SMILES Model of Well-Being
Well-being by definition is the state of being healthy, happy and peaceful. To take care of our well-being state while doing anything, we have a desired state of mind that we want at the end of that activity or may be at the end of the day which is always linked to your wellbeing eg. peace of mind, happiness, satisfaction, clarity, safety, bliss etc. We call this our Desired State of Well-being (DSW).
DSW is unique to each person but may vary from time to time and from activity to activity. Initially we need to determine this for ourselves by practicing mindful breathing and asking from the heart what is it for now. Later it becomes a practice to identify and recall that quickly. In the demo videos, I usually give some examples of my own DSWs which may be similar to yours, you can try those and see if that gets achieved or not after finishing that job/activity.
To stay mindful of our DSW while doing our activities we need to identify some well-being anchors (WAM). These anchors can be as simple as breathing or a smile or touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. We can even use our purpose of doing something as our well-being anchor.
Here is an easy way out to plan and prioritize personal, societal and planetary well being:
We just need to get mindful of the OPENING-MIDDLE-CLOSING of our day or any of our activities.
For the mindful opening, I LIFT myself up by -
- Connecting to my inner strengths ( Love, Bliss, and Peace)
- Setting an intention for myself and choosing a corresponding desired state of well-being (DSW). I call this as my Positive-Buddy.
Positive buddy motivate me, boosts my strengths and guides my response. E.g. To write a story, I choose “creative” as my positive buddy.
I can set an intention for personal, societal and planetary well being as well.
For mindful middle, I EASE out or PAUSE by synthesizing:
- WHAT is happening now?
- WHY is this happening?
- HOW is this helping me with my desired state of well-being (DSW)?
For e.g. during the MIDDLE of story writing, “creative” my positive buddy will continuously remind me to think out of the box. I just need to recall it to motivate me.
I also take deep breaths to think deeply about my story. I use breathing, smile and recalling my DSW as my anchors. (DSW)
For mindful closing, I take mental and emotional REST by:
- Reflecting on how well I used my well-being anchors and recalled my Desired State of Well-being.
- Being grateful to myself and others for being the source of pleasant emotions.
2. Forgiving myself and others for being the source of any unpleasant emotions.
3. I accept both pleasant and unpleasant emotions non-judgmentally.
Here is a 21 day mindful living challenge which will help you develop the art of living mindfully:
