Surely one of the most influential points on my positive psych journey has been the reading of Flourish, written by Dr. Martin Seligman. Seligman is an accomplished American psychologist best known as the founder of modern positive psychology. Once the president of the American Psychological Association, during which he heavily promoted the emerging scientific field of positive psychology, he now serves as the director for the University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology program, as well as the director of the UPenn Positive Psychology Center.

This book, one of over 30 he’s penned, is dense with information but approachable in form. At the risk of overload, I’ll focus on just what has come to be the most salient part of the book for me, which are his five components of well-being. These concepts have become so central to my happiness, I quite literally seek to structure my daily life around them. I use these concepts to either reach or maintain a state of flourishing, rather than to pull myself out of a mental health hole. While the concepts are helpful for staying away from depressive or anxious thoughts, they are most effective when applied to a neutral or already positive state of mind. 

What is flourishing? 

The dictionary defines flourishing as “developing rapidly and successfully; thriving.” I personally appreciate how broad this definition of the word is, creating openness for interpretation based on what success and development mean to the individual. Seligman defines it a bit more specifically: “To flourish is to find fulfillment in our lives, accomplishing meaningful and worthwhile tasks, and connecting with others at a deeper level—in essence, living the “good life.” 

Often times, positive psychologists seek to clarify their space of research by defining what it is not. In his book, Seligman seeks to dispel the notion that “happiness" is equivalent to positive psychology. This is due to the inherent limitations of an emotion like happiness, which fluctuates daily and hourly in a normally functioning human. Instead, he articulates that we should be striving for "well-being" and a state of “flourishing,” in order to find lasting contentment. 

More on how to get there below.  

How can I achieve a state of flourishing? 

Dr. Seligman’s research was characterized by diverse samples and random controls, then replicated and peer reviewed. From this, we can confidently place the research in the camp of strong scientific studies. His work revealed that there are five consistent elements to well-being:

Positive emotion: Happiness, life satisfaction, pleasure, comfort, warmth

For me, things that promote positive emotions are delicious food, a warm fireplace, cuddling, the glow of a candle, comedy, upbeat music. 

Engagement: Time stops, “flow,” complete absorption in a task, loss of self-consciousness 

For me, engagement often takes the form of writing, dance, deep conversation, analysis and reporting, planning a content calendar or strategizing a new business idea. 

Relationships: Other people are the best antidote to the “downs" of life & the single most reliable “up"

My relationship needs are met through my friends, coworkers, family, partner, and pets.  

Meaning: Belonging to & serving something bigger than the self

I find my meaning through teaching about positive psychology, my volunteer work with Braid Mission, being there for my close relationships, spiritual texts, and a gratitude practice. 

Accomplishments: Winning, mastery, achievement for its own sake  

I get my sense of accomplishment from getting better at yoga and tennis, getting more books and recipes under my belt, growing my blog, a day of eating healthy, getting a workout

Seligman coined the helpful little acronym PERMA to help you remember. I remember it by saying to myself, “Do this to be perma-happy.” Which is dorky, but works. I’ve made it a habit to regularly reflect on what I’m doing in my daily life to strengthen these five elements of well-being. This reflection typically takes place in my journal, and follows the simplest template ever: 

Where do meditation and mindfulness come in? 

As I wrote this post, I asked myself the same thing. Where does something like meditation fit in? Although I credit the practice with much of my own flourishing, I really couldn't make sense of it in any of the given categories of PERMA. This makes sense, as Seligman doesn't make much reference to meditation in his book. 

However, I’ve found the science of meditation to be highly tangential to the science of positive psychology. Meditation gives me this incredible base from which to flourish, just like mindful movement and nourishment of my body do. It’s part of the regular maintenance that, say, a car requires to run smoothly, to get to the five elements of well-being. In my mind, well-being is often stagnated or curtailed by an overburdened body or mind. So much of my well-being comes from space and time, free of distraction or heaviness. Meditation, just like eating in accordance with my personal food principles and mindful movement practice, keeps my mind serene and able to focus on my flourishing. 

That’s it for now on this subject. You’ll hear me reference these elements a lot in subsequent writing, if you haven’t already. This framework, combined with the six concepts of positive psych, have served to provide important guardrails in my mindful journey. If nothing else, they offer a trusty journal prompt that allows me to self-reflect in a valuable way on days where I don’t know what to write about. Personally, those are the most powerful days for me to pick up my journal, because I know it means I’m in a neutral state, ready to flourish.

Here’s a writing exercise for you: Grab a pen and paper, or use the comment box below. Write out P-E-R-M-A in a vertical line, and fill in the activities you know will help you meet those five aspects of well-being. Try to incorporate one thing from each aspect in tomorrow’s schedule. 

Having a hard time getting to neutral? Read about my ongoing practice of overcoming anxiety with mindfulness.