Salutogénesis in Schools and the Principle of Training: Creating Health
The simplest definition of Salutogénesis in schools is an “assets-based approach.” What exactly does this mean? In our School, we understand a health asset as any resource and skill that shapes people’s lives and environments. An increase in assets has a positive impact on the quality of life of the individual, the community, and society.
In its origin, Salutogénesis maintains that human beings naturally tend toward imbalance, illness, and suffering, losing over time the ability to reorganize themselves. For this reason, health must be constantly recreated, as chaos and stress are part of the natural conditions of life.
Antonovsky’s phrase, “we must look at what creates health rather than the limitations and causes of disease,” clearly points us in the right direction. Because looking at what creates health lifts us up. It speaks to us of opportunities and life, instead of threats, fear, and risks.
It is through health assets that we acquire the set of skills that shape daily life and environments. Health assets are the experiences and qualities that develop us mentally and humanly.
To recreate health, Salutogénesis proposes following the only formula that works: learning health assets by activating the process of self-discovery, incorporating a perspective that unites health and purpose. Ultimately, it invites us to experience full human development, leaving no dimension behind. And this is another great benefit that Salutogénesis brings us.
From Health Assets to the Development of Life Skills
At the School, life and health are one and indivisible. Health does not mean “not being sick.” This view of the biomedical model is very limited, and science has been adopting other perspectives and models to create health for some time now.
At the School, we train Life Skills that create health in general and mental health specifically. And, just like the WHO, we also believe there can be no true health without mental health.
Based on the definition that “mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (WHO), we see that by training ourselves through Salutogénesis, we are recreating health and playing in favor of life.
And we see that training bears fruit when we feel healthy. Because “being healthy” means feeling alive, powerful, capable, bold, brave, welcoming, curious, kind, free, and confident while fulfilling one’s purpose.
The WHO introduced us to the “lowest common multiple” that guarantees optimal mental health. It focused especially on skills and named the 10 life skills (WHO, 2003). Acquiring and developing skills and abilities means acquiring health assets. By practicing them, we transform them into Competencies. I recommend this podcast episode where we dive deeper into all of this, and also help you start recognizing them in yourself.
Its learning is not so much about transmitting knowledge as it is about practicing and practicing ourselves; it is part of the discovery plan. In this learning, there is no “one who knows and another who does not.” We all learn and discover every time we stand before this tool of transformation.
We believe that the complexity of the challenges we face in this 21st century requires us to be in better shape than ever, open and willing to change and transform old models and behaviors.
Reality presents us with abundant stressors that make us lose our balance and peace of mind. Each of them is an opportunity to review the conditioning that prevents fresh air from entering.
Let’s look at how to overcome them…
Stressors and Protective Factors: Complexity, Chaos, and Order
Salutogénesis is born from the recognition that the potential to achieve wholeness and health exists within all of us, just as does the potential to generate illness and a lack of balance and harmony.
We can overcome when we understand that illness occurs in a particular human being at a particular moment in their life, and that no illness has a single cause.
We can learn to look with a renewed perspective, and we will see that we are a system of systems. This implies accepting that many processes and factors work together both in the development of disease and in the creation of health.
We come closer to creating health and finding meaning when we understand that:
- health is not an absolute state but a continuum between a point we call maximum discomfort and another of maximum well-being, and that,
- quality of life is a subjective state for each of us; we can always realize what is not going well and recreate our health and our life.
In fact, in stressful situations, the smart thing to do is to become aware of how negativity, anxiety, and discomfort are settling into our daily lives and, consciously, decide that we want to “heal.” And to heal is to become whole. The word “heal” in its ancient origin carries the meaning of “whole, complete.”
Stressors are not necessarily disease generators. If we learn not to run away and instead face discomfort, restlessness, irritability, and ultimately anxiety… we will stop living on the boundary between health and illness.
And being on the side of health requires betting on oneself, with commitment and respect to allow oneself to be inspired and healed. Training life and health skills requires the willingness to stop and look at what is not working: what is out of balance? What have I ignored?
Because not asking questions is in itself a source of stress.
It is time to ask ourselves: which dimension am I neglecting? What do I need to do to preserve my mental health? That is when a resounding STOP is recommended. Once decided, you will recognize the protective factors and assets at your disposal.
And with practice, we see that the “automatic” mind becomes quiet and gradually turns into the listening mind.
