Nurturing Well-being Using Mindfulness Practices: Through the Lens of Martin Seligman’s Well-Being Theory

The transition phase between childhood to adulthood is typically characterised by internal “storm”. For the youth of today, they face additional challenges presented by the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environments they live in. While it is not always possible to control the external environments, youth can learn to manage themselves and to take ownership of their well-being. In this study, viewed through the lens of positive psychologist Martin Seligman’s Well-Being Theory, we examined if mindfulness can foster the following elements of well-being ─ positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishments/achievements. To achieve our objective, we interviewed 10 primary six students (all 12 years old, 6 girls, 4 boys) who had attended a mindfulness-based intervention programme conducted in their school. Anecdotal accounts suggested that the present-moment awareness and calm accorded by mindfulness practices could foster the above-mentioned elements of well-being. We concluded that mindfulness practices have the potential to improve children’s well-being through direct or indirect means. We suggested that educators who care about the well-being of our youth, and believe in the importance of nurturing a resilient and thriving generation of people, can consider introducing their students to the principles and practices of mindfulness.