Models of Wellbeing
How do you go about staying well?
At VIBE, we believe that staying well is not just about taking pills or thinking in terms of illness. We need to think of ourselves as whole people, both as individuals and in terms of the people we are connected to in our daily lives. This is known as a holistic approach to wellbeing.
There is a Maori model of well-being, Te Whare Tapa Wha, which illustrates this really well. A whare (house) has four walls, and if any of these four walls are weakened, the house will not be able to stand.
If we think of ourselves in this way, we can see that each "wall" makes up a different and equally important part of us:
Wairua - The Spirit
Our spirit, or our inner life, is closely connected to our self-esteem - how we feel and what we believe about ourselves. This also has an effect on how we behave.
Hinengaro - The Mind
Our minds tell us what we believe (or don't believe) we are capable of doing, regardless of whether these beliefs are true. This affects the degree to which we feel in control of our lives and can ultimately affect what happens to us.
Tinana - The Physical
Taking care of your body - eating well and keeping active. Aerobic exercise has been shown to increase serotonin: the chemical in the brain which makes you feel good.
Whanau - The Family
Physically, culturally, and emotionally, the family/whanau is the primary support system for care. This includes your extended family, friends and loved ones. Keeping connected with others is a vital part of staying well.
Who's normal anyway?
There are some people who believe that having experience of mental illness excludes you from participating fully in society. We don't think that's the right way to look at it.
As a person with experience of mental illness, you are not excluded by your experiences, but by the stigma and discrimination you face because of that experience.
Human beings are a diverse species. We have differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, physical and intellectual abilities, and experiences of mental well-being.
But it is the stigma and discrimination in society that shapes our beliefs about what's 'normal' and what isn't, not any of the traits we possess.
This way of thinking is known as the social model of disability.
