by Andrea Thrush
What is Positive Psychology?
It is normal for the human brain to focus on the negative events, which is an evolutionary part of us that helped us survive as a species. In today’s world this tendency can lead us down the road to depression and anxiety (Seligman, 2011). However, we can help our brains see more of the positive in life and focus less on the negative!
Dr. Martin Seligman is considered one of the fathers of positive psychology. Positive psychology is about increasing our well-being and flourishing (Seligman, 2011). Well-being can be measured through our positive emotions, engagement, meaning, positive relationships, and accomplishment (Seligman, 2011).
“What Went Well?” – an exercise for savoring positive events and emotions
This article focuses on increasing positive emotion, through a practice called “what went well”. Becoming aware of and enjoying positive events and experiences is a skill that can be learned with practice.
Preferably every night about ten minutes before bed, write or type about three things that went well during the day. Big, small, and anywhere in between. Then include at least one of the following for each of the three things you listed:
· Why did it happen?
· What does it mean to you?
· What did you learn from writing about it?
· How did you or others contribute to it?
Try it for just a week and build from there. The longer and more consistently you practice, the better you will feel. Doing this before bed can help with your sleep, but it can be done whenever is easiest for you.
If you would like, please share some of your entries with us on the Pacers Discussion Group page on Facebook over the next month! Disclaimer:
If you feel you might be suffering from anxiety/and or depression, please seek professional medical help.
References
Seligman, M. (2011). Flourish. Free Press.
For more information:
University of Pennsylvania’s website: Authentic Happiness https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/
University of Pennsylvania’s Coursera Class – Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization (I was able to audit this class for free in the past, but I do not know if it is still available for free). https://www.coursera.org/specializations/positivepsychology
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