Life is often a blend of challenges and joys. For some, the balance tips more towards struggles, especially when dealing with mental health issues, making the journey to happiness seem like an uphill battle. However, the path isn’t without signposts. One such marker, from the wisdom of ancient times, points towards Eudaimonia – a profound state of well-being.
What Is Eudaimonia & Why Is It Important To Mental Health?
Long before modern psychology, ancient Greek philosophers were consumed with understanding the human psyche and its quest for happiness.
Eudaimonia, often translated as “flourishing” or “well-being,” is more than fleeting happiness. It is a concept developed by philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, and has been the subject of philosophical and psychological inquiry for centuries. While Aristotle emphasized its ties to virtue and rational living, Plato associated it with a harmonious soul. It represents the pinnacle of human existence, a life aligned with one’s authentic nature.
At its core, Eudaimonia is about living a life that is fulfilling, satisfying, meaningful, and in accordance with one’s values and virtues.
Today’s understanding of happiness often revolves around transient pleasures: a new car or house, material possessions, a job promotion or career change, or attention from others in the case of social media. Eudaimonia, in contrast, embodies a deeper resonance, the contentment that persists long after the moment passes. It’s not just about feeling good but being good, actualizing one’s potential, and aligning with one’s virtues.
For those with mental health issues, the pursuit of Eudaimonia can be particularly valuable. Many issues can often make it difficult to find joy or purpose in life, and can lead to feelings of isolation, hopelessness, and despair.
However, by focusing on Eudaimonia – on cultivating positive relationships, engaging in meaningful activities, and striving to be the best version of yourself – you can find a sense of purpose and fulfillment even in the midst of your struggles.
Reorienting ourselves to live in accordance with our values can often help motivate us to take action when we are in deep despair in the case of depression. Or with anxiety, it can help us take action in spite of the anxious feelings we may have.
Eudaimonia and Relationships
One other key element of Eudaimonia is the cultivation of positive relationships. For those with mental health issues, social support is crucial – having a network of friends and family who understand and accept one’s struggles can be immensely helpful. By prioritizing healthy relationships and building a strong support system, people can experience a sense of belonging, connection and community that can help mitigate the effects of mental health issues.
Meaningful Activities A Key To Eudaimonia
Another important aspect of Eudaimonia is engaging in meaningful activities. This may mean pursuing something that aligns with a person’s values and interests, perhaps in creative activities for example. For others, it may mean volunteering, practicing mindfulness or meditation, or engaging in physical activity. What makes the difference in being able to realize and engage with the meaning in our lives is the cognitive process of relevance realization. Relevance realization helps us find what is important, and these things are often the key to meaning in our lives.
Whatever form it takes, the pursuit of activities that bring joy and fulfillment can be a powerful antidote to the symptoms of mental illness.
Our Potentiality
Finally, Eudaimonia is also about striving to be the best version of oneself. This doesn’t mean striving for perfection or never making mistakes – rather, it means focusing on personal growth and development, and making choices that align with one’s values and virtues.
This is also seen as the pursuit of your potentiality, a concept also dating back to ancient Greek times. It can involve developing a daily self-care routine and setting time aside for reflection and introspection. Applying ourselves by learning skills, helping others and engaging in the world around us is also important. And when we find our issues and challenges very hard to bear, it means seeking coaching or therapy to get clarity or examining mental blockages, or working to manage unhelpful thought patterns or behaviors.
After issues have been managed enough that we are once again making choices and taking action in alignment with our values, personal development can become an important main goal; focused on living authentically, finding purpose and being in alignment with our values.
Eudaimonia Is Always Relevant
Eudaimonia is a blend of ancient wisdom and introspection, and it encourages a life of authenticity, profound connections, and continuous growth.
Remember, the pursuit of Eudaimonia is not a quick fix, but a lifelong journey. There’s no destination or endpoint, it’s simply a way ‘to be’.
And it’s about finding what gives your life meaning and striving to live in accordance with your deepest values. This approach won’t make life’s challenges disappear, but it can give you the resilience and perspective to navigate them more effectively.
While happiness may seem elusive in today’s complex world, the path of Eudaimonia offers a promise – not just to find it, but to truly embody it. In the echoes of the ancient Greeks, there lies an invitation for each of us to embark on this transformative journey.
