Had Enough Of Bad News? Being Positive Could Be The Answer
June 27 2009
Positive psychology began in 1998 with Martin Seligman who was interested in nurturing talent and improving normal life
It can be viewed in three ways:
1. Pleasant Life – enjoying life. Mindfulness. This looks at positive feelings and emotions that are part of normal and healthy living (e.g. relationships, hobbies, interests, entertainment, etc.).
2. Good Life – being engaged in your activities, but the feeling only exists when there is a positive match with the task you are doing, i.e. when you feel confident to be able to do the task in hand.
3. Meaningful Life – belonging and contributing to something much bigger than themselves e.g. social groups, organizations, nature, movements and traditions
So how does this translate into a person’s sense of wellbeing or happiness?
1. Pleasant life. Mindfulness is defined as actively searching for new experiences. It is characterized as non-judging, non-striving, accepting, patient, trusting, open, letting go, gentle, generous, empathetic, grateful, and kind. The physical benefits of this include reduction of stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain
2. Good Life – being engaged in activities, absorbed in your work. This is characterized by intense concentration, loss of self-awareness, a feeling of control, and a sense that time is passing very quickly. It is a rewarding experience, and can also help you achieve a goal or improve skills.
3. Meaningful life or spirituality. This can organized religions and other groups. It is characterized by marital relationships, parenting, managing abuse and coping. It has been suggested that spirituality also leads to finding purpose and meaning in life
Positive psychologists believe that positive emotions can reduce the physical effects of negative emotions on our bodies. When we experience stress, we have an increased heart rate, higher blood sugar and suppressed immunity, which can lead to illness and heart disease. Research shows that positive emotions help people who were previously under stress relax back to their normal levels
Positive emotions (happiness, interest, anticipation) broaden the mind and encourage new thoughts and actions which, over time, build skills and resources. Curiosity about a landscape could lead you to improve your environment or gain skills in navigation, talking to a stranger can become a friendship, and play is exercise and this keeps you fit.
In contrast, negative emotions lead to narrow survival-oriented behaviours. For example, the negative emotion of anxiety makes us concerned for our immediate survival
The future
Belief in your ability – belief in yourself
Self belief and optimism can help overcome any obstacle and achieve any goal, maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve the immune system. Low self belief and pessimism can result in depression and ill health
So can we learn to be optimistic? Yes is the answer to that – it is just a matter of practice. But what are the secrets? How does an optimist think?
To develop optimism, develop the following habits:
1. Failures are not personal but external
2. Failures are not permanent but are variable
3. Failures are not there in every situation but are specific and limited
An optimistic person blames their failures on external causes like the environment or other people. They believe that these causes are variable and not likely to happen again, and specific, so won’t affect success with other things they try.
What are the benefits of practicing these habits? An optimistic view to life results in better performances (academic, athletic, and work production), greater satisfaction in relationships, able to cope better, less likely to suffer from depression, and better physical health.
You are a lovely person.
With green love
Susie x
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