What Well-Being Really Means for Dyslexics (It's Not About Being Happy)

In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, I explore one of the most misunderstood concepts in positive psychology: well-being.

Many people believe well-being means being happy all the time, but true well-being is much deeper than that. It includes our emotions, relationships, accomplishments, health, financial stability, personal growth, meaning, purpose, and even the difficult experiences that shape who we become.

As someone with dyslexia and a Master's in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, I've discovered that increasing well-being can have a profound impact on how we experience life—and even how we navigate our dyslexic challenges.

In this episode, we discuss:

✅ The difference between happiness and well-being
 ✅ Why toxic positivity can be harmful
 ✅ The role of emotions in personal growth
 ✅ Relationships and their impact on well-being
 ✅ Meaning, mattering, and purpose
 ✅ Psychological richness and learning from life's challenges
 ✅ Why embracing both success and struggle creates a fuller life

If you've ever wondered how to create a more meaningful and fulfilling life, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Welcome to Unmasking Dyslexia—where we explore dyslexia beyond reading and writing, and uncover how it influences identity, relationships, well-being, and human potential.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Unmasking Dyslexia. I'm Carlene, your host, and with each episode, we challenge the story that surrounds dyslexia. We will explore the strengths, the struggles, and the science behind the dyslexic experience so that you can better understand yourself or someone you love. What does well-being have to do with a dyslexic individual? Well, in reality, it's what is so important to everyone. Well-being should be a topic of conversation in our everyday lives. And unfortunately, I think many people actually misunderstand what well-being really is about. Well-being is different than happiness. We can have the expression and the emotion and the experience of being happy, but to chase happiness is not the focus of well-being. Happiness is when we feel elated. We have a high, we have a joy. And some people end up chasing it to the extent that they have toxic positivity, where they're not looking at reality. They're not looking at or honoring those aspects of themselves that need attention, such as trauma and negative emotions and the potential of feeling depressed, they're only focusing on what is good in life. And that's actually not well-being. That's not helping any individual move forward. So, regardless if you're dyslexic or someone who is not dyslexic, well-being is such an important aspect of having a well-rounded and meaningful life. Well-being is the mixture and the um the diversity of looking at how you interact with your positive emotions. How do you work with your emotions? Do you ignore those that bring you down? Or do you accept all of them as different messages towards you? Do you accept what comes up for you as just your point of reality? Or is it that you focus on that toxic positivity where you only want to say life is fantastic, even if it's not? Well, being takes a look at our experiences. What experiences are you having in your daily life that is allowing you to grow and shift how you see the world and yourself? What experiences do you go through that actually take a look where you can grow into who you're supposed to become versus staying stagnant in who you are? Well-being is about looking at your relationships. And do you surround yourself that with people who lift you up? Do you surround yourself with people who are real in their own lives? Do you surround yourself with toxicity or negativity? Because those that you hang out automatically, and research has shown this, will influence how your well-being is processed within your own life. Well-being is about taking a look and recognizing where you matter in the world. Where are you within yourself and with no one else or nothing else holding you back? What do you bring to your moments? What meaning can you bring to others? What basically value is your life? And being able to say, I bring connection, I bring realism, I bring problem solving, I bring this to others, and I matter because of the way my brain works. I matter because I see the world differently. I matter because I experience life as a whole is well-being. It's an important, very important aspect of well-being itself. Well-being is taking a look at your accomplishments and not tooting your own horn, but saying, Yeah, I've accomplished a lot in my life. I've accomplished. I look at the yard work I've done. Look at my degrees, look at what I created, what artwork I've done, what I've written. Look at my children and how successful they are. Look at my family. Look at all of that. Look at your accomplishments is important. And maybe they're not exactly what you think life should be about. But the thing is, is it doesn't negate what they are. And they're at least starting points to something greater than where you may be in your current moment. Well-being is looking at your financial security. Can you pay your bills? Are you able to have extra money for fun? Are you able to live the life you need? It doesn't mean that you have to have the highest level or the most amount of zeros in your paycheck. It's just whether or not you have security and stability. Well-being is taking a look at your health and knowing that you're eating right for your body, not what society says you should eat, but what your body, your chemistry means. Well-being is more than happiness. And I wanted to take time in this podcast to share that because I think that's a message that gets missed when people think of positive psychology and well-being, they think it's all about having happy. And happy is important, but so are our sad times, so are our low times in life. They're equally important because they bring about a balance, they bring out diversity and experience, and they bring about a richness to our lives if you're willing to see them that way. If all you experienced were joys in your life, how would you know that you've grown? You wouldn't. And when we grow into who we need to become, we have higher levels of well-being. We have a higher level of richness in our life. So whether you are successful or not, go out and be messy in your life and really relish in the diversity that comes with it. Because even if you fail, you have an amazing story to share with somebody. And this is psychological richness. And it's so important for our well-being. If this episode resonated with you, know that you are not alone and make sure to share it with someone else who might need it. Through my work at All That I Am, I offer courses and coaching to help you reconnect with your strengths, your meaning, and your sense of mattering. There are links to what I offer in the show notes. And don't forget to follow the podcast so you don't miss what's coming next.