There is a movement in the world of psychology right now, away from the negative. The sadness. The deviant. The bad. The wrong. The diagnosis. The illness. The disease. The victim. The hopeless. To the beautiful. The strength. The positive.
The field of psychology has been pushing people away for decades, alienating and labeling. The shift is here. The research exists to back it. A far less complicated way to view mental health is here: Positive Psychology.
You can be angry, frustrated, and grumpy that is raining. Or you can be joyful, grateful, and dancing in the rain. Either way… it is raining.
Hold on to your hats. Happiness, mental wellness, and hope are all in your grasp. With only awesome side effects and often little to no cost. Positive Psychology offers healthy, safe, holistic opportunities to improve your mental wellness. It may seem like a cheese-ball self-help course, but is real. Your journey will be empowering, growth filled, and lead to more fulfillment, wellness, and genuine joy.
The Shift from Traditional to Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology represents a major shift in the field of psychology from the pessimistic, negative, deviant, wrong, victimizing, and wrong to the optimistic, hopeful, empowering, self-aware, capable, and overall positive. Psychology has often focused on mental illness and not on wellness, allowing people to remain ingrained in the sick.
The fundamental of Positive Psychology is empowering people to grow and improve. The methods and specific approaches are unique to each person. Offering control of mental health to the individual by positive and health decision making and mindsets. Proposing humans aren’t merely victims of chemical imbalances and biological predispositions. Focusing on what is right with you, as opposed to what is wrong with you is essential to positive psychology, and well-being.
Definitions of Positive Psychology
“Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living.” ~Peterson
“Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” ~UPenn Positive Psychology Center (Founded by Martin Seligman, a creator of Positive Psychology)
“Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning. It has also been defined as the study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities and organisations to thrive.” ~Positive Psychology Institute
Most definitions of Positive Psychology revolve around a person leading a joyful, empowered, productive, and fulfilling existence by focusing on positive mindsets, strengths, and self-awareness.
Practicing Positive Psychology will manifest differently for all people. Humans are unique, beautiful, lotus blossoms (according to my mother). Building an arsenal of healthy, positive, productive, growth-filled tools to improve immediate and long-term mental wellness is important.
What Positive Psychology is NOT
Positive Psychology is NOT about ignoring issues and problems. Or denying reality or limitations, and living in a fictional world of rainbows and puppy dogs. It is NOT pretending to be someone or something you are not. Being a phony, disingenuous, artificially happy, fake cheer-leader who denies reality. This is not beneficial, and truthfully is annoying, phony, and disingenuous.
Positive Psychology is a way of recognizing and identifying positive and productive solutions, behaviors and mindsets. Leading to an improved, more fulfilled existence. Positive psychology is not denying reality, but rather choosing to navigate life in a healthy and positive fashion.
Being positive doesn’t mean being naive and ignoring ugly situations or circumstance, quite the opposite. Positive Psychology is not burying you head in the sand of positivity and expecting all bad things to just away. Ignoring or denying negative feelings and events doesn’t make them go away, often intensify. Positive Psychology is not a cornball, self-help, money making scheme. Rather a lifestyle and mindset to being fulfilled, healthier, and individually driven. Avoid Toxic Positivity!
Being reckless, ignorant, chasing temporary happiness, and living without regard to the future is not positive psychology. Substance use and other “vices” often provide relief from stress, anxiety and depression. It is not about completely eliminating these things. More about understanding the roles they play in our lives, health, and prolonged happiness. Decisions should be made that pursue prolonged, genuine, and fulfilling happiness and health. And if this doesn’t include chocolate, beer, and other treats, I can assure you I would not be affiliated. As Matt Adkins says, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
Seeing the Path you Want to be on: Don’t ski into the Tree!
I love to ski tight, narrow, steep trees Consequences can be substantial and immediately life-ending. However, apply this analogy to anything from skiing, driving, walking, relationships, work or general life paths and decisions. Focus on the path you want to be on, not on the path you want to avoid.
When skiing tight trees if focus is on the towering pines, stumps, rocks, avalanches, and massive cliffs, all the things to avoid, where will this lead? Smack dab, right into one of those foreboding obstacles, and the subsequent mighty consequences. “Don’t hit the tree! Don’t hit the tree! Don’t hit the tree!” your mind may ruminate. Where does this often lead you? Face first into a tree.
Be aware there are obstacles, seen and unseen. Recognize the risks, be cognizant of the dangers and respect the terrain, snow, and circumstances. Respect and be aware of risks and obstacles, but do not focus solely on them, and ski face first into destruction, consequences, and hurt.
When skiing, or in life, the primary focus needs to be on the desired path, and not avoiding the negative. When skiing the trees, literally you are skiing the path between the trees (I hope at least). Keeping eyes and focus on that desired path, seeing all the options to navigating the run will allow survival, and joy. Starring a tree down so hard that the only option is head on should seem obvious. Yet it is not.
Seeing that perfect line, the seam, where effortlessly moving through trees is beautiful. Maybe bumping a few trees on the way, taking a little digger, looking silly, but staying focused on the path. Occasionally an unexpected stump, turn, or obstacle pops up, a “snowsnake”. Find the path to navigate, don’t focus on the obstacle, find the solution. There are far more solutions to most problems than people believe. Focus on the positive path, understanding, seeing, and respecting the obstacles and dangers, but find the best path for you that day, and don’t be scared to stop and reevaluate your path, things change, so should we.
Positive vs. Negative vs. Reality
“I’m not a pessimist, just a realist.” Ever say this? Generally this is the cry of an unrelenting pessimist in denial. Often people feel forced (or have allowed ourselves) to be either positive or negative. The world just isn’t that simple. Not every situation boils down to either positive or negative. Yet, usually there are options that are better than the default negative, more hopeful than woeful, healthier, better, and productive.
There are always choices how to view a situation. Past experiences, fears, apprehensions, motives, and more go into determining a positive or negative approach. Reality is in the eyes of the beholder. Choosing negativity is something that often happens by default, making the positive choice effort and not the usual.
Being “positive” is subjective for all people. It is not hiding from reality, falsely claiming happiness, being oblivious or naive. But rather making good choices (for the circumstances), that lead to happiness, joy, fulfillment, and being the best version of yourself. This may not be immediate gratification, or desired, but is the best choice for that situation.
People need to feel whatever they are feeling: sad, stressed, anxious, hurt, disappointed, abandon, these emotions exist for a reason. However, the choice of responses and perspectives are up to the individual.
My mantra on my mental wellness journey has been, “I can’t control how I feel all the time, but I can control how I react.”
Drew Mikita, LPC, Associate Professor
Positive Psychology is not about being happy all the time. Rather practicing self-care, awareness and becoming a person who seeks genuine happiness and fulfillment through positive decision making and reflection. Positive Psychology empowers people by encouraging healthy options, mindsets, and behaviors in life, no matter what the circumstances might be, we still can choose the positive.
What is Positive?
Positive is not just feeling good all the time, no realistic. It is understanding there are choices in views of the world, people, circumstances, and ourselves. Options always exist in perspectives, mindsets, and behaviors. Choosing the healthy, productive, beneficial, optimistic options are all part of being positive. One way of viewing positive is, “It is a positive sense of well-being, or the capacity to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face” (Canadian Mental Health Association).
In life there are constantly decisions, some internal, others external. Making choices that lead to more happiness, fulfillment, joy, satisfaction, self-acceptance, and other situational options is the essence of positive. Not necessarily accepting the temporary band-aid solutions, but finding the bigger picture positive path.
Why Care So Much About Happiness?
Would you rather be happy or wealthy? A common assumption the two there two are related (or maybe unrelated). They also aren’t strongly correlated with one another (Hobson). Why does happiness mater? First that is a question that shouldn’t really need to be asked. But if you need some convincing, happier people are (Newman):
- More successful
- Physically healthier
- Stronger Immune System
- Have better relationships
- Give and receive more love
- Increased productivity
- Live more fulfilling lives
- Longer life expectancy
- Improved mental health/Less mental illness
Happiness matters, and is contagious to those around you. Happiness won’t happen accidentally. It requires desire, awareness, effort, and a willingness to change and be the best (or at least better) version of yourself.
How can I be the Better Version of Myself?
Everyone’s best version of themselves unique, as are lives. Knowing the things that make you fulfilled, truly joyful, not just temporarily happy then cruddy. But what really satisfies your soul. When you are at your best. Ask the Who/What/Where/When/Why about this version of you. Become more self-aware of what makes you satisfied and what stops your fulfillment, joy, and productivity.
There are many theories and approaches to happiness, The Greater Good Science Center recognizes six habits of happy people:
The above traits are great, and fairly universal to everyone’s fulfillment. The individual component of applying those concepts is key. People can practice gratitude or human connection in very different ways, and find similar positive responses.
Outside of those six elements, the following concepts, activities, mindsets, and ideas have all been shown to improve mental wellness, reduce symptoms of mental and physical illness, and lead to more joy and life satisfaction. Knowing yourself what improves your well-being is a matter of experiencing them and feeling the impact
- Yoga
- Music
- Hobbies
- Goal Setting
- Savoring
- Creativity
- Humor
- Travel
- Setting intentions
- Screen Free Time
- Anything happiness inducing and healthy (more to come on this as we go forward)
How do I begin my Positive Psychology Journey?
It begins right here, right now. Your journey to wellness can start by deciding you want and need more out life.
While starting a path to wellness seems like it is a massive undertaking, it truly boils down to a few things:
- Self care is not selfish
- There are always choices navigating life
- Changing your actions, thoughts, and mindsets can lead to improvement
- Being aware of the bi-directional relationship between thoughts and feelings allows you to improve both
Feel Awesomer is my shared journey into Positive Psychology. After teaching this class, I realized the concepts and components worked for all of us to grow and improve.
- Take the Feel Awesomer Mood Meter (FAMM) (it takes about a minute)
- What was your score?
- Now go do something that makes you happy! (bike, ski, coffee with a friend, yoga, etc.)
- Take the test again and see any changes that may have happened
- Keep a journal to reflect, track, and understand your moods
Recommended Next Readings
There will also be adorable photos and videos (mostly of my dogs) just to make you smile. 🙂
References and Resources
- Canadian Mental Health Association. (2018). Mental Health Information.
- Greater Good Science Center (2012). 6 Habits of Happiness Worth Cultivating.
- Hobson, N. (2018). The Million-Dollar Link Between Wealth and Happiness.
- Mikita, D. (2018). The Feeling Awesome Measure. Newman, K. (2015). Six Ways Happiness Is Good for Your Health.
- Peterson, C. (2008). What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not?
- Positive Psychology Center. (2018). Positive Psychology
- Positive Psychology Institute. (2012). Positive Psychology Key Terms.