Abstract
Wellness programs are marketed around the world as a panacea for preventative medicine that leads to good health and a longer life. Wellness is not for people who are already sick, but for those whose intent is to stay well. In this article we will explore the concept of well-being from a mental health perspective in which well-being and psychology can be combined to offer a balanced psychological approach to well-being and long-term stability.
Introduction:
What is well-being per sae? It is the absence of disease and a sense of well-being. It is not for people who already have symptoms of disease, they are candidates for treatment. In a wellness check, where the person would go through a series of physical tests, only if they pass and are healthy are they a suitable candidate for a wellness program. If at any point they fail in one aspect of good health, then they become patients in the sense that they need treatment for a discovered problem, even if it wasn’t apparent before the checkup.
Wellness programs work on the basis that lifestyle changes and preventative measures can prevent or at least minimize future health problems, this can be seen particularly in DNA tests, used for predictions about defective genes ( those genes that have some failure to express or repress function in the future). This may indicate that you are susceptible to a future probability of a particular disease, such as cancer or other functional problems. However, these are based on statistical probability and not a definitive prediction. Therefore, from the point of view of well-being, it can allow the person to change certain lifestyle habits in their current functioning to a healthier option. For example, quitting smoking, exercising more, and eating a more vegetarian diet. This may seem obvious even if there are no indicators, however, the fact that a DNA test reveals a possible anticipated health problem can be the motivator to change, even if the gene is never predictively expressed. For example, you may have a high chance of a particular type of skin cancer, but live in a sunless northern European climate, so exposure to the sun is highly unlikely to allow the expression of the cancer rather than living In Australia, where the sun is much stronger, in fact, skin cancer is Australia’s number one killer. The preventive perspective of wellness is also about lifestyle choice about where you live as much as how you live!
What is well-being per sae? It is the absence of disease and a sense of well-being 1. (Myler 2014)
Therefore, a wellness program is designed to offer medical advice and support to healthy people who wish to remain so. The goal, of course, is that what you spend today on good healthy practices can enable you to live a long, disease-free life or at least minimize the chance of serious illness. Without a wellness aspect to your planning, you risk getting sick at some point, and the cost in terms of time, money, and interference to your business and family could be disastrous. Wellness right now is for the wealthy who can afford high-quality research on their current state of health and thus enjoy long-term disease avoidance. The human body, like any finely tuned machine, works better and longer if it is maintained and not ignored. This is particularly true for entrepreneurs whose ability to function on a daily basis, for the good of the company, needs to be vigilant about their health. Ill health, even in the short term, can seriously damage the company they run. In China, for example, many business owners micromanage the business, large or small, are involved in every decision, and trust no one below them. When things go wrong, they become highly emotional and stressed, blaming everyone for their problems except themselves. If they have any long-term illness, their business would suffer due to the inability of staff and managers to make decisions for them. This means that the company would halt business until the owner was back to health. Thus, wellness for the Chinese businessman who often chain smokes, drinks alcohol excessively, and overeats is a prime candidate for the program to change his lifestyle in order to continue micromanaging the business. Of course, the obvious answer might be to stop micromanaging and learn how to be a better leader for others.
Psychology and Wellness
To some extent, psychology has been at the forefront of wellness for a few years. EAP companies that provide counseling, critical incident management, and training have been ahead of mental health issues by offering corporations training in the areas of stress management, management training, and mental health awareness. Although EAPs (employee assistance programs) are reactive in the sense of counseling employees with emotional problems, often HR departments. stress management, all oriented to well-being in the sense of providing education to workers and staff with useful information and knowledge to prevent a psychological collapse in the workplace. This perception training can have long-term benefits for both psychological well-being and physical health. The mind is connected to the body more strongly than the other way around. Hypochondriacs are good examples of the mind creating disease where there are no physical causes. Many illnesses become reality through the mental exercise of belief just as a placebo can fool a person into thinking they are receiving a medical intervention when in reality they are taking a sugar/salt pill and get better. Another example may be stress-induced tension leading to stiff joints, neck and shoulder problems that need chiropractic manipulation to re-address the problem that clearly started out as mental. Massage spas have become so popular now that they are viable businesses that generate a large amount of income from muscle tension caused by psychological stress in the workplace.
This perception training may have long-term benefits for both psychological well-being and physical health 1. (Myler 2014)
For psychology to create a preventative wellness program, EAP companies must expand their current services to encompass the idea of persuading HR and CEOs that there is financial gain in having a well-adjusted, emotionally balanced workforce. and happy. Of course EAP has always sold the idea of reduced leave and less absenteeism where workers are emotionally supported after the fact. In other words, when a mental problem arises, it is better to refer the worker to counseling early and keep his job longer and more productively. However, a wellness aspect of EAP could actually reduce the need for counseling where workers are given mental health skills and knowledge well before they have an episode or incident that requires treatment.
Unlike physical wellness programs, psychology is more affordable for the common worker through a company EAP scheme. Although consulting in private as many people do is cheaper than physical well-being. There are three reasons to see a psychologist, first; you are suffering from emotional turmoil, ie depression or anxiety, two; he is experiencing a crisis right now and needs support and finally; you are lost in life, with no sense of purpose and want to explore the possibilities for your life and future choices. It is this third point that can often be seen as a wellness-oriented approach to psychology. However, we can go a step further and offer guidance and training to people in a preventative sense that can prevent future mental health problems by giving people the skills they need today to be more resilient and able to cope with the emotional ups and downs of life. Many workers who have received negotiation training, insight training, and resilience training may be better able to recognize the onset of mental health problems before they become clinical problems requiring treatment.
Psychological well-being in practice
How would psychological well-being actually work in practice? We have a little problem early on that is like the wellness check, you will in all probability always find something wrong that needs treatment, before you can get into the wellness program. It is highly unlikely that everyone who decides to have a wellness package for psychology will not have any problems. Therefore, a series of counseling sessions would be necessary to deal with current emotional issues that often arise from the past. The second probable problem is that once a psychological check-up is carried out, problems that have lain dormant for a long time may arise and now express themselves in the front of the mind. It is highly unlikely that any individual is completely mentally free of emotional problems of any kind, whether from the past (depression), the present (work and home), or the future (cognition-provoking anxiety). Therefore, wellness and psychology can begin by bringing anyone to a position of emotional balance before a wellness approach can be fully effective.
Conclusion:
Psychology and wellness programs can be seen as a panacea for good mental health. Wellness in a physical sense is expensive and inclusive from the perspective that only wealthy high net worth individuals could afford a lifetime of wellness support. However, in psychological terms, EAP and support training, insight training and counseling can have a preventative effect for future mental health well-being at comparatively reasonable cost. It is also very profitable for companies to support psychological well-being as a good management measure to reduce absenteeism and dropouts. The cost of replacing staff is much higher than the cost of a good quality EAP contract. For people who later talk to a psychologist, quality counselor, or psychotherapist, even if they don’t have a mental health problem right now, it can pay dividends in preventing problems from arising in the future if they are more resilient in the present. An understanding of your personality, style, and characteristics can help you navigate your path in life more effectively. Well-being and psychology can go hand in hand for a better future.
Psychology and wellness programs can be seen as a panacea for good mental health 1. (Myler 2014).
References:
1. Myler SF Dr. (2014) AsiaEAP Forum Keynote on Psychology and Wellbeing – June 2014
