Defining Well-Being
Written by: Kathy Wagner (she/her/hers) Interim Director, Health Promotion & Prevention Services
Despite the title of this blog post, you won’t find a definition of well-being here. In fact, if you were to ask ten different people for a definition of well-being, you are likely to get ten different answers and they are probably all correct. You certainly have your own thoughts and definitions about what well-being means for you, and those may not apply to others. Well-being is personal, and it is both a communal and an intimate concept.
TigerWell and Health Promotion and Prevention Services (HPPS) in University Health Services (UHS) acknowledge that there are many aspects of well-being and no standardized definitions. Instead, we point to the effect of positive well-being as enabling people to “realize their potential, cope with the stresses of life, study and work productively and successfully, connect with one another, and contribute to their community” and the many concepts, terms, principles and models that the term encompasses.
Because there isn’t one definition of well-being for all, there’s not one single activity or program that can support well-being for all students. Individual activities that support well-being can include cooking a meal with friends, putting sleep first during a stressful time, connecting with other people that have a shared identity, asking for help when needed, or taking care of your body. We also consider community well-being defined as the conditions identified by individuals and their communities that are essential for them to thrive and reach their full potential. Community well-being can be thought of as “being well together in our interactions.” For example, programs to support community well-being might work to create an environment that allows for self-compassion, supports cultural heritage, or ensures adequate resources for everyone in the community. Importantly, it’s the members of the community who determine what it needs for well-being.
Based on all this, and as seen in the structure of TigerWell, many different activities and initiatives must be implemented across campus for individual and community well-being. Through the work of TigerWell and HPPS, we have the potential to foster environments that decrease barriers to or increase facilitators of these well-being concepts.
How can you find the place where your work or interests intersect with cultivating student well-being? First, if you haven’t already, talk with students about it. Ask them how they define well-being for themselves with respect to your work or interests. Follow that with a couple of questions about the things around them that support or foster their well-being and the things around them that impede their well-being. For some students, it might mean creating spaces and places across campus to better support healthy social connections, inclusion and belonging, like the Campus Club Space Assessment and Backyard Project. While for other students, it might mean finding the things that create respite for them in a world that can be designed to break them down, such as Yoga for Every Body.
Most people know what they need to have positive well-being. Here’s an example: Let’s say you have spoken with several students and find that they tell you they are not getting enough good sleep, and you are interested in promoting good sleep. Start by asking a few questions: Do they know they should get more good sleep? Are they aware of the benefits of more, good sleep? I’d bet that they know all of this. So, what gets in the way? If your goal is for students to get more good sleep, then maybe your program isn’t even about sleep. Maybe it’s about coping with fear of missing out or about managing the academic workload or choosing student group involvement wisely for oneself. Or maybe they need room-darkening shades or air conditioners in their sleep environments. Or perhaps there are policies within student groups and organizations or campus institutions that need to change in order for students to feel like they can sleep more. For example, the hours for social events could be shifted to be earlier in the night to mitigate the effects of social jet lag.
You’ll notice in that example that some of the activities that could be done are at the individual level, but some of them are not. In fact, TigerWell and HPPS encourage a focus beyond the individual to the settings and systems in which they live and work. Frequently, focusing on individual behaviors draws focus away from many of the systems we live in that also impact our well-being. Giving individuals the knowledge and skills to care for themselves is important. However, expecting students to utilize those skills in a context that impedes their well-being and/or inequitably limits access to resources for positive well-being is unrealistic.
Whatever you decide, it’s worth consulting with TigerWell or HPPS before writing your grant proposal. In addition to grants, you can be engaged with TigerWell in a variety of ways. Well-being is a vital resource, and we can work together to ensure it is available to everyone.
