Envision a tall, slender, conical shaped tree that stands in a stately manner, adding to the beauty of the landscape and at the same time exudes strength and stability in its densely packed foliage. Imagine you are cultivating and nourishing this lofty spire for your own wellbeing.
Tal Ben Shahar offers us the SPIRE model of happiness in his book Happier: No Matter What (2021). SPIRE represents five elements of spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational and emotional wellbeing.
ELEMENTS of the SPIRE model:
Spiritual Wellbeing:
* Presence – religion, mindfulness, meditation, yoga
* Meaning and purpose – work, volunteering
* Passion – interests and hobbies
* Appreciation – beauty and nature
Physical Wellbeing:
* Exercise – gym, sports, outdoors, group activities
* Nutrition – food and drink
* Relaxation – massage, aroma, hydro therapies
* Recovery – rest, sleep, time off, vacation
Intellectual Wellbeing:
* Curiosity – love of learning, classes
* Exploration – travel, museums
* Deep engagement – books, music, poetry, art, nature
* Teaching – writing, speaking, presenting
Relational Wellbeing:
* Quality time with personal relationships
* Authentic connections in professional settings
* Real, tangible, mutually supportive interactions
(does not include social media)
* Kindness, generosity of time, attention, resources
Emotional Wellbeing:
* Permission to experience and identify emotions
* Embracing and accepting negative emotions
* Generating and expressing positive emotions
* Regulating emotional highs and lows
We are well served to examine all five elements of wellbeing that we can create, nurture and expand. It isn’t just about planting seeds and helping them grow. It is also about creating conditions that would help them strive to stay alive and thrive. Plants benefit and get stronger from shocks, volatility, and disorder. Rather than breaking under these stressors (being fragile), or even resisting them (being robust), they respond to the stressors (becoming antifragile).
We want to create our own property of systems that get sturdier from stressors and instability. We could challenge ourselves in each area, raise the ante, embrace healthy risks and move beyond merely playing it safe. We want to cultivate antifragility. If we desire a whole being well-being here is a nifty tool to use: the SPIRE check in. It involves self-assessment of where you are today and where you want to be in the future.
STEPS of the SPIRE check in:
1) Ascribe: on a scale of 1 – 10 score yourself on each element, breaking it down to specifics.
2) Describe: elaborate on each score you gave yourself, with thoughtful explanations, fleshing out the reasons why you scored low so you can spotlight barriers, or why you scored high so you can introduce new challenges to heighten your effort.
3) Prescribe: brainstorm ways to elevate your score for each element by just one point. Take baby steps for a new habit to form and become tenacious. Ask yourself what is one action you are willing to take in each of the five elements to edge you forward and intensify your resilience. Commit to act on it.
How vigorous and full-bodied will your SPIRE grow?