I have never seen a person happier than my daughter Laura is in this photo of her at the Harry Styles concert last year. She just beams. Whenever I see this photo, I just feel happy. So it got me thinking, how do we share and enhance this feeling every single day.
The science of positive psychology contributes new insights and proven strategies to increase wellbeing in individuals, workplaces and communities. After years classifying and repairing the worst of human experience, positive psychology emerged to help us flourish and learn from the best. This rich and varied field now spans many areas, building on philosophies and practices from Aristotle to Maslow.
The positive psychology movement – now two decades old – has spread rapidly across social and human sciences over the past decade or so, spearheaded by Martin Seligman in 1998. It is offering a fresh lens to address some of today’s most pressing issues.
By challenging traditional psychology which focusses largely on the negative, positive psychology aims to cultivate flourishing by understanding what is good in people and life, in order to help individuals live happy, productive, healthy and fulfilling lives.
Far from ‘happyology’, positive psychology is a rich study of what makes life worth living in all its complexity, and goes hand in hand with traditional mental health interventions. In fact, studies have shown that the effect of positive psychology interventions may last longer and produce greater wellbeing than traditional psychotherapies.
So what are some strategies that you could implement to embrace Positive Psychology in your everyday life
Positive emotion - Generating positive emotions helps broaden and build our resources and moves us toward greater wellbeing.
Positive emotions allow us to think more flexibly and creatively. We come up with more ideas and they tend to be better quality. They also make us more willing to try new strategies and reach out to others, according to Barbara Fredrickson, who developed the Broaden and Build Theory. High-energy emotions like excitement, zest and enthusiasm shift our mood and our physiology fast. Laughter is one of the quickest ways you can activate the healing effect of positive emotion. Just a few minutes of laughter a day can reduce stress and improve your heart rate, muscle activity, digestion and immune system. Like laughter, positive emotions are contagious. Maximise fun moments to feel happier and healthier. Better still, share them with others to create an upward spiral of positivity that sustains everyone. Focus on increasing the duration and intensity of your emotional peaks and shortening the duration and intensity of your lows.
Mindset - Adopting a positive attitude and Growth Mindset enhances learning and opens our mind to new ways to raise happiness levels.
The attitudes that make up our mindset aren’t as set as we think, according to Carol Dweck, a Stanford University professor who discovered the concept of Growth Mindset. People with a Fixed Mindset believe their basic qualities, like intelligence or talent, are static traits, and so don’t spend time developing them. People with a Growth Mindset see themselves as a work in progress. They believe they can nurture their abilities through dedication and hard work. Their love of learning makes them more motivated, resilient and successful. To practice Growth Mindset emphasise what you are learning each time you try something new. Focus on the progress you are making toward a goal, rather than what will happen if you don’t get there. Challenge self-limiting assumptions.
Mindfulness - Mindfulness is the opposite of mindlessness. Learning to be mindful allows us to stay present in the moment.
Ellen Langer, a mindfulness expert and early positive psychology researcher, defines mindfulness as “the process of actively noticing new things.” She believes it’s the opposite of mindlessness, drawing us into the present. “It’s the essence of engagement. It’s energy begetting, not energy-consuming.” When we approach the world with mindful awareness we can more accurately assess and respond to situations and people. By noticing and separating ourselves from old beliefs and anxieties we become more accepting of ourselves and others. A mindful state has three qualities:
• Relaxation – settling the body in its natural state.
• Stillness – avoiding movement to quiet the mind.
• Clarity – careful, focused attention on the mind itself moment by moment.
Optimism - Optimism is a tendency to expect the best possible outcomes. We can learn strategies to be more optimistic.
This is not about walking around with rose-coloured glasses on. Flexible, realistic optimism is about seeing the rocks in the road as well as a path through them. It is about the way we explain our experience, which is influenced by the way we feel and can change day to day. Think about optimism and pessimism as two ends of a spectrum. When a problem occurs, an optimistic thinker believes they are not completely at fault and circumstances may have played a part; the situation is fleeting and changeable, and the problem will not affect their whole life. At the same time, setbacks can trigger pessimistic thinking, quickly turning negative thoughts into beliefs that influence our reactions. Break the cycle by distracting yourself and focusing on something else. A physical ritual or visual reminder can help you learn an optimistic habit. For example, if you want to remember to smile more, keep a note on your bathroom mirror or buy a bracelet or something that when you see it will remind you of your commitment to your positive behaviour. Challenge negative thoughts and substitute alternative causes that are changeable, specific and impersonal. Think of all the positives in your life and remind yourself that bad things will pass.
Strengths When we use our strengths, we enjoy what we are doing, do it better, and feel we are working toward our potential.
Alex Linley defines a strength as “a pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking or feeling that is authentic and energising to the user, and enables optimal functioning, development and performance.” In other words, our strengths allow us to be our best self. Research shows that when people use their strengths they feel happier and more confident, are less stressed, more resilient, and more engaged in their self-development. Many people don’t know their strengths and are not sure how to leverage them. Linley has some great tips to get to know your strengths or spot them in others.
• Energy. What activities give you an energetic buzz?
• Authenticity. When do you feel most like the “real you”?
• Ease. What activities come naturally to you? What do you excel at, sometimes without even trying?
• Attention. Where do you focus? These activities may play to your strengths.
• Rapid learning. What have you picked up quickly, almost effortlessly?
• Motivation. What activities do you do simply for the love of doing them?
• Voice. A shift in passion, energy and engagement probably means you’re talking about a strength.
• Words and phrases. When you’re saying “I love to…” or “It’s just great when...,” a strength is likely involved.
• ‘To do’ lists. Things that never make it to your ‘to do’ list are often those you never need to be asked twice to do.
You can get an accurate understanding of your strengths by completing the Strengths Profile.
So what can you inject into your daily routine to support you enhance your positive attitude and mindset and embrace some Positive Psychology Strategies.
Want to learn more about some daily strategies you can use from Positive Psychology or perhaps complete your Strengths Profile? Get in contact with Michelle Bakjac via email at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com to enquire about counselling, coaching and training for individuals and teams to embrace Positive Psychology and enhance wellbeing.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ Plus accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals, teams and organisations to develop and improve performance, leadership, behaviour, resilience and wellbeing. You can find her at www.bakjacconsulting.com
