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A Simple Exercise to Increase Well-Being and Lower Depression from Martin Seligman

A Simple Exercise to Increase Well-Being and Lower Depression from Martin Seligman
by Maria Popova You’ll need pen, paper, and a silencer for cynicism. “When [a man] has fair health, a fair fortune, a tidy conscience and a complete exemption from embarrassing relatives,” Henry James wrote in his diary, “I suppose he is bound, in delicacy, to write himself happy.” More than a mere philosophical contemplation, however, James’s observation presages the findings of modern psychology in the quest to reverse-engineer the art-science of happiness. No one has addressed the eternal question of what begets happiness with more rigor and empirical dedication than Dr. Close your eyes. This somewhat self-consciousness-inducing exercise, Seligman promises, will make you happier and less depressed a mere month from now. We think too much about what goes wrong and not enough about what goes right in our lives. He then offers his empirically tested antidote: Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Donating = Loving Share on Tumblr Related:  Positive Psychology

Positive Psychotherapy: 5 Exercises and Tools for Counsellors and Therapists Positive psychotherapy: the term almost seems self-contradictory. The word “psychotherapy” often evokes images of nerve-wracked patients reclining on couches, a stern therapist with furrowed brows and a notepad, and a deep uneasiness linked to the identification and analysis of every childhood trauma you have suffered, whether you remembered it before the session or not. Of course, this is an outdated and largely inaccurate idea of psychotherapy, although it still may seem counterintuitive to combine positive psychology with psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is typically reserved for those with moderate to severe behavioral, emotional, or personality issues, not people who are normally happy and healthy but struggle with occasional stress. How can this type of therapy, which deals with such serious and difficult subject matter, possibly be considered “positive”? The Positive Psychology Toolkit Become a Science-Based Practitioner! What is Positive Psychotherapy? Positive Effects Gratitude Journal

Do Happiness Interventions Really Work? Do you long to be happier? From the science of happiness to self-help books there seems to be no-end of suggestions of how to be happier. But does any of it really work long-term? It was my childhood dream to grow up and finally be happy. Don’t get me wrong there were many moments of real joy, contentment and gratitude on my journey. So is it really possible to be happier? “It’s easy to believe that you’re either born with happiness or not, or life has dealt you happy circumstances or not,” explained Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky, from the University of California and author of the best-selling The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness when I interviewed her recently. Whilst skeptics have long argued that people’s happiness levels are genetically determined and cannot be substantively changed, a 17 year longitudinal study found that 24 per cent of participants showed substantive changes in their happiness over time. Feeling happier has been found to have many advantages.

6 Exercises for Positive Emotions: Start Your Upward Spiral Today Home » Positive Emotions » 6 Exercises for Positive Emotions: Start Your Upward Spiral Today Over the past few years, many researchers have found new and scientifically proven ways to increase positive emotions and well-being. From Martin Seligman to Barbera Fredrickson, from Jon Kabat-Zinn to Amy Cuddy. All of them have discovered and shared a number of different practices to help increase the level of positivity you can experience in your life. The six techniques described below have all been shown to boost positive emotions, albeit with a certain amount of commitment and practice. Depending on your preferences, you might find some techniques suit you more than others but let us introduce six exercises. 1. This classic gratitude exercise is recommended by Seligman (2011) in his book “Flourish”. This exercise has been shown to improve symptoms of depression over a timeframe of a few months, but really all of us can benefit from reflecting on what went well each day. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions (+PDF) The broaden-and build-theory could be defined as a model for explaining the mechanisms behind positive emotions in our minds and bodies, what their effects are, what the evolutionary reason is behind them and why studying them is so important for our well-being. Studying emotions has always been a challenge. There are different points of view as to what is considered an emotion. Barbara Fredrickson refers to them as “multicomponent response tendencies that unfold over relatively short time spans”. Models based on this perspective have usually studied emotions like fear, anger, disgust (i.e. negative emotions), leaving the whole array of positive emotions unattended. Why? They are few and less differentiated than negative emotions. Download The Wheel of Life (PDF) For Free Learn How To Accurately Assess Your (Client's) Life Satisfaction in All Life Domains Yes, please send me the Wheel of Life Positive emotions Fredrickson, in her 1998 article, started to look into some positive emotions.

Five Things Positive Psychology Wants You To Know The virtues of actively cultivating the components of positive thinking were extolled, the widespread benefits of engaging one’s strengths toward something larger and more meaningful than the self were highlighted, and the ways in which a positive bend actually combats several symptoms of distress were pinpointed. So the 2016 Canadian Positive Psychology Conference began. And while positive psychology has often been described as simply “happyology”, when Martin Seligman – widely recognized as the father of positive psychology – was elected president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, his aim was not just to make the world happier. Instead, Seligman wanted to shift to the traditional focus of psychology – one that had been defined by studying, diagnosing, and treating what is wrong with a person. Positivity is not an absolute. Being present isn’t just about being present. Positivity is contagious. Growth consists of both positive and negative. Photo by Moyan_Brenn

Positive Psychology Examples: 5 Ways to Put it Into Practice “The aim of Positive Psychology is to catalyze a change in Psychology from a preoccupation only with repairing the worst things in life to also building the best qualities in life.” – Martin Seligman Positive Psychology is first and foremost psychology, but its focus is the scientific study of positive experiences, states and traits. It was born out of the awareness that the focus on the dysfunctional and pathological needed to be complemented by the understanding of the conditions that lead to optimal functioning. This scientific understanding is translated into multiple exercises and interventions aimed to increase life satisfaction, well-being, positive emotions or other desirable states, of individuals, organizations and societies. “Once you start making the effort to “wake yourself up” – that is, be more mindful in your activities – you suddenly start appreciating life a lot more.”– Robert Biswas-Diener 5 Examples of Positive Psychology Interventions: 1. To customize you can adjust:

19 Best Positive Psychology Interventions + How to Apply Them Last Updated on February 20, 2019 Photo from rudamese via Pixabay For many years, the prime focus of psychology was to diagnose and treat people with mental health problems and psychopathological issues. In 1998, pioneers Dr. Positive psychology is uniquely solution-focused. Positive psychology works by improving on what is already there and extends its help by cultivating inner strengths. “Positive psychology is the study of conditions and processes that contribute to flourishing or optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions.” The strategies and skills included in positive psychology interventions guide us through a visionary change to look into the same things with a different perspective. It helps us look at life with optimism.It allows us to appreciate the present.Positive psychology lets us accept and make peace with the past.It helps us to be more grateful and forgiving.It helps us to look beyond the momentary pleasures and pains of life. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What is CSV?

4 Positive Psychology Exercises To Do With Clients or Students Last Updated on February 27, 2019 Image via Shutterstock Positive Psychology is a scientific field whose knowledge then translates into multiple different exercises, activities, techniques, coaching tools, and interventions that can be used with coaching clients, at work in group settings, by students, employees and anyone who wants more satisfaction and well-being in their professional and personal life. We also made a video with 2 brand new Positive Psychology exercises so that you can experience some of these tools first hand. A Letter of Self-compassion Have you ever heard of self-compassion? Self-kindness: “… that we are gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental.”A sense of common humanity: “… feeling connected with others in the experience of life rather than feeling isolated and alienated by our suffering.”Mindfulness: “… that we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating it.” Goal Advice Author 1.

19 Positive Psychology Exercises To Do With Clients or Students Humans are hardwired to pay attention to negative experiences. We have a propensity to attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information. As such, many clients are unaware of what influences the happiness in their life from one day to the next. At the heart of positive psychology lies the belief that people can lead happier, more meaningful, and fulfilling lives by moving their focus away from the negative towards a more balanced perspective. The wealth of research-based exercises available ensures that practitioners have a unique opportunity to help clients experience more pleasure, meaning, and fulfillment. Many positive psychology exercises are considered classics – and for good reason. The following exercises can be incorporated into several therapeutic settings to help your clients experience the fundamental pillars of positive psychology: the good life, the pleasant life, and the meaningful life. Exercise 1: Self-Care Vision Board

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