Positive psychology can definitely help change ones perspective on many situations and teach them how to make the best out of negative circumstances in their life. Having a positive outlook on life is great for someone’s wellbeing because it helps reduce stress and it can also improve your health. Before taking this course, it was somewhat difficult for me to see the positive in many problems that I faced. Now that I have completed this course, I can now look back at situations in my life and manage them more appropriately. I remember lacking mindfulness as a child and I would always like to do things my way and never take another persons feelings into consideration. For example, if I wanted a new game or any materialistic item, I would usually ask my father to buy it for me. Sometimes he would say yes and sometimes he would say no because he didn’t have the money. Whenever he would say no, I would always through a big tantrum because I was very upset that I couldn’t get what I wanted and I never took his point of view into consideration. Mindfulness is paying attention to one’s own ongoing experience in a way that allows openness and flexibility. It’s also being fully present and aware during our daily activities. When people are mindful they are open to new experiences and points of view, able to create new categories for information processing, and they pay attention to life process of their own lived experience as well as the outcomes or goal attainment. Mindfulness was something that I lacked in the past but now I consider myself to be very mindful; I always take peoples feelings into consideration when making a decision and I am also now very open and flexible. One situation that was originally hard for me to deal with w... ... middle of paper ... ...y emotion. You cant live life in the “what if’s”; hope gives us courage and faith—the ability to dream and see true happiness. All of the theories/concepts discussed in this paper have helped to change the course of my life in a very positive way. Being mindful has taught me to be more open to new experiences and points of view; being religious helped me cope with many negative situations in my life; using Fredrickson’s undoing hypothesis taught me how to think positive in negative situations; having flow taught me how to be more focused; having time affluence taught me how to value the more important things in life over money; and having hope keeps my spirit up and prevents me from giving up on my goals. All these concepts/theories are very important towards positive living and they have definitely helped me deal with many situations in a more positive manner.
Throughout this book, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about one being mindful. Anyone would define this term, being mindful means to acknowledge what you are doing, why you are doing it and so forth. Alternatively, mindfulness is also an agent of healing, just like The Holy Spirit, also being an agent of healing. It means to be understanding at a new level for yourself, to see from a new perspective and listen more deeply than you had previously. Mindfulness is not just knowing what you are doing and not being ignorant of something that is going on in the world, or not helping others when they are in need. As Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, the concept of being happy to be alive, and being thankful for the world we live on, and being thankful to God by taking care of ourselves is a way of being “mindful.” Being mindful is something that I can relate with my religion and co-relate to. As a Catholic, I already can perceive the Holy Spirit as a healing agent. I can apply being mindful in my life by, praying for the help of the Holy Spirit to help me, when I am in need of help or wisdom. Among other things, like taking care of others and myself both physically and spiritually. I can also take this concept in my faith by praising God, and thanking him for all that I have in my life.
Mindfulness is a concept or practice that was founded nearly 2600 years ago. It is a very integral component of the Buddhist faith and is believed to be associated with many benefits including self-control, tolerance, flexibility, objectivity, concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and equanimity.
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
This video has found many impacts of this type of psychology. They said that the outcomes of positive psychology include the rise of intelligence, creativity, and energy level. But not only that, people with this advantage have better secure jobs, better productivity, less burnout, more sales, greater resilience, and many more. Many people value these types of impacts. So much that they will do anything to reach them. But they are doing in the wrong way because like the video said, people try to be more successful to be happier.
Mindfulness involves accepting our thoughts and emotions without judgment, and without believing that there is a right or wrong way to feel in a given situation. Our thoughts and emotions are not labeled as good or bad. They are observed as simply happening until they pass. While practicing mindfulness one does not rehash the past or imagine the future. Attention is focused on what is being sensed in the present moment. There is a sense of self apart from things. Mindfulness is moment to moment awareness and purposefully placing attention on things that we wouldn’t normally give a second thought to. Mindfulness can be thought of as a way of being, rather than an activity. It is the awareness of wondering thoughts and purposefully directing them back, rather than letting them
Training our thoughts can be the most relevant step in reaching true happiness. Meditation seems to be a great way to stay in touch with our thoughts and to practice mind training. Being aware of our positive and negative thoughts and truly paying attention to how we perceive life events can make a difference in our daily lives. Susan David, Instructor in Psychology at Harvard University, Ilona Boniwell, one of the European leaders in positive psychology and Amanda Ayers, writer, mention the importance of positive emotions in the book “The Oxford Book of Happiness”. The authors state “Specifically, positive emotions have been shown to broaden and expand our attention, fueling novel approaches to thought and action. Over time, positive emotions “add up” leading to the long-term build effect on consequential personal resources.” (David et al. 58). It takes practice, however, it is something that can be done little by little, day by day. Being aware of your own thoughts means realizing that negative thoughts do exist, but with mind training, positive thinking should take over our minds, not leaving space for anything else but positivity. Furthermore, when one achieves a positive mind state and practices mind transformation, one becomes aware of one’s inner emotions, thus, being able to control and perceive new information in a different light. Matthieu Ricard argues in his TED Talk that there is research demonstrating the power of meditation and how it positively affects parts of our brains. The author also emphasizes that mind training is not unimportant, it is actually beneficial to our lives, playing a major role in the quality of living
Another institutional area positive psychology is being utilized is in schools. Teachers and schools are uniquely placed to make a positive difference to mental health at the community level. If we can teach kids life-long skills to build wellbeing, we are nurturing a generation better equipped to avoid the mental health issue so prevalent today. By applying a positive lens to their education, through a range of tools and approaches based on the science of positive psychology, they will be more likely to develop a growth mindset that sustains lifelong learning. In the article Positive Psychology at School: A School-Based Intervention to Promote Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being by Anat Shoshani and Sarit Steinmetz (2013) conducted a
In the United States 20% of the adult population report that they are living a flourishing life (Keyes, 2002). However, a high percentage reports feeling as if they are ‘‘stuck’’ or ‘‘want more’’ and are yet not diagnosable with a mental disorder (Fredrickson, 2008). Because happiness has been found to be the source of many desirable life outcomes e.g. career success, marriage, and health, it is of importance to understand, how languishing individuals can reach this ideal state: How can well-being be enhanced and misery reduced (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). Over the past decade, research in the field of positive psychology has emerged to provide evidence-based methods to increase an individual’s psychological well-being, through so called positive psychology interventions (PPI’s). PPI’s are treatment methods or intentional activities used to promote positive feelings or behaviour. PPI’s vary from writing gratitude letters, practicing optimistic thinking and replaying positive experiences. A meta-analysis of 51 independent PPI studies demonstrated significant results in the effectiveness of PPI’s increasing well-being (49 studies; r = .29) (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).
What is mindfulness and how is it that it is believed to better a classroom? Mindfulness, a state of being conscious or aware of something, is sweeping the nation as a way to stay calm, collective, and aware of yourself in the moment. It has started to reach schools across the nation as an alternative to detentions, or even to just a way to relax before or after the school day.
Mindfulness is a meditation treatment for people with psychological diseases. This newfound discovery is described by Berkeley Med in the article, Mindfulness Meditation helps to control emotions by Yvette Braizer as, a process in which one, “maintains a moment by moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings…surrounding environment.”(Braizer)
Positive Psychology is a field of psychology which began in the late 1990s that is described by its emphasis on positive emotions such as pleasure, tranquility, confidence, pride, motivation, wonder, appreciation, interest, enjoyment, and love. Positivity by Barbara L. Fredrickson is a self-help book built on thorough research of Positive Psychology. This book was very influential and allows one to do self-assessment. It holds various concepts which deeply refer to positivity vs. negativity.
It involves not judging, reflecting, or rational. It can be as modest as being conscious of each breath as it is interchanged by the next. Mindfulness started in Buddhist
The story of Martin Seligman, the creator of positive psychology, and his rose garden has become somewhat of a folk legend in the discipline of positive psychology. By his own account, positive psychology started as an epiphany he experienced while tending to his rose garden. His daughter, who was five years old at the time, had been trying to get his attention. Seligman turned to her and snapped. Unhappy with the response, his daughter asked him if he remembered how she used to whine a lot when she was younger. He told her that he did remember. His daughter then told him that if she could stop whining, he could stop being a grouch. This revelation of focusing on what was right, instead of focusing on what was wrong, is what
There are many ways people can increase their happiness and well-being. One way to maximize individuals and community happiness and well-being is by practicing the concepts of positive psychology. Positive psychology is the study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning. Positive psychology focuses on understanding human strengths and virtues as well as helping people to live happier and more productive lives. Martin Seligman is a psychologist and author who designed the PERMA model with five core elements for positive psychology. The PERMA model can be applied to individual lives, societies, and corporations
Your mind is the most powerful thing about yourself. How you choose to think is the way you will be, your thoughts control everything. Personally, I believe one of the best mental strategies to have is positivity. It is something not everyone knows how to practice, or something some people try to practice but can’t always be. If you believe you can do something, you can. Your positivity will lead to your success in life.