MORE EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE 15 FACTORS Although the 15 factors that have listed in ‘POST No. 7’ seem straightforward; still they are very broad and work differently from various perspectives. ‘Loneliness’ for instance, could be a very effective starting point for the purpose of Self-knowledge—Self-realisation—Self-understanding. This does not mean that someone refuses the social life and communicating with others, or lives in isolation. Some individuals however in some stages of their life may have problems when they are alone. So, depending on the nature, the level of understanding—psychological knowledge—and awareness of a person, the role and the function of ‘Loneliness’ differs from person to person and accordingly, it will have negative or positive psychological effects on individuals. Though undoubtedly human being naturally and instinctively have a tendency to physically-emotionally live with her/his opposite gender which in fact it makes the regeneration or reproduction process possible as the essential part of the human survival and the chain of continuation of life. Another instance is the multi functionality of the ‘Environmental Impacts’ that can have various meanings as they [Environmental Impacts] carry different concepts. Air pollution, noise pollution, cultural and social values and some other things, all could be regarded as ‘Environmental and Social Impacts’. In one society money is considered as the most important social value and in another society, humanity is considered as the most significant social value! One of the purposes of Self-knowledge is in fact an effort to identify the weakness and strength of the self in order to amend and develop humanistic behaviours. To conclude the POST No. 9, we should reaffirm that some of the factors in the list are straightforward and they can have positive functions leading to Psychological Well-being such as Safety—Serenity, Financial security, General awareness, Self-knowledge, General knowledge/science, Psychological knowledge, Determination and Implementation. The other remaining factors in the list have multiple meanings/purposes and sometimes these factors may have contradictory functions if they are not employed appropriately such as, Loneliness, Behaviours, Foods and Intakes and so on. A specific food and diet might be good for a person and unsuitable for another person. A proper food and diet can be positively effective in relation to physical and psychological well-being and an inappropriate diet and an unhealthy food will have a reverse effect on both physical and psychological well-being. Therefore, it all depends on the individual circumstances from various angles as well as the way the individuals apply the factor to their life. A particular belief possibly leads to happiness and another belief does not. Mysterious Music. Copyright © 2017 Mysterious Music. POST No. 8 - PRIORITISATION [Continuation of] The Psychological Aspects of Well-Being So far we have listed 15 factors that can have effects on psychological well-being and to some extent they may have some effects on physical health. Some of these 15 factors are not changeable. As long as science and technology and other problem solving means, do not have a solution for these unchangeable factors, the individuals should think of managing their situations through alternative solutions; and if there is not absolutely any option for them, they should probably just accept the particular condition. An example for the unchangeable factor is the persons who are suffering from genetically inherited neurological disorders/conditions. John Forbes Nash Jr. who was diagnosed with ‘Paranoid Schizophrenia’ with the help of his ‘Determination and Implementation’ by ‘Self-Knowledge’ and ‘Psychological Knowledge’ could finally manage his mental illness without medication! Ekhart Tolle [Ulrich Leonard Tölle] who was suffering from Depression, Anxiety and Fear, could deal with these psychological conditions by means of ‘General Awareness—Psychological Knowledge and Self-Knowledge’. Self-Knowledge and Psychological Knowledge are not only for helping people with psychological problems; they are in fact helpful for everyone in personal and social life leading the individuals to a healthy and meaningful life. PRIORITISATION One of the very important tasks is ‘Prioritisation’. It will be a good idea to maintain the Psychological Well-being by regularly checking the 15 factors especially those that are the changeable factors. The factors number 2 & 13 for instance, understanding the physical and medical conditions, avoiding the use of chemical substances and maintaining a healthy diet by choosing the appropriate foodstuff. In some respects, we are all different—so, according to someone’s individual situation, these 15 factors will have a different order of importance. Possibly, for someone the factor number 1 does not apply because she/he does not have any genetically inherited issue—however this person may have for instance a serious financial problem. So, this person should probably prioritise her/his financial problem as the factor number 1 in the factors list so that she/he focuses on managing the finance, first. And then checks the other factors to understand which factor is more important than the other factors that need to be considered. Obviously, some factors are almost equally important and they should be managed in parallel with each other—such as dealing with the financial issues and at the same time keeping a healthy diet. Mysterious Music. Copyright © 2017 Mysterious Music. POST No. 7 The Psychological Aspects of Well-Being To maintain the physical health and in order to understand how different organs and parts of the body work and interact with each other correctly, it is very important to have some basic knowledge about the body and physical characteristics, so that in accordance with the state and nature of one’s body parts and physical conditions, the person can select the appropriate types of food or diet and other related matters to the health. Similarly, to maintain the psychological well-being, the individuals need to understand their own mental and emotional characteristics which require them to have some basic knowledge about psychology. Conscious: the state of awareness—being aware of something in oneself or being aware of an external object/world—the environment. Unconscious: thought processes, memories, interests, and motivations. You may know that the ‘PSYCHE’ is the ‘Human Mind’, Conscious, and Unconscious. In other words, the ‘PSYCHE’ refers to the forces in a person that influence thought, behaviour and personality. ‘PSYCHOLOGY’ is an organised study or a scientific analysis of the ‘PSYCHE’. The psychological well-being or psychological state of a person is affected by the following factors: 1. Genes [inherited biological features]. 2. Physiological/Physical/Medical conditions. 3. Environmental/Social impacts. 4. General knowledge/science. 5. General awareness. 6. Psychological knowledge. 7. Self-knowledge. 8. Determination and implementation. 9. Safety. 10. Financial situation or financial security. 11. Ageing. 12. Visual-Verbal & Behavioural Communication. 13. Intakes—Foods—Drugs—Chemical Substances... 14. Belief—Viewpoint—Perception.... 15. Loneliness—Isolation. Here are two examples for the factors 1 and 3; a depressed parent may transmit the depression [psychophysiologically—genetically, as a physiological and consequently a psychological and emotional condition] to her/his offspring. Likewise, some social pressures and boundaries [as the environmental factors] result in negative psychological effects on a person. There are also some other factors that have some effects on the psychological well-being. The individuals will be able to identify these factors according to their own specific circumstances, their level of understanding and awareness. Mysterious Music. Copyright © 2017 Mysterious Music. Previous POST--[POST No. 6] The Interconnection of Physical Health & Psychological Well-Being You might have heard of some expressions such as ‘Healthy body Healthy mind’—‘You are what you eat’ and so on. To some extent, they are true. This is a scientific fact that ‘Physical’ and ‘Psychological’ aspects of a person have a mutual impact on each other. If some individuals are psychologically anxious, their anxiety will have some negative effects on their bodies. Also, if they are suffering from a physical dysfunction, illness or pain, the physical dysfunctionality will have a negative effect on their psychological conditions. Therefore, in order to keep both ‘Physical’ and ‘Psychological’ aspects of the persons in a healthy condition, the individuals should take care of their ‘Physical Health’ and ‘Psychological Well-Being’—in here you can realise the connection and the importance of having some basic knowledge about human body [functions] and psychology to ‘Physical Health’ and ‘Psychological Well-Being’. Physical Health Now we know that ‘Physical Health’ is one of the starting points for ‘Psychological Well-Being’—so the point in here is that how we keep our body healthy. We know that in modern life our eating habits and the quality of food are affected by the advancement of science and technology. The fruit, vegetables and food that we normally eat are mostly mixed with pesticides or other chemicals, antibiotics and hormones. Eating these substances [pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics and hormones] artificially are not good for health so we should avoid them as much as possible and as long as there is not any health issues when eating fruit, vegetables and food without those chemicals. The air we breathe in is also affected by the features of modern life which brought us the air pollution especially in urban environments. The drinking water is normally mixed with Chlorine/Chloride. Some food products are genetically modified. So, living fully healthy is really challenging and we should find the ways to avoid those chemicals as long as there is not any harm of consuming the foodstuff and nutrition without the chemicals in order to minimise any risk to our health! A moderate daily exercise and/or physical activity play an important role in maintaining the physical health while avoiding consuming artificial substances used for fitness such as powders, pills and energiser supplements and so on. No one is perfectly 100% healthy. However, we should do our best to keep our body as healthy as possible for ultimate physical and psychological functioning and for ‘Living’ in the best form of ‘Being’. Mysterious Music. Copyright © 2017 Mysterious Music.