Tag: positeve thinking

Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is one of the newest branches of psychology to emerge. This particular area of psychology focuses on how to help human beings prosper and lead healthy, happy lives. While many other branches of psychology tend to focus on dysfunction and abnormal behaviour, positive psychology is centered on helping people become happier. Positive psychology is designed to “complement and extend the problem-focused psychology that has been dominant for decades,” explained the late Christopher Peterson, author of “A Primer in Positive Psychology” and professor at the University of Michigan, in a 2008 article published in Psychology Today. “Positive psychology is…a call for psychological science and practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology,” Peterson wrote.

According to leading authorities in the field, Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, positive psychology will help achieve “scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families, and communities.” In order to understand the field of positive psychology, it is essential to start by learning more about its major theories, applications, and history.

History of Positive Psychology

“Before World War II, psychology had three distinct missions: curing mental illness, making the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling, and identifying and nurturing high talent,” wrote Seligman and Mihaly Csikszenmihalyi in 2000. Shortly after WWII, the primary focus of psychology shifted to the first priority: treating abnormal behavior and mental illness. In the 1950s, humanist thinkers like Carl Rogers, Erich Formm and Abraham Maslow helped renew interest in the other two areas by developing theories that focused on happiness and the positive aspects of human nature.

General interest in positive psychology has grown tremendously since the concept was introduced. Today, more and more people are searching for information on how they can become more fulfilled and achieve their full potential.

Uses

Positive psychology can have a range of real-world applications in areas including eduction, therapy, self-help, stress management, and workplace issues. Some of the major topics of interest in positive psychology include: Character strengths and virtues, Flow, Gratifications, Gratitude, Happiness, Pleasure, Helplessness, Hope, Mindfulness, Optimism, Positive thinking, Resilience .

Impact of Positive Psychology

Some of the major findings of positive psychology include: Money doesn’t necessarily buy well-being, but spending money on other people can make individuals happier, People are generally happy, Some of the best ways to combat disappointments and setbacks include strong social relationships and character strengths, While happiness is influenced by genetics, people can learn to be happier by developing optimism, gratitude, and altruism, Work can be important to well-being, especially when people are able to engage in work that is purposeful and meaningful.

Potential Pitfalls

Positive psychology is often confused with positive thinking, and misconstrued as self-help tactics rather than research-backed theories. Positive thinking is a way of thinking ourselves into better behavior and greater resilience, rather than behaving our way into a different frame of mind. Positive psychology, on the other hand, is the scientific study of what makes people thrive. It focuses on behaviors that can lead to a more optimized frame of mind as well as on thought patterns that lead to more functional behaviors.

Benefits of Thinking Positively

[Bhoomika Saini]

Positive thinking isn’t magic and it won’t make all of your problems disappear. What it will do is make problems seem more manageable and help you approach hardships in a more positive and productive way.

How to think positive thoughts

Positive thinking can be achieved through a few different techniques that have been proven effective, such as positive self-talk and positive imagery.

Here are some tips that to get you started that can help you train your brain how to think positively.

Focus on the good things

Challenging situations and obstacles are a part of life. When you’re faced with one, focus on the good things no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they seem. If you look for it, you can always find the proverbial silver lining in every cloud — even if it’s not immediately obvious. For example, if someone cancels plans, focus on how it frees up time for you to catch up on a TV show or other activity you enjoy.

Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude has been shown to reduce stress, improve self-esteem, and foster resilience even in very difficult times. Think of people, moments, or things that bring you some kind of comfort or happiness and try to express your gratitude at least once a day. This can be thanking a co-worker for helping with a project, a loved one for washing the dishes, or your dog for the unconditional love they give you.

Keep a gratitude journal

Studies Trusted Source have found that writing down the things you’re grateful for can improve your optimism and sense of well-being. You can do this by writing in a gratitude journal every day, or jotting down a list of things you’re grateful for on days you’re having a hard time.

Open yourself up to humor

Studies have found that laughter lowers stress, anxiety, and depression. It also improves coping skills, mood, and self-esteem.

Be open to humor in all situations, especially the difficult ones, and give yourself permission to laugh. It instantly lightens the mood and makes things seem a little less difficult. Even if you’re not feeling it; pretending or forcing yourself to laugh can improve your mood and lower stress.

Spend time with positive people

Negativity and positivity have been shown to be contagious. Consider the people with whom you’re spending time. Have you noticed how someone in a bad mood can bring down almost everyone in a room? A positive person has the opposite effect on others.

Being around positive people has been shown to improve self-esteem and increase your chances of reaching goals. Surround yourself with people who will lift you up and help you see the bright side.

Practice positive self-talk

We tend to be the hardest on ourselves and be our own worst critic. Over time, this can cause you to form a negative opinion of yourself that can be hard to shake. To stop this, you’ll need to be mindful of the voice in your head and respond with positive messages, also known as positive self-talk.

Research shows that even a small shift in the way you talk to yourself can influence your ability to regulate your feelings, thoughts, and behavior under stress.

Here’s an example of positive self-talk: Instead of thinking “I really messed that up,” try “I’ll try it again a different way.”

Identify your areas of negativity

Take a good look at the different areas of your life and identify the ones in which you tend to be the most negative. Not sure? Ask a trusted friend or colleague. Chances are, they’ll be able to offer some insight. A co-worker might notice that you tend to be negative at work. Your spouse may notice that you get especially negative while driving. Tackle one area at a time.

Start every day on a positive note

Create a ritual in which you start off each day with something uplifting and positive. Here are a few ideas:

  • Tell yourself that it’s going to be a great day or any other positive affirmation.
  • Listen to a happy and positive song or playlist.
  • Share some positivity by giving a compliment or doing something nice for someone.

Three Sources of Negative thought

“YOU CANNOT HAVE A POSTIEVE LIFE WITH NEGATIVE MIND . SO TURN ALL THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS INTO POSITEVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN “

BK SHIVANI

We all have days when negative or self-centered thoughts enter our mind. It’s normal. However, what we do with them is another matter.

I’m one of those people who gets a bad idea in my mind and stays there for a few business days. I worry too much about them all the time, think too much and analyze too much. Why did I have such a thought? Where did it come from? What does it mean? How can I prevent myself from going to that dark place again? How can I control my thoughts?

How long can a person stay without food? 2 days, 5 days? How can they support themselves without sleep or water? How many days? They can only stretch for a few days. After that, it will start to affect our bodies. Similarly, how many days can we live with fear, anxiety, and negative thoughts? If we do not fix it now, it will begin to affect our minds.

Let’s not make emotional scars. When we are affected, it will affect our families and loved ones and that is not what we want. Focus and focus on the foundation (mind). In order to make this foundation strong we must definitely give this one hour to us as well. Because when the mind is strong, our thoughts will be right and the right thoughts will bring happiness and health.

What are the sources of our thoughts? The source of our thoughts is created in our minds.

Here are three sources of negative thoughts: –

  1. THE SYSTEM OF OUR BELIEFS
    Many of our thoughts and beliefs have a negative connotation. Distortion of the mind is much more common than we think. They can be the cause of mental disorders such as depression or anxiety. They can also cause relationship problems. It is important to begin by identifying our wrong attitudes. Once we have identified the distortions we often use, it becomes easier to deal with them.

2.PAST TRAUMA
Emotional and psychological trauma are the result of extreme stress that disrupts your sense of security, making you feel worthless in a dangerous world. Depression can leave you struggling with irritating emotions, memories, and worries that will not go away. It can leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and distrustful of others.

3.DIET
Our diet can affect our brain. Some foods can help us feel better. Mediterranean-style foods (high in vegetables, seafood, fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, grains and whole grains) supplemented with fish oil can reduce symptoms of stress . Unhealthy foods reduce our ability to think.

It takes time to change your thinking from bad to good, especially if you have lived this way for the rest of your life and that is all you know. But with hard work, practice and patience, you can live a happy, happy and happy life. You just have to choose it. You have the power to change your life and your attitude toward it.

Happy Thinking!