Your Well-being

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy” as the song goes….

So it’s summer, and maybe you are feeling pretty good. You’ve taken a vacation. Your’re more relaxed, more energized, healthier…

Wouldn’t it be great to feel this way year-round?

This begs the question: What does well-being mean to you?

(Take a minute to think before reading on!)

Most people have some ideas of well-being in common. For example, you might think of well-being as including health, ease, engagement, and/or meaningful relationships.

You might also have some unique thoughts about well-being: attending to good nutrition, being physically active, spending time outdoors, meditation, and/or participating in artistic pursuits are some varied ways people pursue well-being.

Satisfaction with Life

Positive psychologists (psychologists who study and practice approaches to promoting happiness and well-being) often identify satisfaction with life as one key dimension of well-being. (Psychological well-being is another.)

The following “Satisfaction With Life Scale,” is a simple, yet validated, way of getting an overall assessment of your sense of well being.*

Here are four statements that you may agree or disagree with. Using a scale from 1-7 as shown below, indicate your degree of agreement with each item by placing the appropriate number on the line preceding that item. Please be open and honest in your responding.

7 – Strongly agree
6 – Agree
5 – Slightly agree
4 – Neither agree nor disagree
3 – Slightly disagree
2 – Disagree
1 – Strongly disagree

1. ___________ In most ways my life is close to the ideal.
2. ___________ The conditions of my life are excellent.
3. ___________ I am satisfied with my life.
4. ___________ So far, I have gotten the things I want in life. 
5. ___________ If I could live my life over I would change almost nothing.

To score this scale, add the numbers to arrive at a score from 5 to 35. 20 is the neutral point. “Normal” scores range from 21-25, indicating that most people are mildly satisfied with their lives. Scores above 20 are increasingly satisfied.

Consider these questions:

  • What’s your score? 
  • What do you think (and/or feel) about that score?   (Remember, most people score in the 21-25 range.)
  • What would it take to increase your score by 1/2 or 1 point? 
  • Looking at each question individually, what questions or thoughts come to mind for you?
  • How do your ADHD symptoms play into your life satisfaction as measured by this scale?
  • What other questions come to mind as you consider your experience with this scale?

If ADHD is having an impact on your satisfaction with life or your sense of well-being, consider working with an ADHD Coach. 

 *The scale was developed by Diener and colleagues, published in 1985 in the Journal of Personality Assessment, and reprinted in Robert Biswas-Diener’s 2010 book Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching on p. 88 (explanation of scoring revised for clarity.).  

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