Positive Psychology Articles

There is no greater way to combine a complete body workout, get mental tranquility and produce nutritional products for your dinner table than to do gardening. By having your little private green heaven, you will not only reap what you've sowed but also you will have a chance to blend in with nature, enjoy in the quality family fun and get the much-needed recreation. Here are the most important health benefits of having and working in your lush garden. Boost up your stamina W

I have spent weeks creating my site and thinking of things to write. So many ideas, but which to do first? Then I had a revelation... I was sitting down after dinner to watch the news when this lady from Queensland came on. She is the mother of four children, and she was having some problems with her youngest daughter's behaviour and attitude. She came up with an idea to record some positive comments, and combine them with some pleasant music onto a CD to play to her daughter

If you were to write a list with all the things you need to be happy, what would you put on that list? While the list may vary from person to person, it is often interesting to see how many dependencies people put on happiness. Naturally, the answers will vary from a loving relationship to ...

Managing stress by many of the more conventional methods promoted by counseling and psychotherapy professionals are amongst some of the most unsuccessful treatment processes available. Why? In contemporary counseling, attempts to heal the problem are targeted at the person changing the results of their choices or by reducing the effect of the choices on the body and mind.

Take a breath right now, and notice how abundant the air is, full of life-giving oxygen offered freely by trees and other green growing things. You can't see air, but it's always available for you. Love is a lot like the air. It may be hard to see - but it's in you and all around you.

Generally speaking, the phrase mental well-being describes how well a person can cope with his or her everyday life. Caring for your mental well-being is possibly the most important thing you can do. A positive mental well-being can make you feel safer in your own body and help you to make longer-lasting relationships. On the other hand, a poor mental well-being can make you feel isolated and alone. You can feel lost in your own little world where nothing feels quite right. T

WANT A GREAT LOVE RELATIONSHIP? FORGIVE. People often will ask me how to create a lasting, loving relationship. They want to know how to find one or how to keep one. Maybe they have loved and lost, maybe they have loved and left. Either way, people are looking to find a romance that makes them feel safe and secure.

I’ve been talking about ways to Hardwire Your Happiness on the blog lately. So I thought it would be great to give you a sense of how it feels to take in the good. If you are someone who usually focuses on the negative experiences in the world you can turn that around over time by Taking in the Good. I’ll suggest some prompts here that you can use in your everyday life to start changing the negativity bias in our lives into Teflon for the positive. Take my prompt and go through the first three steps outlined below on your own. STEP 1. Have a positive experience

Nowadays, hypertension or hypertension has grew to become an necessary drawback in our society. Social stress makes us more stressed and unhealthy meals contributes to be liable to excessive blood pressure. Normally medical doctors suggest a change on weight loss plan, a reduction within the every day stress, and a few medications. But, as well as, there's a new strategy to help to reduce this silent and dangerous affliction in a natural way. This new treatment can complement

Most of us think of happiness as something that just happens. Or doesn't. But recent studies are showing that happiness can actually be learned. How? Through meditation. Dr. Richard J. Davidson, PhD, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been using brain imaging to "map" the brain of people while they were meditating. In one study, he mapped the brains of employees at a biotech company after they had completed a course that taught them to meditate for three hours a week.

[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships.

When are we going to start having more fun in life, laugh more, tell more jokes, and enjoy who we are without being addicted to a harmful substance as so many are these days? I've been thinking about this lately — perhaps watching a little too much TV cable network news has been the reason, and what follows is me talking to myself and you, if you have time to read this article, listening in. Here goes!nnnnThe subconscious mind (with apologies to Freud), in my view, does

The Rebbe Nachman of Breslow often said, “Always remember-Joy is not merely incidental to your spiritual quest. It is vital.” As the years have gone by and I’ve been in the practice of psychology over 20 years, I have become more and more convinced that he was so right, that joy is not an ...

"A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else." George Savile We all are in a hurry in today’s life. We drive crazily to reach office or we get frustrate to see the long queue at grocery store or we just don’t want to wait till other person finish his talk. It is like everyone is going on a war. This war is not with any outsider, but with your own self.

Once upon a time there was a Princess who set out on a raft to find the Enchanted Forest. She took with her a canteen full of hopes and dreams, minimal provisions, and outdated maps. The raft swayed. the wind blew. It was too cold. It was too hot. She was hungry. She was tired. She was scared. ...

The power of belief is the major determinant to the events, circumstances and conditions we all experience in our lives. Our beliefs are without doubt the most powerful and creative force we will ever possess. 'He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.' - Henry Ford This quote rings so true with all human pursuits and endeavors. I've seen so many people over the years whether in sport or businesses who've never reache

Overcoming adversity and creating a happy life sometimes requires great work on our parts. Sometimes to live a life worth living and to experience more positive emotions and to have a sense of mental wellness we have to climb mountains in terms of efforts to feel good. But thankfully, for most ...

Meditation is to the mind what aerobic exercise is to the body. Like exercise, there are many good ways to do it and you can find the one that suits you best.

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened” Winston Churchill Stop worrying and start living. We give this advice to everybody we see tensed even though sometimes we don’t even know why he is worried. We know that worry does not help us in anyway but still we cannot help it. In this article I will answer to questions like why we cannot stop worrying, how worrying harm us and how can we control it?

Humans are an empathic, compassionate, and loving species, so it is natural to feel sad, worried, or fiery about the troubles and pain of other people. (And about those of cats and dogs and other animals, but I'll focus on human beings here.) Long ago, the Buddha spoke of the "first dart" of unavoidable physical pain. Given our hardwired nature as social beings, when those we care about are threatened or suffer, there is another kind of first dart: unavoidable emotional pain.

“Keep hope alive” is a slogan which was popularised by the American civil rights campaigner, Jesse Jackson, in a speech given 25 years ago. Since then, the electronica group, The Crystal Method, used it as the basis for a single on their album Vegas. In short, the phrase connects with how we struggle to cope with the difficult times in life. Studying and teaching human psychology, and working across the Church, has taught me, through studies and observations, that hope he

Finding out how to live a life worth living and being able to overcome the adversities that befall all of us in a normal lifetime, while also experiencing enough positive emotions to feel happy much of the time, may sound like a tough assignment. But if you can just be true to yourself and ...

Do you need to know emotional support animal letter sample ? Many individuals look in a pet for companionship just as adoration and support. Many pet animals with their extraordinary qualities give the company to their pet guardians and the entire household, be it a dog, a cat, a little pony, and so forth. Each unique sort of animal kind carries alongside its various highlights and attributes that their human companions love in them, and therefore love to hang around them. Fo

Integrating positive self affirmations for a better you, is helpful in improving your life. By making affirmations, whether negative or favorable, you set up your emotional state. This will determine how you feel for the remainder of the day, or when faced with certain situations. The best affirmations are the positive ones which you make to yourself. What this means is that you develop a habit of constantly talking to yourself in a practical way which helps to keep you awake

Self-esteem in a vital aspect of one’s personality and greater amounts of self-esteem is said to make a strong personality. This does not mean one has to be proud and arrogant but adequate amount of self-esteem can make it easier for a person to go through life with dignity and without being crushed. A person with the right amount of self-esteem would be able to stand up against the obstacles of life and face it. Having said that, one has to determine how much is the right a

[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships.

Painful experiences range from subtle discomfort to extreme anguish - and there is a place for them. Sorrow can open the heart, anger can highlight injustices, fear can alert you to real threats, and remorse can help you take the high road next time.

Compassion is essentially the wish that beings not suffer - from subtle physical and emotional discomfort to agony and anguish - combined with feelings of sympathetic concern. You could have compassion for an individual (a friend in the hospital, a co-worker passed over for a promotion), groups of people (victims of crime, those displaced by a hurricane, refugee children), animals (your pet, livestock heading for the slaughterhouse), and yourself.

Developing mental toughness is not easy. However, with the right information and a motivation to succeed, you will be able to develop this through your own efforts. In this article I will discuss the benefits of possessing a mental toughness, and I will also provide you with some mental strength tips that will enable you to meet and overcome all challenges you face in life DEVELOP MENTAL TOUGHNESS: DEFINED Mental toughness is being at the right physiological state which will

Many of my readers write to me about the tensions of everyday life. Not only do people wonder how to relax, but people often ask, “How do I learn to better cope with what faces me? Can THE ENCHANTED SELF help with the overwhelming frenzy of everyday life? Can it help when I am really down or ...

So, let’s talk a bit more about emotions. It is not a huge leap from understand and accepting physical development taking time to that of our emotional development and growth needing time to develop into maturity as well. That is why as children, we cannot cope with many events in our lives in a balanced way. This begs the question “How DO we handle feelings that we are not yet developmentally able to balance properly?”

Your twenties are probably the sweetest part of your life. You get your first job, your first love, marriage, kids, your first car, your first home, start a new business, learn new things…But, unfortunately, most people spend their twenties being jobless/changing jobs, breaking up, living a bachelor life, and not having any savings in the bank. What is supposed to be the most energetic, confident, and sweetest part of one’s life is unfortunately spent worrying, regretting

In life, it is inevitable to go through hardships. That is part of life that a person has to go through in order to continue living and to become stronger. Having said that, people tend to think negatively of life in general because of the hardships they encounter. Just like how inevitable it is to encounter these hardships, it has also become inevitable for some to have a negative view of life. For years I was crippled with a negative and defeatist attitude that it just beca

You may have seen the old Mickey Mouse movie in which he is working at a conveyor belt in a factory. More and more widgets come at him that he has to handle, and he gets increasingly frazzled as he struggles to keep up.

Goodwill and ill will are about intention: the will is for good or ill. These intentions are expressed through action and inaction, word and deed, and-especially-thoughts. How do you feel when you sense another person taking potshots at you in her mind? What does it feel like to take potshots of your own? Ill will plays a lot of mini-movies in the simulator, those little grumbling stories about other people. Remember: while the movie is running, your neurons are wiring together.

For many years now, I have started each day by praying, or as I like to call it, my morning chat with God. As a part of that chat, I always pray the prayer of Jabez. I have found that it is a simple prayer to remember and has been tremendously effective for me. My days are better, my focus is better and I am truly blessed each day by God. My ritual is to write down this portion of my chat and then, periodically, I come back and read through what I have written and highlight those blessings that have been granted. My journal is full of yellow highlights from over the years.

Comparing ourselves with others is unfortunately part of the human condition, although some do so more than others. Living on this planet amongst billions of other people naturally results in their being people who are living completely different lives from you. It is, to a certain extent, natural to notice the differences between them. However, feeling inferior to a person because they appear to have “more” than you or their life looks “better”, is an extremely unhea

Small Changes Ripple Outward Happiness is a choice. It can be a difficult decision to make with all the negativity in the world. It doesn’t have to feel like such a daunting option when focusing on small changes. Small changes create big leaps forward. Over time a greater sense of happiness is enlivened. If you want to optimize your brain health and create greater happiness here are some simple ideas. You don't have to do them all to achieve results. Focus on just a few and

[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships.

Habits, like clothing, are external to us and a product of our choices. We need to choose them carefully, and change them if necessary; to insure that they accurately reflect who we really are, the things that matter most, and the impressions we want to be remembered by.rnPeople often believe that their habits represent their identity, when habits are nothing more than a series of learned behaviors based on our personal choices. They include habits of mind, habits of word, an

There I was recently, standing in the shower, my mind darting in different directions about projects in process, frazzled about little tasks backing up, uneasy about a tax record from 2010 we couldn't find, feeling irritated about being irritable, hurrying to get to work, body keyed up, internal sense of pressure.

We're pulled and prodded by financial pressures, commuter traffic, corporate policies, technology, advertising, politics, and the people we work with and live with. As well, internal forces yank the proverbial chains, including emotional reactions, compelling desires, "shoulds," and internalized "voices" from parents and other authority figures. Sometimes these pressures are necessary, like a flashing light on your car's dashboard telling you to get gas. Even a broken clock is right two times a day.

Tone matters.

As the nervous system evolved, your brain developed in three stages: - Reptile - Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm - Mammal - Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards - Primate - Cortex, focused on attaching to "us"

How are you doing with your commitment to take better care of yourself this year? If your heart is in the right place, but you are simply not managing to make the changes necessary to take it off once and for all, read on.

[Note: This JOT is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same sex relationships.

When we hear the words “Soul Mate,” most people conjure up visions of that special someone specifically molded and made for them and only them. Someone who understands us as no other person can. And, like synchronized swimmers, “Soul Mates” are in tune and in rhythm with one another, navigating ...

When I was in secondary school, my father introduced me to positive thinking and having a positive attitude. He insisted that I read all the books by Norman Vincent Peale who was the progenitor of Positive Thinking (1952). Although it did not kick in at first, it did eventually after a few years, I became more aware of how I thought and do things more positively, even with ordinary things in life. Your attitude determines the state of the "world" you live in i.e. positive att

Brainwave entrainment is essentially concerning the synchronization of our brain’s ruling brainwaves with an external supply of periodical stimulus. This stimulus might be aural, for example the case of binaural beats, monaural beats or isochronic tones. It also can be visible, as within the case of flickering lights. Doctors know now than the stimulus may be even bodily, as with periodic corporeal vibrations on a muscle or nerve, so it is good to take a massage periodicall

On a previous blog at the Huffington Post, I used the example of Stephen Colbert's satirical "March to Keep Fear Alive" as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful - since that helped keep our ancestors alive - so we are very vulnerable to being frightened and even intimidated by threats, both real ones and "paper tigers." With his march, Colbert was obviously mocking those who play on fear, since we certainly don't need any new reminders to keep fear alive.