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Flourishing

How do you determine whether your life is going well? Whether you're happy and fulfilled vs. merely going through the paces? Whether you're growing and developing as a person vs. merely expressing more of the same old, same old? In short, when the alarm goes off in the morning does the prospect of a new day cause you to be filled with excited anticipation and a sense of being actively engaged? Or do you wish you could bury yourself beneath the blankets and put off your daily routine for as long as possible?

"Flourishing" is a term long-used by philosophers to describe a state of ongoing positive engagement with life.1,2,3 When a person is flourishing she is not only interested and participating, but also widening and expanding her range and her scope. Most of us are familiar with the concept of flourishing as it relates to our plants and gardens. A flourishing tree sports many new branches, many new twigs, and many shiny new leaves. The bark of a flourishing tree has deeper and richer shades of brown. The greens of such a tree's leaves are moister and wetter, reflecting the aqua tones of the rivers, streams, and sky. All the flourishing tree's semi-moving parts are joyously turned toward the sun.

A flourishing human being expresses many similar phenomena. When describing the characteristics of well-balanced individuals, psychologists and sociologists have historically used the term "happiness". But "being happy" seems a fairly passive state of affairs. It's good to be happy, certainly, but what's being referred to is more of an emotional, subjective state of being. You're happy in response to a circumstance or series of events. In contrast, when you're flourishing you're actively taking part. You are the initiator rather than the responder. You're in the driver's seat. You get to say how things are going to go.

How do you achieve a state of flourishing? As always, it's the journey, not the destination, that provides the biggest payoff - in this case, a joyous, fulfilling life. Flourishing as such is not an endpoint - it's a moving target. We need to be proactive to replenish, reinvigorate, and revivify our continuing cycle of 24-hour allotments. We want to live, rather than merely exist. Living requires imagination, invention, interest, and action. Flourishing is an outcome of playing full out, of active participation in life.

1Menk OL, et al: Exploring measures of whole person wellness: integrative well-being and psychological flourishing. Explore (NY) 6(6):364-370, 2010
2Bunkers SS: A focus on human flourishing. Nurs Sci Q 23(4):290-295, 2010
3Fosha D: Positive affects and the transformation of suffering into flourishing. Ann NY Acad Sci 1172:256-262, 2009

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  • "I was very impressed with the chiropractic care I received from Dr. Anderson. I had received chiropractic in the past for my neck pain, but not to this level of care. After only a few sessions, my symptoms began to disappear, especially my neck pain, and I know I would not have been able to perform to my everyday work functions without the treatment I received."
    Neck Pain
  • "I have benefitted tremendously from the chiropractic care I received from Dr. Anderson. Not only has the adjustments helped alleviate my stiffness and aches, but it has helped me have more energy and just feel more balanced over all. A few months ago, I was able to resume a favorite hobby of mine: golf. Due to my previous pain, I never thought that’d be possible."
    Back Pain
  • "Dr. Anderson has allowed me to be headache free for quite some time now. I used to have daily nagging headaches that often would turn into a migraine leaving me unable to function. For the longest time, I thought I could just keep taking medication to have the pain subside."
    Headaches
  • "As a court reporter, using my hands to type on a daily basis is a requirement. The work is speedy and can often last for hours at a time. Several months ago, every movement I made became excruciatingly painful. I started seeing Dr. Anderson and he put together a program for me that helped right away. He stressed the importance of my posture and proper hand and arm placement."
    Carpal Tunnel
  • "It's been 7 months since I got wiped out by a monster wave. I sought treatment at the hospital and they took x-rays and said everything seemed normal, that I would just have some pain for a few days. A few days actually turned into several weeks, so at the suggestion of my girlfriend, I went to see Dr. Anderson."
    Sports Injury

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