PERMAH: six ways to reflect on a flourishing life

PERMA, then PERMAH: where do the letters come from?

Psychologist Martin Seligman proposed PERMA to describe five components of well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Discussing her work on well-being questionnaires, researcher Peggy Kern explains that health was included as an additional domain, giving PERMAH. The H is therefore an addition to the original five-letter model.

These reference points offer several ways to consider one life. A project can feel meaningful while leaving little time to rest; someone deeply involved in an association may still need more support.

P — Positive emotions

Joy, interest, gratitude and enjoyment can be part of ordinary days. One idea to try on Permah: record a pleasant moment after a walk or some gardening. This does not require feeling good all the time or dismissing distress.

E — Engagement

Some activities absorb our attention and use our skills. Repairing a tool, drawing a garden layout or learning to recognise a plant may offer that experience. Ask: when could I concentrate on a challenge within my reach?

R — Relationships

Trust and support matter. In a shared garden or cohousing project, we suggest making these tangible: welcome someone new, clarify responsibilities and set aside time to discuss a difficulty before it builds up.

M — Meaning

Meaning concerns how actions connect to something that matters beyond ourselves. Protecting soil, sharing knowledge or joining a local project may offer that connection. Meaning remains personal: groups benefit from discussing intentions rather than assuming everyone shares them.

A — Accomplishment

Learning and completing an action may matter as much as a major result. Installing a water butt, holding a clearer meeting or raising a first seedling are examples. Choose a step that fits your time and resources, then consider what you learned.

H — Health

This additional dimension draws attention to the body and material living conditions. In our projects, this also means accessible tasks, breaks and ways to share the load. These examples concern practical organisation, rather than health prescriptions.

How Permah connects this with human permaculture

Our connection is editorial: we bring these six reference points into conversation with observing systems, caring for living things and cooperation. Gardens offer room to learn; cohousing involves relationships, meaning, resources and shared work. This connection is not a newly validated scientific method.

One experiment for this week

Choose one area that needs attention. Record a specific situation, one feasible adjustment and a date to review it. You might arrange a gardening session with another person and then check whether it helps each of you. Our exercises are original; they do not reproduce the PERMA-Profiler questionnaire or provide a clinical score.