The Practice of Positive Psychology

Do you ever find it easier to critique yourself rather than give yourself a compliment?

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Positive psychology is the study of human strengths and virtues. It focuses on what makes people thrive. Martin Seligman believes that there should be more

There are many potential benefits of practicing positive psychology including an increase in self-esteem, improved relationships, and a greater outlook on life. Research in the realm of positive psychology has found that gratitude, social connection, and kindness are all important to living our best lives.

Here are three positive psychology techniques to practice and how you can benefit from them:

· Positive Traits Exercise

This is the practice of thinking about and identifying positive characteristics about oneself. Perhaps we are kind, intelligent, and or creative. How often do we think about ourselves like this? Taking the time to do so can serve as a reminder that we are valuable and have many strengths.

· Gratitude Journal

How often do we reflect on our days and think about what we did wrong? What if we chose to place more focus on what we did well? Taking a few minutes at the end of our day to write down our experiences that we felt went better can get us used to thinking more positively about ourselves and others.

· Acts of Kindness

Performing acts of kindness for others has been shown to promote happiness. The feeling of helping others can allow us to feel better about ourselves. Additionally, we can direct kindness toward ourselves, often referred to as self-compassion. Think about how you might treat a good friend who needs support. Now apply those same responses to yourself. Treat yourself as a good friend.

Things to remember

• Positive psychology emphasizes happiness, well-being, and the strengths we have.

• The practice of positive psychology can improve our sense of self-worth through a development of optimism toward life.

• This review demonstrates that positive psychology can lead to increased motivation, happiness, and enhanced relationships.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-therapy-journey/202205/the-practice-positive-psychology

Can you take a minute to do self-projection and identify some of your many positive traits in the comments?

#Positivity #Well-being #Thrive #Therapy