I’m starting this seven part series to dig deep into how to flourish and thrive as we manage fibromyalgia and chronic illness using the wisdom and insights of a model for human happiness and flourishing developed by Martin Seligman known as PERMAH.

PERMAH is an evidence-based framework which means it is backed by solid research that affirms how important it is to understand the elements that support our overall well-being.

So often, when living with chronic illness, many things feel out of our control. I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s good to know that there are practical ways that we can help ourselves feel better and flourish.

PERMAH stands for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment, Health. You can think of these elements as the building blocks of happiness and flourishing.

Research has found that proactively working on these components of well-being not only increases well-being but it also decreases psychological distress and that’s something we all want, am I right? [1]

Focusing on these six elements can help us prioritize where we want to focus our energy and attention. In other words, you can use this model to create your personalized well-being plan.

How to Design a Flourishing Life

In addition to studying PERMAH I’m so excited to be reading a book called Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. [2]

They describe how to create a life that works for you by cultivating important mindset shifts listed below:

Five important mindsets to cultivate:
1. Be curious,
2. Try stuff,
3. Reframe problems,
4. Know it’s a process, and
5. Ask for help

These mindsets are all things I work on with my coaching clients. I especially like #2-Try stuff! LOL!

A while ago, I was talking with my lovely client Becky. She has been working hard to let go of expectations for the holidays as she is in a season of deep grief and loss. I reflected back to her that she had made a half dozen shifts in her mindset. She was surprised and said “I didn’t think of these choices as a mindset shift!” But they were and they are making a difference in the quality of her life.

A shift in our mindsets can make a big difference to our well-being and ability to cope and even thrive as we manage our illness. So, I know from personal experience and from the experience of the women I work with that cultivating these mindsets does result in significant positive effects on our well-being.

References:
[1] https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/
[2] Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. 2016. Alfred A. Knopf: New York.