Positive Psychology

Tips to improve your mood

Conventional psychology treats mental health problems like depression, anxiety and disorders of thought.  Usually, you start by figuring out the source of your distress or dysfunction and then do a lot of work to process and reduce the effects.

Positive psychology takes a different approach.  You focus on strengths and good things in your life to optimize how you feel and promote more positive thinking and confidence.  Essentially you ‘build what’s strong’ instead of ‘fixing what’s wrong’.

For many people, this approach is more helpful.   Often, psychological symptoms will improve more quickly.

Okay, critics argue that you are not developing coping strategies or becoming more resilient by shifting your focus away from your stressors, but if you feel better and more optimistic, perhaps you could tackle those stressors with less difficulty.

girl-204327_1920

Here are 4 practical strategies used in Positive Psychology that you can use to feel happier and more enthusiastic for life:

  • 3 Good things: At the end of each day, write down 3 good things that happened to you.  This exercise makes you reflect on the positive things that happened in your day and promotes gratitude.  We know that gratitude is associated with less depression, anxiety and but also longevity.
  • Share good news: If something good has happened to you (even if it’s something small), share this with people close to you.  If you spread good news and joy, it will reflect back on you.
  • ‘Satisfice’: The word ‘satisfice’ comes from ‘satisfaction’ and ‘suffice’.  Most of us seek perfection in what we do, which causes stress.  Using the principle of ‘satisfice’, you complete your tasks to a satisfactory level but not to perfection.  You will see that you can be more productive, and it will become easier to accept good (if not perfect) results.
  • Focus on strengths: Most of us are conditioned to work on our weaknesses.  If my handwriting is untidy, the natural assumption is that I should spend time and effort correcting it, but ultimately neat handwriting will not change my effectiveness in my job or life.

Focusing time and effort on strengths rather than shortcomings brings far greater reward.  If you have a natural talent and passion for something, then spend more time doing that.  It will make you happy and you will feel more accomplished because the outcome will be far more meaningful to you.