What does it mean to be well?
Colloquially, the field of mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”) relates to well-being, wellness, or merely being well. Well, well, well… what does it mean to be well?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), well-being is defined as a state of happiness and contentment, with low levels of distress, overall good physical and mental health and outlook, or good quality of life.
Parsing the distinction between happiness and contentment, I stated in a blogpost entitled Happy Place:
I’m not shy about expressing my opinion on happiness. When hearing a Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) practitioner advocate contentment rather than happiness, some people express surprise. Imagine their shock to learn about what I stated in a blogpost entitled Happiness Is a Trap:
I suspect that learning of a psychotherapist who partially concurs with the notion that happiness is a trap isn’t appealing to the average reader. After all, there’s an absurd notion I’ve heard, far too often than I care to recall, which maintains that the end goal of mental health is happiness.
By “happiness,” I’m referring to the positive or pleasant state of intense joy or a pleasurable experience. This is different than contentment which is simply the experience of satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.
With this distinction, well-being encompasses happiness or contentment along with decreased levels of distress—pain or suffering affecting the body or the mind. Likewise, well-being relates to improvement in one’s perspective and quality of life (e.g., hope versus despair).
Given this understanding, the APA defines wellness thusly:
[A] dynamic state of physical, mental, and social well-being. Some researchers and clinicians have viewed wellness as the result of four key factors over which an individual has some control: biology (i.e., body condition and fitness), environment, lifestyle, and health care management. The wellness concept is the notion that individual health care and health care programs should actively involve the promotion of good mental and physical health rather than being concerned merely with the prevention and treatment of illness and disease.
Regarding matters of control referenced by the APA, I stated in a blogpost entitled Control:
In blogposts entitled Circle of Concern and Revisiting the Circle of Control, I addressed the topic of control— the power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events. In both entries, I used a Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) perspective.
As well, I drew heavily upon Stephen Covey’s concept relating to the circles of concern and influence. Essentially, one’s circle of control is the self, the circle of influence relates indirectly or directly to others, and the circle of concern encompasses everything else.
Additionally, in Control, I suggested:
It’s worth noting that some people suggest there is a fourth dimension, the area of no concern. In this realm are things about which one knows nothing—though they still may exist—and one has no control, influence, or concern regarding the unknown (e.g., whether or not there is an alternate version of yourself in another dimension who is eating cake at this very moment).
Regarding the APA’s assertion, wellness relates to four specific areas over which one maintains control: biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care management. How might these factors relate to your life?
Suppose that you took a holistic approach to mental health by practicing self-care – improving your sleep, tending to your nutritional needs, pushing through the discomfort of physical training, enhancing your social interaction, and attending regular appointments with a therapist.
Each of these areas of control involves the APA standard for wellness. While working toward success with your mental and physical health interests and goals, you would likely establish a well standard of health—a satisfactory condition of sound mind, body, or spirit.
Well, well, well… that’s what it means to be well.
What does it mean to be unwell?
One supposes that if being well relates to the aforementioned criteria, being unwell is associated with whatever subjective standard is the opposite of wellness. Who would argue against this proposed description?
While there are many examples one could provide in regard to methods of becoming unwell, I’ll highlight a single source – though by far not the only factor – of un-wellness with which many people may be familiar. The antecedent addressed herein relates to media—a means of mass communication.
In a blogpost entitled Mockingbird Media, I stated:
In 2020, I posted a blog entry entitled Time, Distance, and Shielding, in reference to healthy boundaries associated with media sites. Unfortunately, I removed the online entry and again posted it on November 1, 2022.
In the original post, I identified “various broadcast media sources (legacy media, mainstream media, mass media, etc.)” as traditional corporate resources which provide news and that are often referred to by differing names in regards to online discourse.
Recently, I’ve shifted to referring to these outlets by the term “Mockingbird media.” My reason for doing so relates to Operation Mockingbird.
Although one may scrutinize my skepticism of professional media outlets (i.e., CNN, FOX, etc.), dismissing my critique as a wacky form of conspiracy theory, propagandized misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation through the media has a rich history in the United States (U.S.).
For instance, one revelation of the 1975 Church Committee related to the influence of U.S. intelligence services over the media. This is publically-available knowledge, not merely the crazy ramblings of a psychotherapist with a bone to pick regarding media outlets.
Furthermore, in a blog entry entitled The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations, I addressed a hypothetical group of people (“group Y”) and how media and other sources of questionable information influence thought about the group by stating:
[W]hen pronouncements by group Y’s leading members become intolerably violent towards other group members in the U.S., government officials, legacy and missing link media sources, and social media slacktivits confuse and obfuscate an uninitiated citizenry about the potential danger posed by some members of group Y.
Missing link media refers to outlets such as Buzzfeed, Reddit, The Verge, The Onion, and other sources of information which don’t necessarily function in accordance with lamestream… er… mainstream media outlets. In addition to social media (e.g., TikTok), missing link media disseminates all manner of information.
Hypothetically speaking, imagine that there was an activistic and decentralized collective of individuals called “Anti-Con” (anti-conservative). Corporate, missing link, and social media platforms may favor the views of Anti-Con (the aforementioned “group Y”).
In an arguably unhealthy manner, these various sources may carry water for Anti-Con—support the ideological perspective and behavior which one may otherwise not endorse, though to do so for pragmatic reasons. Sure, Anti-Con may be violent, but they oppose one’s sociopolitical rival.
This enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend distinction thus incentivizes various forms of media to support violent action which may otherwise be frowned upon in polite society. Thus, people who subscribe to these forms of media may unwittingly affirm violent actions by advocating Anti-Con’s views.
Rather than analyzing the moral and ethical implications of such action, I’ll instead ask your opinion. Do you think that support of violence, which in this example is a central component of media messaging, is a standard of well-being, wellness, or relating to that which is well?
Does consumption of media-generated information, such as that related to hypothetical Anti-Con, serve as your subjective standard of healthy living? Presuming you think rationally (logically and reasonably), I turn from hypotheticals and to actual matters.
When various media sources described herein churn up support for violence unfolding in the Russian-Ukrainian war, Israeli-Gazan-Lebanese conflict, and other such matters, do you believe that consumption of such propaganda is any healthier for you than perhaps an inexpensive fast food entre?
Herein, I’m not absurdly suggesting that ingestion of fast food or media content is akin to a fast-acting poison such as cyanide. Rather, over time, ingesting these sources of un-wellness may have a deleterious impact on one’s health. Would you argue with this proposal?
Regarding this matter, I recently listened to an episode of the Darkhorse podcast in which biologist Bret Weinstein interviewed journalist Matt Taibbi who writes for missing link media source Racket News. During the conversation, Taibbi stated:
The only solution is to build up in people, again, the ability to resist all this mentally, and we’ve forgotten what that means – in terms of trying to maintain our mental health. We’re otherwise pretty health conscious. We know what kind of food we’re putting in our bodies. We know that smoking is not good for us and leads to all sorts of things.
But this thing is so poorly understood by people that I don’t know that awareness would do all of the trick, but I think… that’s where you have to start, to get people to stand up for themselves, and recognize that they have to show some kind of mental resistance to what they’re seeing every day.
Taibbi referenced health consciousness in regard to the consumption of food when compared to the amount and type of content ingested through media sources. I concur with his recommendatory should proposals (i.e., “have to […]”).
For instance, I occasionally consume fast food and other sources of nutrition which aren’t in the best interest of my dietary needs. To offset this behavior, I maintain a rigorous nutritional and physical training schedule throughout the week.
Similarly, I consume content from various media sources while also taking lengthy periods of time from absorption of these proverbial nutrients so that my mind can rest. Whether achieving a subjectively healthy balance of fast food or media information, I alter my behavior accordingly.
Furthermore, using comparable discretion is what I advocate in regard to my clients. To practice well-being, wellness, or to merely live well, I invite you to consider that over-consumption of media content – regardless of its delivery mechanism – may be an un-well practice.
For the sake of your mental health, perhaps learning to take adequate time away from the near-constant exposure to media information could benefit you. What do you think? If you’ve found this blogpost useful and would like to know more about rational living, I’m here to help.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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