Happiness … is living well every day.
Happiness … is thriving and flourishing, through daily practices.
Happiness … is something YOU can enjoy more of when you integrate these 6 strategies into your daily life:
via PsychCentral by Sharon Martin
Are you feeling discouraged about your health, your job, or the political climate in our country?
Are you worried about a loved one who is struggling?
Do you feel stuck in a toxic or unfulfilling relationship?
Are you lonely or wondering if you’ll ever find the one?
You’re certainly not alone in feeling down and discouraged. Problems – our own and those in the world around us — have a way of casting a dark cloud over our entire lives. You may find yourself plagued with negative thoughts, self-criticism, and expecting the worst.
Most people would like to be happier, or at least more content and relaxed. Positive psychology strives to help us understand how to be happier, more optimistic, and resilient. So, whether you have clinical depression or you’re down about a recent setback, positive psychology can be applied to your everyday life to improve your mood and wellbeing.
What is positive psychology?
Positive psychology is a newer branch of psychology that studies happiness and how our lives can be more fulfilling. Positive psychology helps us recognize and use our strengths and notice more of our positive emotions and experiences. Many positive psychology strategies have the added benefit of being quite simple and accessible.
These tips or strategies aren’t intended to solve all your problems or cure depression. I hope they’re simply a reminder of the little things we can do for ourselves to create more positive energy and emotional well being.
Ways to use positive psychology in your everyday life
1) Gratitude. Gratitude is one of the most popular positive psychology approaches– and for good reasons. According to Happify, people who practice gratitude regularly “experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.” We’re all familiar with keeping a gratitude journal or a daily practice of recording several things we’re thankful for. But there are plenty of other ways to experience the positive effects of gratitude. Here are just a few other ideas:
- Snap pictures of things you’re grateful for and take a few minutes daily to look through your virtual photo gratitude journal
- Prayer
- Volunteer or giving back to your community
- Write a thank you note
- Spend time in nature and appreciating its wonder and beauty
- Share the best part of your day around the dinner table
- Call a friend and let them know you’re thinking of them
- Write something positive about your family and post it on the refrigerator
- Bring coffee and bagels for your coworkers or employees
- When you look in the mirror, instead of focusing on your flaws, say thank you to your body for all it does (“Thank you legs for carrying me all around town.”)
2) Humor. There’s a reason that videos of laughing babies and goats in pajamas are so popular — they make us feel better by quickly shifting our focus onto something fun, hopeful, and uplifting. We all know from experience that laughter is good medicine! And research confirms that laughter reduces physical pain, improves mood, counteracts stress, and increases resiliency. So, there’s no need to feel guilty — watching those goats in pajamas is probably time well spent…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE
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