In everyday life, I try to live with the PERMA model and the body-based perspective as my guides. It’s about finding balance between thought and feeling, between theory and life itself. When the mind and body work together, well-being becomes something we don’t just think about – but truly feel.
En ny dag, en ny möjlighet att leva i balans mellan kropp och sinne.
A new day, a new opportunity to live in balance between body and mind.
It’s a new morning – another day in this life. A day where I get to breathe, exist, and create healing, both for myself and for others.
My coffee stands beside me, as always – one of my two daily cups. A candle is burning on the table, and one of my grandmother’s old lamps spreads its warm light. I’ve given thanks for this day and can feel gratitude move gently through my body. I got one more day – the first day of the rest of my life.
What do I want to fill it with? Is there something I need to set right, or something I can do to make this day a little richer? Right now, I can only see one thing: the lake. Meeting my swimming sisters, diving into the cold water, and returning home to an ordinary day that still feels full.
Yesterday, my little boy said something that went straight to my heart.
“Carina, I always see you reading or working on your laptop. You study, you’ve done so many assignments – and you succeed every time. But when will you let it all sink in?”
Those words hit me hard. When will I let it sink in?
He was right. I’ve been studying, working, doing – but rarely pausing to rest in what I’ve already achieved. So today, I’ve decided to let the theory become something I do, not just something I know.
The PERMA Model and the Body-Based Perspective – My Inner Compass for Well-Being
Evening calm over the fields – the day closing in gratitude and reflection.
I let the PERMA model guide my everyday life. Perhaps I’ve followed it for years without naming it. But today, I choose to live it consciously:
P – Positive Emotions: Joy, gratitude, hope, and love.
E – Engagement: Being so absorbed in something that time disappears – that feeling of flow.
R – Relationships: Safe and caring connections where we give and receive warmth.
M – Meaning: Feeling that life has purpose, that what we do matters.
A – Accomplishment: Allowing ourselves to feel proud of what we’ve done – without explaining it away.
The A has always been my Achilles’ heel. I often think, “It was just easy,” instead of, “I did that well.” But maybe growth lives exactly there – in the space where pride can exist without shame.
The Body-Based Perspective and the PERMA Model – When Theory Settles in the Body
In the water, between breath and stillness – where mind and body meet.
When the body is in balance, it confirms the path to inner calm.
For me, the model isn’t just words – I can feel it in my body. That’s where the body-based perspective comes in: the understanding of how our autonomic nervous system (ANS) shapes our well-being.
When the body is calm, the breath soft, and the heartbeat steady, well-being becomes tangible. It’s as if PERMA shows the way, and the body affirms the direction.
When mind and body work together, stillness, trust, and vitality appear – not as goals to reach, but as states to rest in.
Frequently Asked Questions – The PERMA Model and the Body-Based Perspective
What does PERMA actually mean?
PERMA is a model from positive psychology describing five building blocks for well-being: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. In short – joy, presence, connection, purpose, and growth.
What is the body-based perspective?
It means that well-being doesn’t live only in the mind – it’s also in the body. When our nervous system is balanced, when our breathing is steady and our heart calm, we feel safe, connected, and alive.
How are PERMA and the body connected?
When we practice gratitude (P), presence (E), and safe relationships (R), the body responds. The breath deepens, the heart rate slows, and the body relaxes – which in turn strengthens our mental health.
AHA – Between the Lines of the PERMA Model and the Body-Based Perspective
This post isn’t really just about PERMA or well-being. It’s about letting life sink in. About resting in what has already been built, learned, and lived. About feeling gratitude in the body – not because we must, but because it already lives there.
Reflection
Well-being isn’t always about striving for more. Sometimes, it’s about noticing when it’s already here. When the breath is calm, the candle burns, the coffee smells rich, and the heart beats in time with the present moment – that’s when I’m living PERMA, without even thinking about it.
Question for You
Which part of the PERMA model feels strongest in your life right now? Is there an area you’d like to practice more – something you long to feel deeper?
Share your thoughts in the comments – I read them all.
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Between the Lines – My Voice
It’s not the achievements that build me, but the stillness between them. When I let the theory settle and gratitude take its place, something happens. Life becomes not just something I think about – but something I feel.
Yesterday has already settled into history, tomorrow waits in the distance. But right now – this is where life happens. — Carina Ikonen Nilsson
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