positive stimulus since we see it on a daily basis, but this is not so. Learn to see with other eyes the things around you to find your beauty.
If one afternoon you have nothing to do I recommend you go for a walk instead of lying on the couch.
10-Power solidarity
Good actions enhance energy, increase the sense of well-being and personal satisfaction, Improve self-esteem and often Provide happiness.
So, try to carry out this premise:"I will do something good for others whenever I can."
It is not a question of spending your life helping anyone you can find, but you do keep a positive attitude towards others, and Gifts helps people you trust whenever they need them.
Do you think you do these 10 strategies often? If you do not try it and tell us what benefits it brings you. Your opinion will be very valuable to Readers. Thank you very much!
References
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- Lyons, A.C. And Chamberlain, K. (2006). Health psychology: a critical introduction. London: Sage.
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- Medina, J.A. And Cenbranos, F. (2002). Program: And what do you think?. 2nd edition. Madrid: Foundation for Aid against Drug Addiction FAD. 1st edition 1996 (Web FAD).
- Simón, M.A. (Ed.) (1999) Manual of Health Psychology. Madrid Pyramid.
- Society of Behavioral Medicine: http://sbm.org/.
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