Making the Most of 2024 with Positive Psychology
Feb 29, 2024 09:31AM ● By Kim ChildsIt seems the changes that began with the pandemic keep coming as we
move into the spring of a year filled with its own changes and
challenges. No matter what is happening around us, we can work to
cultivate internal states that optimize our chances for achieving
greater peace, resilience, happiness and success in life. Positive
psychology, the so-called “science of happiness” that was established in
the late 90s by Martin Seligman, Sonja Lyubormirski, Barbara
Frederickson and others, offers research-based practices and concepts to
move past surviving and actually thrive in life. Many focus on using
what’s known as Appreciative Inquiry to shine a light on what is strong
in us and our lives, even when other things feel lacking, uncertain, or
difficult.
Look for the Good
At
night, asking “What went well today, and why?” involves recalling three
positive events from the day and identifying how our own choices,
actions, and perhaps other conditions created those outcomes, aiming to
repeat what works.
In the morning or evening,
identifying three things we’re grateful for helps to flip the internal
script from complaining to appreciating. Adding “Why?” and keeping the
list fresh embeds the attitude of gratitude, according to researcher
Robert Emmons.
Begin the day by asking
“What am I looking forward to today? How do I want to feel in that
experience, and how can I support that outcome?” to practice what
Seligman calls prospection. While we can’t guarantee things will go as
desired, this exercise primes us for good by rehearsing that outcome and
identifying ways to bring it about.
While
it’s human nature to entertain worst-case scenarios when worried,
choosing to then imagine the best-case scenario and desired solutions to
problems broadens our perspective and taps into our imagination and
creativity, leading to more effective actions.
Hardships and loss are built into life and, while not everything
seemingly happens for the best, the practice of benefit finding helps
people make the best of challenges by looking for the growth, gains,
lessons and gifts in them. This is after we’ve let our natural emotions
flow.
Appreciate Strengths and Acknowledge Imperfections
The
free strengths assessment offered by the field of positive psychology
is found at the VIA Institute on Character (ViaCharacter.org). Once we
know our top strengths, we can honor and implement them in our work and
life for the greatest personal fulfillment and satisfaction. Asking each
day “How can I use one of my strengths to make this day better?”
directs us to our internal resources, especially when facing a problem.
Understanding
that we are imperfectly human works in progress—here to learn and
evolve in this lifetime—can help to cultivate self-compassion. This
motivates us to improve, notes researchers like Kristin Neff.
Self-criticism and shame can keep people stuck.
Julia
Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher
Creativity, advocates so-called Artist Dates for anyone seeking to live a
more self-directed, colorful life. They can be as simple as a visit to
the ocean and as grand as a night at the opera, and many things in
between. The idea is to pick something that sounds delightful or
intriguing, go alone to have a mostly personal experience, and soak up
the fun or fascination.