Underlying most goals is an assumption that working towards a goal will improve
quality of life, for ourselves and/or others we care about. With each of our long term goals comes many choices and decisions, including what to try and how much effort to put in. By assessing your current quality of life, you can focus on the gaps and opportunities you have to make some improvements.
Understand the aspects of your life and experiences that most closely connect with the quality of life desired. Which of your behaviors impact your quality of life? A few decades of research on what correlates most with quality of life gives us categories like the ones listed below with a useful mnemonic of 'PERMA' :
P: Positive emotions: The moments and extended periods we have of different positive moods, perspectives, or sensations, including feelings of happiness, gratitude, closeness, confidence, peace, hope, and awe-inspired.
E: Engagement: Periods of time when we are so caught up in the moment or activity we're working on that we have a clarity of focus, time seems less relevant, and we are risen to our best with all of our best being used. This is frequently associated with 'Eustress', which is the positive opposite to distress.
R: Relationships: The quality of our relationships with others is very highly interwoven with our overall quality of life. The strength of our social support structure or 'Personal Safety Net' is fundamental to many our coping skills. Resiliency when facing challenges in our lives often stems from past or present interactions. Our relationships may be a source of many of the other aspects of quality of life, especially positive emotions.
There are a select few who thrive more abundantly in solitude or with the company of an animal. Often the relationship these people need is one with themselves. This is out of the norm and can happen for a number of reasons so do not be discouraged if this sounds familiar.
