Today we are going to talk about how to become a happier and more optimistic person. And positive psychology will help us.
What is positive psychology? Positive psychology is a relatively new branch of psychology that studies not problems, but what makes our lives more meaningful and joyful.
One of the founders of positive psychology is Martin Seligman.
He developed 14 exercises that, when practiced, can help you become more optimistic and grateful:
- Keep a gratitude journal. Take 5-10 minutes each day to write down 3-5 things, events, or people for which you are grateful. Focusing on the little things will help you notice the positivity around you.
- Focus on strengths. Make a list of your strengths – talents, skills, character traits. Choose 3-5 of them and think daily about how you can maximize them.
- Positive visualization of your desired future. Spend 5-10 minutes a day mentally visualizing what you want to accomplish in a month, a year, 5 years. Try to visualize in as much detail as possible.
- Remember positive moments from the past. Returning your thoughts regularly to happy memories will help increase optimism and gratitude.
- Acts of kindness. Perform several acts of kindness daily for those around you, even the smallest ones. This increases positive emotions in yourself and others.
- Focus on the positive in difficult situations. When faced with problems, find the positive in them, which will help you overcome them more quickly.
- Thank loved ones for their support. Regularly thank family, friends, and colleagues for their help, attention, and care.
- Forgiveness of offenses. Mentally let go of negative emotions towards those who have offended you, this will allow you to release anger.
- Develop optimism. Track your pessimistic automatic thoughts and replace them with more positive, realistic ones.
- . Awareness and Presence. Try to focus as much as possible on the present moment without thinking about the past or future.
- . Spiritual practices. Take time to meditate, pray, visit the temple – it will help you find mental balance.
- . Express gratitude in word and deed. Say “thank you” more often to loved ones for caring and performing acts of gratitude.
- . Live an active lifestyle and participate in meaningful events. Exercise more and participate in activities that are important to you.
- . Self-examination of thoughts and feelings. Take regular time for reflection, it will help you understand yourself better.
Try incorporating these simple exercises into your life and you will soon notice how you become a happier and more grateful person!
Additional exercises to increase positive emotions
In addition to the exercises in Martin Seligman’s book, I suggest you incorporate a few other helpful practices into your life to increase your happiness:
- Being grateful for your health and opportunities (5 minutes in the morning).
- Socializing with positive people (at least 30 minutes a day).
- Physical exercise-yoga, running, fitness, or dancing (30-60 minutes a day).
- Eating meals without the distraction of gadgets.
- Incorporating beauty – music, flowers, creativity.
- Set and achieve small goals.
- Be in nature at least 2 hours a week.
- Getting regular, adequate sleep (7-8 hours).
- Self-improvement – reading, studying (30 minutes a day).
These practices can really help you develop a more optimistic outlook on life and learn to appreciate every moment of it.
I wish you joy, positivity and prosperity! Share your experiences with these practices in the comments. Until new inspiring encounters!