What is quality of life?
Although it is a difficult concept to explain, most people intuitively understand what quality of life is . In other words, although the meaning of quality of life is sometimes not obvious to some people, its concept is clear to everyone. Most people associate quality of life with “feeling good”. In fact, this notion of quality of life goes against the main factors that influence it, as we will see below, which are health, work and the environment.
But after all, what does it mean to have quality of life ? If the answer to this question is important, then what we are all looking for and what we will address throughout this article will certainly be the central question: how to improve quality of life ?
Concept of quality of life
The concept of quality of life is very broad, encompassing not only physical health but also psychological state, level of independence, social relationships at home, school and work and even the relationship with the environment. In fact, there are naturally other factors that influence it, but let’s start by looking at what quality of life means to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The concept of quality of life is directly associated with self-esteem and personal well-being and comprises several aspects, namely, functional capacity, socio-economic level, emotional state, social interaction, intellectual activity, self-care, family support, health status, cultural, ethical and religious values, lifestyle, satisfaction with employment and/or daily activities and the environment in which one lives.
Quality of life – definition
According to the WHO, the definition of quality of life is “an individual’s perception of their position in life, within the context of the cultural and value systems in which they are inserted and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns”. This definition takes into account the influence of physical and psychological health, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs and their relationships with characteristics inherent to their environment in the subjective assessment of individual quality of life. In this sense, we can say that quality of life is defined as “an individual’s satisfaction with their daily life”.
We should not confuse quality of life with standard of living. Many people have a wrong notion of quality of life, confusing the terms. Standard of living is a measure that calculates the quality and quantity of goods and services available.
Quality of life and health
Quality of life and health are inseparable terms. Quality of life is so closely associated with health that many authors do not distinguish between the two. For them, health and quality of life are the same thing . In fact, health is not the only factor that influences our quality of life, but it is of crucial importance.
Generally, health and quality of life are two closely related topics, since health contributes to improving the quality of life of individuals and this is essential for an individual or community to be healthy. However, it does not only mean physical and mental health, but also that these people are at peace not only with themselves, but also with life, with the people around them. In short, having quality of life means being in harmony with several factors.
When it comes to health, quality of life is often considered in terms of how it can be negatively affected, i.e. the occurrence of a debilitating disease that is not life-threatening, a disease that is life-threatening, the natural decline of an elderly person’s health, mental decline, chronic disease processes, etc. All of these situations are detrimental to our quality of life.
In this sense, a healthy life has a profound impact on people’s quality of life.
Quality of life and physical health
Physical health obviously affects our quality of life. For example, there is a relationship between physical activity , improved health and quality of life. Likewise, there is a relationship between a healthy diet and quality of life. Quality of life and healthy eating are concepts that are closely related. Having a healthy and balanced diet is essential for an individual’s well-being. When the body receives the ideal amounts of nutrients and vitamins it needs, its physical health improves and consequently increases the quality of life.
In short, if we can improve our physical health condition towards a healthier life, through correct health promotion, then we will be able to improve our quality of life.
Quality of life and mental health
The concept of quality of life has been gaining increasing importance in the field of mental health and health care, increasing its importance in medical discourse and practice.
It is no coincidence that the WHO defines health as a broad term. It defines it as “a state of complete physical and mental well-being”. When thinking about health and quality of life, people often leave mental health aside.
However, mental health is extremely important today. We are seeing an increase in cases of chronic stress and burnout, anxiety and depression, as well as many other psychological and emotional problems.
A person with poor mental health, such as depression, for example, has great difficulty maintaining romantic relationships, performing their duties at work, and even raising their children. A person with emotional problems can affect all family members. A person with poor mental health is more likely to become dependent on drugs and alcohol, contract infectious diseases, develop allergies, autoimmune diseases, etc. However, there are many other harmful consequences when we neglect our mental and emotional health and well-being.
Taking care of your mental health is much simpler than it seems. All you need to do is maintain good relationships with the people around you, have a satisfying love life, don’t dwell on past problems, don’t be too demanding of yourself, forgive yourself and others, laugh whenever you can, cry when you need to, and love. If you find it difficult to do this, it’s best to seek professional help.
Being in good mental health means being in balance with your inner world and the world around you, it means being at peace with yourself and with others.
Stress and quality of life
Stress is currently a serious problem with unquestionable implications for quality of life. The problems will be more intense depending on the level of stress to which the individual is subject, the causes that gave rise to it and the symptoms perceived.
Environment and quality of life
The environment brings many benefits to man, one of which is, without a doubt, improving his quality of life. Quality of life and the environment are, therefore, two inseparable terms.
The environment concerns everything that surrounds us, so our quality of life is directly linked to the quality of the surrounding environment. Therefore, preserving the environment is an important factor in improving people’s quality of life .
For example, imagine a city with a lot of rubbish , a lot of pollution and no green spaces . These are certainly factors that, on the one hand, are likely to cause diseases and, on the other, do not produce feelings of well-being in people. For example, when someone who practices physical activity chooses to do so in a green space, they combine the benefits of physical exercise with a place with fresh air, making their activity much more enjoyable and healthy. When someone has a massage and can simultaneously enjoy the sounds of nature, they can get even more out of their moment of relaxation.
Quality of life and respect for the environment
Today more than ever, we notice that there is a growing concern for man to have a quality life.
Among several other factors, it is necessary to preserve and respect the environment to guarantee our quality of life. To do this, we must have more assertive and protective attitudes, in order to make our habitat better for both us and future generations.
It is, above all, when we talk about the environment that we become aware that we are living organisms that are in harmony with nature. Our quality of life depends on the state of the environment, that is, we need air, water, food, essential elements for survival, which is why an ecologically balanced environment is essential and we ensure its sustainability .
In this way, quality of life depends on the quality of the environment, and it does not mean quantity of life, and therefore there should be an emphasis on the appreciation and meaning of existence, which should take into account the needs that all human beings feel in order to live with dignity.
Nor can we talk about health without linking it to the environment, because whenever we improve the environment we will be protecting human physical and mental health.
Quality of life at work
It is no coincidence that many companies and organizations today are concerned about quality of life at work . As we know, we spend a lot of our time at work. We often spend more time with our coworkers than with our own families. For these reasons, quality of life at work has come to be seen as fundamental in modern times. When we refer to work, we are referring to the activities carried out in companies, organizations, schools, etc.
The quality of life of workers is generally observed taking into account the quality of life in companies and their productivity , but also in aspects of the worker’s life not directly linked to their work. However, some recent controversies use the terminology “worker’s quality of life”, making it clear that quality of life is not limited only to the place and time of work, but also to the relationship with several other aspects, namely, personal satisfaction, family relationships, leisure opportunities, etc.
What is quality of life at work?
When we talk about quality of life at work, we mean the benefits and disadvantages of the work environment for the individual. The goal is to develop work environments that are as favorable to the individual as they are to the economic health of the organization.
Concept of quality of life at work
As we have seen, quality of life is an expression that refers to the living conditions of man, in various areas, namely, physical, mental, psychological and emotional well-being, social relationships, such as family and friends, and also health, education and other aspects that influence human life. The concept of quality of life at work refers to these conditions in the workplace, often also referred to as quality of life in companies .
Importance of quality of life at work
The importance of quality of life at work is growing in the current economic and social context, taking into account the relevance that employment represents in people’s lives and how useful a good organizational environment can be in managing people and improving the productivity of companies and organizations.
It becomes clear that the human side cannot be dissociated from the professional side, since man is endowed with individual skills and abilities that can be altered due to the conditions of the environment in which he is inserted.
In this sense, over time, companies began to reflect on the well-being of their employees and the individual productivity of each one.
Faced with this new reality, the term quality of life at work began to be debated and implemented in organizations. These measures aimed to improve the quality of life at work, fundamentally, the physical and mental health of their employees.
The term quality of life in companies began to be seen as an agent for improving people management, as motivated and healthy employees are strictly related to improvements in the work environment and consequently to productivity.
Nowadays, professionals in the job market are looking for more than just a good salary and benefits; they are also looking for a humanized and suitable work environment. If the worker feels comfortable and well-being in the workplace, he will feel motivated, improving his productivity.
Work – physical and mental health
Changes in lifestyles, changes in the job market and leisure time are factors that have a strong impact on people’s health. Work and leisure time should be a source of health for the population. The way in which society organizes work should help to create a healthy society. Promoting health creates safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable living and working conditions, improving the quality of life at work and in companies.
Unfortunately, we all know that this is not always the case. The changes that society has been subject to have come to demand from individuals a great capacity for physical, mental and social adaptation. Competitiveness, pressure to obtain results, accumulation of information and tasks resulting from an increasingly globalized world, lack of time for leisure, among other factors, define the modern world and inevitably bring consequences.
Mental health leads to several types of changes, namely in the functioning of daily routine, ability to work, quality of life at work, performance of family and social roles and involvement in leisure activities. Due to its diagnosis, its prolonged treatments and the uncertainty of the prognosis, mental illness constitutes a risk to the quality of life of the worker and those around him.
Work is one of the main causes of stress today. Stress , in turn, has a direct influence on professional performance and productivity.
Chronic stress tends to trigger intense psychosocial problems. This is why stress and quality of life at work are such common concepts in workers’ daily lives.
Quality of life programs at work
For these reasons, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of quality of life at work and its relationship with productivity. For this reason, they tend to implement quality of life at work programs that aim to improve workers’ conditions.
These programs consist of actions carried out by the company, which involve implementing improvements and innovations in terms of management, as well as technological or other changes in the work environment. For example, improving ergonomics, improving climate conditions, encouraging better interpersonal relationships, providing conditions related to health care and childcare, etc. The quality of life in organizations can be significantly improved if these measures are well designed and implemented.
As with personal aspects, quality of life at work is essential for the development of employees, both inside and outside the company environment. In this sense, it is important to highlight the social role of organizations in training citizens who are more aware of their role in society.
Tips for quality of life at work
The attitude of individual workers also has a strong impact on their quality of life and work environment. Here are some tips to improve the quality of life at work :
- Focus – A professional who is focused and committed to their work suffers less negative interference from the environment;
- Stay away from “gossip” – Idle conversations about the lives of colleagues and superiors only fuel a hostile environment. Stay away from them and try to eliminate this behavior from your daily life;
- Learn to work as a team – Teamwork is one of the main skills required by companies. Collaborate with your colleagues and learn from them too;
- Meet deadlines and schedules – Completing your tasks with quality and within deadlines avoids unnecessary stress and improves your performance, preventing you from being questioned about it.
- Cultivate good relationships – Maintain good interpersonal relationships with your colleagues and superiors. This makes the environment better and healthier.
Quality of life in old age
Quality of life does not end with time. Many people are concerned and wonder about the best way to have a good quality of life in the present. However, quality of life should also be seen as a future and long-term goal. Longevity is increasing, but sometimes with a reduced quality of life. Many medical treatments allow us to improve our health, but often at the cost of therapies that weaken us and reduce our quality of life.
We must, therefore, seek a good quality of life in all phases of our lives, aware that it is in the elderly that we often observe the greatest problems.
The choices we make throughout our lives, such as the type of diet, physical exercise, working conditions, the environment in which we live, etc. are all factors that will influence not only our longevity and health, but also our current and future quality of life.
Given the demographic changes that began to occur in the last century, which show us an increasingly ageing population, it is imperative to provide the elderly not only with a longer lifespan, but also with a good quality of life.
Given the subjectivity that the concept of quality of life for the elderly entails, it becomes necessary to guide policies towards successful aging, which for most elderly people is related to well-being, happiness, personal fulfillment, in short, the quality of life in this age group (third age).
How to improve quality of life
In order to ensure a good quality of life in the future, we must start worrying about maintaining healthy habits, namely: taking care of our body, a balanced diet, physical exercise, healthy relationships, having time to carry out leisure activities and several other habits that provide a person with well-being and quality of life .
Health promotion is the process that aims to increase the ability of individuals to control their health, with a view to improving it. To achieve a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, the individual must be able to identify and fulfill his or her desires, satisfy his or her needs and modify or adapt to the environment.
Being healthy is a path that is traced every day through the smallest choices we make. Choose a fuller life and be surprised by the differences that a few gestures can make.
Being healthy is not limited to what we see on our bodies. Feeling good and happy is an important part of health and well-being and should not be neglected.
Find time for yourself and those you love, take up new hobbies and make your leisure time as important as your time at work. Combine health with beauty. Although it is important to like your reflection in the mirror, it is also essential not to fall into extremes. Crazy diets can not only be dangerous but also difficult to stick to.
Learn to combat stress. This will help reduce stress levels, reducing the likelihood of suffering from problems such as high blood pressure, allergies, infections caused by low immunity, etc., as well as improving your quality of life.
Healthy living, health promotion
In this article we show you everything about quality of life . The purpose of writing this text about quality of life is to alert people to the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and its implications for their current and future quality of life.
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