What is Bottled pondering?
Designed to help people increase their well-being
‘Bottled pondering’ is small thought-awakening glass sculptures in the form of iconic medical vials with unique label texts regarding 300+ issues that affects human well-being. The fundamental idea behind our ‘Bottled pondering’ bottles is to help people increase their overall well-being by prioritising both their mental, relational and physical well-being.
What is well-being?
Well-being is a multifaceted concept that for us encompasses three core dimensions: physical, mental, and relational health. Each of these dimensions is interconnected, creating a holistic framework that significantly impacts an individual’s overall quality of life. Physical well-being refers to the optimal functioning of the body and the maintenance of good health through e.g. adequate exercise, nutrition, rest, sleep, light etc. Mental well-being refers to our mental state and the ability to manage thoughts, emotions and behaviours in a way that contributes to a fulfilling life. Relational well-being refers to the quality and management of our relationships and social interactions. The synergy between physical, mental and relational well-being. Physical, mental and relational well-being is deeply connected in many complex ways. For example will healthy relationships not only enhance one’s mental health but also contribute to physical well-being like lower stress levels and reduced risk of chronic illness. Regular physical activities can enhance mental well-being, which in turn can improve social interactions and relationships. Strong social support can encourage one to engage in healthier behaviours, leading to enhanced physical health. Moreover, good communication and conflict resolution skills promote harmony in relationships, which serve as a vital buffer against mental health issues. The interplay and synergy between physical, mental, and relational well-being illustrates the importance of a holistic approach to health. Challenges in one area can often lead to difficulties in others; for example, mental health issues might dampen physical activity or lead to social withdrawal. Therefore, nurturing each dimension simultaneously is essential for achieving an overall state of well-being.
Let’s also prioritise mental & relational well-being
Physical, mental and relational well-being affect each other and are equally important parameters for our overall well-being. But there is a problem. Physical health and training tends to be easier to prioritise. And is e.g. more socially acceptable to talk about. Why is that? Reasons can be that mental & relational health are more intangible to deal with than the more tangible physical. They are less normal to talk about both at home, in school and at work. They are seen as “softer values” and many “real men who don’t cry” has been taught that they seem weak, fragile or feminine if they talk about mental and relational issues. And they are associated with uncomfortable feelings of shame, like e.g. if we were to admit to others that we feel lonely. Mental & relational health is also stigmatised with negative or limited stereotypes such as mainly being about topics like trauma, severe mental illness, diagnoses and therapy. When they are in fact about much much more than that. For perspective does our ‘Bottled pondering’ cabinets contain several hundred topics related to mental & relational well-being. We need to change this problem with them being stigmatised and under-prioritised. And make it a normal and positive thing to also prioritise and talk about our diverse mental & relational well-being and challenges.
New possibilities - new challenges - new needs
It’s a complex thing being human. We have numerous challenges and needs in regards to both our physical, mental and relational health and well-being to consider. A constant flow of new possibilities creates new challenges and new needs. An example of this complexity is e.g. our digital devices and platforms that were designed to make peoples life easier, enhance connection and well-being. It turns out that they in various ways also contribute to people feeling more and more disconnected, lonely, anxious, physical passive, sleep deprived, stressed and depressed. New possibilities has new complex effects and consequences on our well-being that create new needs and require improved skills to navigate and solve.
Physical well-being navigation skills
Achieving and maintaining optimal physical well-being involves not only a commitment to healthy habits but also an awareness of a multitude of interrelated factors that influence one’s overall well-being. At the heart of physical well-being are the lifestyle choices we make daily with e.g. nutrition, sleep and exercise. These choices can also be complex. Examples can be navigating diet advice where the complexity arises from the overwhelming array of dietary information and diet trends that can lead to confusion of what healthy eating means. Or finding time and motivation in busy schedules for exercise. Or trying to improve sleep habits affected by digital devices, stresslevels and eating habits. The journey toward physical well-being entails a nuanced understanding of both body and mind, all while balancing a myriad of external pressures. Generally speaking, attention to physical well-being is luckily not stigmatised as mental & relational well-being can be. This does not mean physical well-being is less complex to navigate. Navigating physical well-being requires a diverse set of skills that enable us to make informed choices, maintain healthy habits, and respond appropriate to our body’s needs.
Mental & relational well-being navigation skills
A new era for mental & relational health and well-being is on the rise. Take business as an example. A non-toxic work culture used to be a “nice to have”, where today it has become a crucial business imperative for both productivity and employee retention. Both leaders and employees end up with stress and leaving jobs because of dysfunctional/toxic work cultures. Companies have realised that they need to prioritise a thriving work culture that includes navigating issues like e.g. inclusion, work/life balance, regenerative leadership and much more. Employees of today also want more than just a pay check. They also want meaningful work, a sense of purpose and to be part of a great work culture. And employees are today expected to not only produce work but to also contribute actively to a thriving positive work culture. Another example is the AI revolution happing now that will transform how we work and how we use both our IQ and EQ skills in a myriad of ways. For both employees and leaders this requires elevated mental & relational navigation skills. And the same goes for tomorrow’s employees and leaders that are currently being educated in schools. How do we improve our knowledge and navigation skills regarding mental & relational well-being? We start by prioritising awareness and conversations about them at home, at work and at school. And we begin prioritising elevation of our emotional intelligence skills by implementing these conversations and navigation skills actively in our education at school and at work.
Well-being in our private-life, work-life and school-life
One thing is that we need improved career orientated mental & relations skills, but we also need improved skills for our general well-being in our day to day life at home, at work and at school. The problem again is that many people don’t prioritise talking about mental & relational well-being in either schools, at home or at work. It has the negative stereotyped stigmatisation and we have not been used to talking about them or educated on how to prioritise and navigate them. An example could be with relationships. We are told that close nurturing relationships are essential for our well-being. But why are we pretty much left to our own devices to figure out how to navigate having healthy relationships or handle conflicts? Why don’t we e.g. learn about this essential practice in school? Or why don’t we learn in school about healthy coping mechanisms in regards to common human challenges like change, dysfunctional group behaviour, loneliness, anxiety or grief? Or why do we for that matter learn so little in school about physical longevity strategies? And why are there e.g. in terms of commercial training options so few mental & relational options available compared to physical ones? Because mental & relational well-being is not being prioritised as much. And that needs to change. And how do we concretely do that? A place to start is to make the complex terms and topics related to mental & relational well-being more tangible, more accessible/relatable, less stigmatised, more socially acceptable and maybe even fun/desirable to talk about. This is why we created our pondering products like ‘Boxed, Bottled and Capsuled ponderings’.
The intangible made tangible
Our ‘Bottled pondering’ is a collection of physical vials that embody various challenges and needs of modern living on both personal and relational levels. The unique thing about the ‘Bottled pondering’ vials is that they are both three-dimensional physical products and at the same time they become a universal visual language of their own. They manage to address both lighthearted as well as deep and complex matters. And due to their small size they can communicate much and complex information in a small-scale way. We have chosen the medical vials as vessels as they have a built-in iconic visual reference of addressing/solving issues. This combined with the carefully designed labels and texts have enabled them to make ‘the intangible tangible’ and spark reflection and deeper conversations on various personal and relational issues. A balanced subtle humour is integrated in the bottle’s communication that serves as an ice breaker and makes the messages more accessible and relatable. And their iconic design has enabled us to successfully cross cultural boundaries worldwide.
Art piece & process tool
‘Bottled pondering’ is a unique mixture between a sculptural art piece and a process tool within the term behavioural design. The term ‘behavioural design’ consists of actions designed to influence peoples behaviour in a desired direction. We are all affected by behavioural design numerous times a day, both consciously and unconsciously. It could for example be branding and nudging designed to make us buy stuff. Or algorithms on social media designed to make us scroll more. Or it could be something as simple as guidelines on roads to make us stay in our car lane or keep a certain distance/speed. Our ‘Bottled, Boxed and Capsuled pondering’ products are behavioural design products designed to increase well-being through affecting peoples behaviour by creating awareness, reflection, conversation. But can our ‘Pondering products’ not be seen as ‘art pieces’? Yes they can. As physical sculptural objects they are in this interesting grey zone of being ‘art’ and ‘design’. When they hangs on a wall one could call it an art piece. But when for example coaches and therapist use the bottles as process tools in their work with clients the ‘behavioural design’ aspect becomes more evident. Its ability to make the intangible tangible, to communicate much and complex information in a small-scale way and to combine seriousness with subtle playfulness has turned out to be a great success in various ways. Our ‘Bottled pondering’ displays and cabinets with room for up to 312 different bottles can be used in private homes as sculptural art/conversation pieces. And they can be used by coaches, companies, organizations and schools as combined artworks and process tools for various development purposes.
Museum worthy
We have been very fortunate to be invited to display our ‘Bottled pondering’ cabinets at stunning art and design museums where we reach a large and diverse audience from all walks of life. And since one of our goals is to spark reflection and conversations about prioritising both physical, mental & relational well-being at both home, at work and at schools, this is a match made in heaven for us. As people come to view our products at the museums in both their leisure time, on work excursions and on school excursions we are able to spark reflection and deeper conversations and connection within both families, friend groups, companies and school classes.
Awareness, reflection & action
The steps to improve ones well-being as we see it is: awareness, reflection/conversation, selecting the right tools and then action. ‘Bottled pondering’ is designed to create awareness, reflection and conversation. And from there inspire people to (if needed) choose their various non-professional or professional transformation tools required to take the necessary actions.