‘It has long been accepted that material wellbeing, as measured by GDP per person, cannot alone explain the broader quality of life in a country.’
www.economist.com
Quality of life is no longer directly related to our health and functional status of our bodies. It is about something more than just having a healthy body and a lot of money. Quality of life directs attention to complete physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. It is about having healthy body, healthy mind, healthy soul and healthy bank account – all at the same time.
Well-being measures to what extent we feel satisfied with our lives.
It is associated with benefits mostly related to not getting sick, realizing our potential at work, having good relationships with other people and friends, having stable economic status as well as enjoying positive emotions within the family.
How I measure quality of life?
1. Being physically fit. Good and strong body gives you a lot of benefits: decreased risk of disease, no illness and lack of injury, better immune functioning, speedier recovery, increased longevity, etc. Without mobility difficulty or vision loss, you will live a long and productive life. Being physically fit also means lower medical bills and less time spent on visiting hospitals.
2. Being mentally and emotionally balanced. Having positive emotions in your daily life will make you more productive at work and at home, and actively involved in social and community activities. Your ability to understand who you are and distinguish good from bad will make it easier for you to handle difficulties and have empathy for others. Good family relations also matter for your overall life satisfaction.
3. Being economically stable. It refers to your material ‘well-being’: how much money you earn every year, and whether you are in debt or financially free. Being economically stable has been identified as the most important criterion for life satisfaction. People with higher income and without any debt are more satisfied with their lives than those with lower income. Economic stability positively influences different life domains such as the neighborhood you live in, educational opportunities for yourself and your children as well as the choice of leisure activities. It is also related to how stable your job is and it relates to political stability of the country you live in.
I deeply believe that if all three approaches are fairly achieved, then the person may be considered as having very high quality of life. I am still struggling a little bit with each of these three factors, but I think that I have made considerate changes in the right direction over the last 10 years. I was able to make small improvements to become more physically fit, mentally stronger, emotionally balanced and economically stable. Because I did the right things in the right way, I feel that my life is much better now than it was 10 years ago.
