Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the study of human strengths, self-satisfaction and contentment. Positive psychologists focus on understanding what it means to lead a satisfied, fulfilled life rather than simply diagnosing what goes wrong in someone’s mind.

In this article, you will learn how positive psychology principles can be used to live a more content life by:

• identifying your authentic self,
• developing gratitude, and
• finding ways to express your creativity.

 

Identify your authentic self

One of the greatest challenges people face is finding a way to express their authentic selves. But what does it mean to be authentic?

What does it mean to be authentic?

You have a certain personality — a certain set of gifts, interests, and desires. Being authentic means expressing this true self in your life.

What are possible barriers to being authentic?

There are many possible barriers to being your authentic self, but an important one is feeling that you have to be perfect. Perfectionism is when you expect (and maybe even demand) perfection from yourself, no matter what the situation.

Perfectionism can be paralysing, because nothing you ever do will be good enough to satisfy the perfectionist inside you. If you want to find your authentic self, you need to let go of perfectionism and embrace the real you.

Develop a habit of gratitude

Being grateful is good for your physical and mental health. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can help you cultivate an optimistic outlook on life and improve your overall well-being.

How can you develop a habit of gratitude?

In one study, people who kept a gratitude journal reported feeling happier and less depressed than people who kept a journal about daily hassles.

Researchers don’t know exactly why gratitude is so beneficial. But we do know that gratitude has three major benefits for your contentment and well-being:

1. Gratitude helps you appreciate what you have.
2. Gratitude makes you less materialistic. Research shows that gratitude makes you less likely to want expensive possessions.
3. Gratitude strengthens your relationships. When you appreciate what other people do for you, they’ll likely feel more appreciated, connected to you, and invested in your relationship.

 

Find ways to express your creativity

Creativity is one of the best ways to express yourself and develop a fulfilling life. You can be creative in any way you like — writing, painting, playing music, dancing, gardening, cooking, whatever.

Creativity is important for many reasons, including the fact that it can help you:

• deal with stress,
• boost your mood, and
• feel more connected to yourself.

Creativity has even been shown to help people recover from serious illness. There are many different ways to be creative. And there’s no one right way to do it. You can get creative by finding new ways to use your existing skills or by trying something new.

 

Create rituals that put you in a good mood

Some of the most contented people in the world are those who have incorporated rituals into their daily lives. Rituals are regular activities that help you mark important events and make you feel more connected to your everyday life. Because they’re regular, you don’t have to think about them — they just happen. This means you can use rituals to reinforce all the positive aspects of your life.

You probably already have some rituals in your life. Rituals could be as simple as eating dinner with your family every night, watching a sports team every weekend, or reading a certain book on vacation.

 

What can you do – right now – to create positive, daily rituals

To start creating and incorporating rituals in your daily life you should:-

• Identify your interests. What do you enjoy doing?
• Choose one interest and decide what you can do to pursue it. How can you enjoy that interest?
• Start doing that interest.
• Notice what you are doing. Notice its effects on you, no matter how small.
• Remind yourself that it is the doing and the enjoying that are important, not the perfecting. Perfection is not the aim.
• Keep on doing it, regularly. Get into a routine.

 

Summing up

Being contented and satisfied is living a varied, rich, and fulfilling life. It is attainable by everyone, but it takes effort to get there. Fortunately, positive psychology has many insights into what makes people happy, and you can apply them to your life to start feeling better, both inside and out.

If you identify your authentic self, develop a habit of gratitude, find ways to express your creativity, and create rituals that put you in a good mood, you will be well on your way to a happier life. Now it’s time to put these insights into practice. We can help you.