Thriving, Struggling, or Suffering - Cantril’s Ladder

Early in the I Dare to Act days, the group adopted the whirlwind logo as a visual reminder to live the life we were uniquely created to live, not the life others expected us to live. The whirlwind was based on FranklinCovey’s The 4 Disciplines of Execution, which says, “The “whirlwind” of urgent activity required to keep things running day-to-day devoured all the time and energy you needed to invest in executing your strategy for tomorrow!”

I wear shirts and caps with the whirlwind, as a constant reminder to stay focused on my commitment to myself; however, there are days when I need MORE support. Days when the stresses of the day are overwhelming. I “created” a BlueTooth (BLE) enabled device that “forces” me hourly to analyze my current emotional state and SMS my advocate friend if I am Soaring, Circling, or Spiraling. So simple – so helpful! The simple act of periodically stopping and accessing, allows me to acknowledge when I’m nearing the emotional abyss and causes me to stop and breathe, and make more positive, healthful decisions.

This works for me – would it for you?

I am always amazed and strangely comforted when research proves what I’ve arrived at through the “college of hard knocks.”  In The Science of Thriving Together, on www.communitycommons.org, the term “health” is now often used in conjunction with the term “well-being,” saying that well-being is “how people think, feel, and function – at a personal and social level - and how they evaluate their lives as a whole…” Adding, “emerging evidence suggests that well-being is a protective factor against disease and is tied to extending life expectancy.”

The Science of Thriving Together raises up Cantril’s Ladder of Life Evaluation, that was developed in 1965 as a self-evaluative measure of well-being by measuring thriving, struggling, or suffering based on a 2-item assessment. Respondents who rate their current and future life high on the ladder are thriving. Suffering means that respondent’s rate both their current and future life low on the ladder. Struggling is any other combination of placement.

Wow – so simple, so dead-on, at least for me! Instead of Cantril’s thriving, struggling, or suffering, I will stick with Soaring, Circling, or Spiraling.

A friend recently recommended adding H.A.L.T. to my awareness process. Per www.gardenstatetreatmentcenter.com, “to Halt means to stop abruptly. The acronym H.A.L.T. as many people in recovery know means hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. …this word is how they monitor their state of physical and mental wellbeing. Paying attention to whether you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired is extremely useful…” (Bolding is mine)

I am currently experiencing great stress, and I am distracted, overwhelmed, and frustrated. I am using my hourly “awareness mechanism,” and I have addeded the H.A.L.T. steps when I recognize that I am Circling, or Spirally.

So, questions for you – how do YOU “measure” your well-being? How are you thinking, feeling, and functioning? Are you thriving, struggling, or suffering? In the event of struggling or suffering, would H.A.L.T. be a useful tool?