Positive Psychology Articles

As general clusters that each include a number of specific methods, my Top 5 types of practices (all tied for first place) are: * Be mindful * Love * Take in the good * Go green * Open out

On the path of life, most of us are hauling way too much weight. What's in your own backpack? If you're like most of us, you've got too many items on each day's To Do list and too much stuff in the closet. Too many entanglements with other people. And too many "shoulds," worries, guilts, and regrets.

Let's say you've had an interesting idea or moment of inspiration, or thought of a new project, or felt some enthusiasm bubbling up inside you. Your notions are not fully formed and you're not really committed to them yet, but they have promise and you like them and are trying them on for size. Then what?

In response to a previous JOT - Find Stillness - a wise therapist, Betsy Sansby, reminded me that sometimes a person just can't find any stillness anywhere. Maybe you have epilepsy or chronic pain, or are wildly worried about a child or other loved one, or have been rejected in love or had the bottom fall out financially. In other words, as Betsy put it, like there's a nest of bees in your chest. She's right.

As the most social and loving species on the planet, we have the wonderful ability and inclination to connect with others, be empathic, cooperate, care, and love.

It started raining here two days ago...and it's still raining. Ah, springtime in the heartland! You've just got to love it! While it's raining here, if you travel two hours west you will drive into a blizzard; a good old, Nebraska blizzard. We'll get snow tonight. That's the great thing about early spring in the plains. You know that you will see a combination of weather, and sometimes you'll see them all in one day. You have to be prepared for anything this time of year. I love it!

In situations or relationships with any kind of difficulty - tension, feeling hurt, conflicts, mismatches of wants . . . the usual crud - it's natural to focus on what others have done that's problematic. This could be useful for a while: it can energize you, bring insight into what the real priorities are for you, and help you see more clearly what you'd like others to change.

Is creating a list of health care career goals fairly easy for you, while making your own wellness goals a priority seems very difficult? Many nurses and other health care professionals get so focused on helping patients (or leading/teaching those who do), they don’t even think about taking good care of themselves physically, mentally and emotionally. They get so caught up in the daily push to complete a long list of tasks and maybe continuing their education that their caree

In every life, reminders arrive about what's really important.

The Practice. I recently did a meditation retreat (at Spirit Rock, wonderful place, including for workshops). One evening as we walked out of the hall after the last sit, I was feeling rattled and discombobulated. (One of the benefits of a retreat - though it can be uncomfortable - is that it stirs up of the sediments of your psyche, which can muddy your mental waters for awhile.)

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Ah, not really. Often it's words - and the tone that comes with them - that actually do the most damage. Just think back on some of the things that have been said to you over the years - especially those said with criticism, derision, shaming, anger, rejection, or sco - and the impacts they've had on your feelings, hopes and ambitions, and sense of yourself.

Meditation is very fashionable today, when our stressful life is taking its toll on our existence. We receive information, advice and directions on all levels, telling us what to do, how and when to do it. The biggest problem with all this good advice is that every person is different and what works for one, might not work for another. Many find themselves in the frustrating situation in which they cannot apply the directions and often feel disappointment for not being as spi

I'm old enough to remember a time when people usually answered "good" when you asked them the standard, "How are you?" (often said "harya?"). These days the answer is commonly "busy." In the last few months I've been very busy myself and starting to feel dispersed: juggling a dozen priorities at any moment, attention skittering from one thing to another, body revved up, feeling stretched thin and spread out like an octopus squished between two sheets of glass.

As a kid, I was really out of touch with my body. I hardly noticed it most of the time, and when I did, I prodded it like a mule to do a better job of hauling "me" - the head - around.

nThis summer, billions of fans are watching athletes from around the world compete in the Beijing Olympics. With political controversy and global tensions currently running rampant, these diverse games reflect the delicate balance between reality and entertainment. If you're a Sandwiched Boomer, the Olympics can satisfy the yearning for distraction from your immediate concerns about economic instability and caring for your family-in-flux.nnThe Games provide color, drama and a

One of the ways that we overcome adversity and live a life worth living, experiencing lots of positive emotions and staying mentally well is by being open to the concept of mentoring. Mentoring and learning from each other is much more that taking a course or explicitly giving someone advice ...

Lately I've been thinking about a kind of "case" that's been running in my mind about someone in my extended family. The case is a combination of feeling hurt and mistreated, critique of the other person, irritation with others who haven't supported me, views about what should happen that hasn't, and implicit taking-things-personally.

It takes heart to live in even ordinary times. By "taking heart," I mean several related things: - Sensing your heart and chest - Finding encouragement in what is good both around you and inside you - Resting in your own warmth, compassion, and kindness; resting in the caring for you from others; love flowing in and love flowing out - Being courageous, whole-hearted and strong-hearted - going forward wisely even when anxious, knowing your own truth and as you can speaking it

When our kids were little, I'd come home from work wanting some peace after the daily roller-coaster and often walk into a living room full of stuff - toy trucks, tennis shoes, bags of chips, etc. Irritated, the first words out of my mouth to my wife would be: "How come there's all this mess?" Understandably, after a day chasing children plus juggling her own work, Jan would feel unfairly criticized and sputter back at me. Then there'd be a quarrel or a chilly silence. Not good.

Things come at us with so much urgency and demand these days. Phones ring, texts buzz, emails pile up, new balls have to be juggled, work days lengthen and move into evenings and weekends, traffic gets denser, financial demands feel like a knife at the neck, ads and news clamor for attention, push push push PUSH.

Having a dream means having a goal or a vision. It also means seeing your hopes fulfilled. Success then, is the realization of your dream. If you have a dream, you have a passion, a burning desire to see your dream come true. While you work toward the realization of your dream time goes by ...

Your brain evolved in three stages (to simplify a complex process): - Reptile - Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm - Mammal - Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards - Primate - Cortex, focused on attaching to "us"

Each Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to be thankful. When times are tough, finding reasons to be thankful may be challenging or even seem inappropriate or impossible. This year, before we sit around the dinner table, let's think about the myriad benefits to saying thanks, and how to truly savor the opportunity, no matter what. What do you feel when someone thanks you for something? For a comment in a meeting, a task done at home, an extra step taken, an encouraging word.

n n It's all in the words nIt's now been proven by science and psychology that the shortest path to success in your career, relationships, and life in general is tied to your command of the most practical words. But how do you know where to look to find "success words" that pay these great dividends?nnYou can win success and popularity by developing a treasury of vital, practical words, arranged for every important type of conversation and activity.nnIn English, we assume tha

“Peace” can sound merely sentimental or clichéd (“visualize whirled peas”). But deep down, it’s what most of us long for. Consider the proverb: The highest happiness is peace. Not a peace inside that ignores pain in oneself or others, or is acquired by shutting down. This is a durable peace, a peace you can come home to even if it’s been covered over by fear, frustration, or heartache.

With all the buzz about the popular book and video called "The Secret," a primer on the laws of attraction, more and more people are realizing that the quality and meaningfulness of their lives is directly associated with the quality of the thoughts that they think. We can individually and collectively take responsibility for our future. We can use our creative power to create the condition of our own lives and to assist in the evolution of the communities in which we live and work.

Your health is one of the most important things that you truly need to maintain well into old age. When you are young, it seems difficult to imagine that you will not always retain optimal health. In fact, most young people imagine that they are virtually invincible. When your health starts to decline in a significant way, this will ultimately lead to a decrease in your quality of life. Here are six reasons why you will want to start thinking more positively about your health

Welcome to a world where happiness is a possible mental and emotional state at least a good part of the time. Welcome to the Enchanted Self Positive Psychology Concepts where I teach you how to generate a life worth living that has meaning, value and integrity for you. Unique to your mental ...

In middle school, I thought it would be cool to play a musical instrument, and picked the clarinet. My wise parents rented one rather than buying it, and I started practicing. (In the garage because it sounded pretty screechy.) After a week or two of doing scales, I got bored and picked my way through a couple easy songs. But after a few more weeks, I couldn't go further because I hadn't laid a foundation with scales and similar exercises - so I quit in frustration. To this day, I regret never learning to play a musical instrument.

Everyone knows what it's like to care about someone. Remember being with a friend, a mate, a pet: you feel warmly connected, and want him or her not to suffer and to be happy.

We all know this fear. You're walking down a street, someone you don't know comes toward you, and there's a second or more of wariness, scanning, apprehension, and tension or bracing in the body: a barely conscious assessment of possible threat. Or you step into a meeting with people you know and still there could be a watchfulness, a restraint, a certain carefulness in how you speak that comes more from subtle anxiety than reasonable prudence.

You've heard it a hundred times if you've heard it once, "just think positive". What does that mean? How can you think positive when there are so many negative things happening. I'll tell you what I think. Thinking positive is not just a thought process, it is a commitment to a different way of life, it is a process in which the way you think is the way you live. Think about your life, is it what you "thought" it would be? The truth is, it is exactly what you thought it would

Experience increased power and positive change in your life with an empowerment theory that really works. Many traditional theories can be confusing and difficult to understand, but this unique ideology revolutionizes the empowerment theory as you know it by both expanding and simplifying previous concepts and bridging the gap between philosophies to create a theory that, if applied, will bring dynamic results. What is this new empowerment theory? Its fundamental concept is b

As our ancestors evolved over millions of years in small bands, continually interacting and working with each other, it was vitally important to communicate in hundreds of ways each day. They shared information about exte al "carrots" and "sticks," and about their internal experience (e.g., intentions, sexual interest, inclination toward aggression) through gestures, vocalizations - and facial expressions. Much as we developed uniquely complex language, we also evolved the most expressive face in the entire animal kingdom.

I'm doing a series on my personal top five practices (all tied for first place), and have so far named three: meditate (including mindfulness, self-awareness, and, if you like, prayer), take in the good, and bless (including compassion, generosity, and love).

STRESS FREE LIVING EVERY DAY Part of our experience of living on this bluey green planet of ours is that from time to time we all find ourselves feeling either a little or perhaps even rather a lot stressed. If this is going to be just a short-term situation, more often than not it is something we can just deal with, let go and leave behind. Having said all that, life in the 21st Century can be quite stressful simply to participate in. Often with the simplest changes in rout

Have you ever watched two people quarrel, or otherwise be stuck in a conflict with each other? Usually, if either or both of them simply acknowledged one or more things, that would end the fight.

I once heard a Native American teaching story in which an elder, a grandmother, was asked what she had done to become so happy, so wise, so loved and respected. She replied: "It's because I know that there are two wolves in my heart, a wolf of love and a wolf of hate. And I know that everything depends on which one I feed each day." This story always gives me the shivers when I think of it. Who among us does not have both a wolf of love and a wolf of hate in their heart?

Many people suffer from low self-esteem, especially if they often compare themselves to celebrities that adorn the covers of magazines, wear perfect eyeglasses , and walk so elegantly on the catwalk. You may never achieve celebrity status, but this does not mean you cannot look, and feel good; you simply need to learn how. There are some realistically achievable ways that you too can look and feel as glamorous as the celebrities you admire. Here’s how you can look and feel

It’s easy to treat people well when they treat you well. The real test is when they treat you badly. (Much of what I say here applies to conce s about injustice or mistreatment that threatens or happens to others, from someone bullying a child to an oppressive government, but I will focus on the personal level.) Think of times you’ve been truly wronged, in small ways or big ones. Maybe someone stole something, turned others against you, broke an agreement, cheated on you, or spoke unfairly or abusively.

I remember when I was a child how much I loved my grandmother Rose Silverman's furniture and her household goods. They were not just the functional plastic items, earthenware and stuffed sofas that most families had when I grew up. All of the furniture and things in her apartment were 'alive' ...

Whenever I hear the title of this article I think of that movie with Selma Hayak and Matthew Perry in Las Vegas. I think Fools Fall In Love is the title? Her thick accent telling Matthew Perry's character about all his excuses of why he can't get close to her emotionally. When I start to say or think why I can't accomplish something I say those words to myself to stop my thinking in its tracks. :) Tis the season of worry, stress and putting off things but also making resolut

I did my Ph.D. dissertation by videotaping 20 mother-toddler pairs and analyzing what happened when the mom offered an alte ative to a problematic want ("not the chainsaw, sweetie, how about this red truck"). Hundreds of bleary eyed hours later, I found that offering alte atives reduced child negative emotion and increased cooperation with the parent.

One time I watched a three-year-old at her birthday party. Her friends were there from preschool, and she received lots of presents. The cake came out, she admired the pink frosting rose at its center, and everyone sang. One of the moms cut pieces and without thinking sliced right through the rose - a disaster for this little girl. "I shoulda had the rose!" she yelled. "I shoulda shoulda SHOULDA had the rose!" Nothing could calm her down, not even pushing the two pieces of cake together to look like a whole rose.

Is your life clearly out of control with raising kids, running around for activities, squabbles, discipline and the chaos? The stress of mortgages, bills, keeping up your home, and your relationship not to mention your work outside your home!rnAre you instantly finding yourself on over load every day? rn You’re up to your neck at work and your boss certainly thinks you can do more. You think you need to have your children in more activates and your house is completely a mes

My dad grew up on a ranch in North Dakota. He has a saying from his childhood - you may have heard it elsewhere - that's: "You learn more by listening than by talking." Sure, we often gain by thinking out loud, including discovering our truth by speaking it. But on the whole, listening brings lots more valuable information than talking does.

For many of us, perhaps the hardest thing of all is to believe that "I am a good person." We can climb mountains, work hard, acquire many skills, act ethically - but truly feel that one is good deep down? Nah!

Mindfulness requires constant practice. The more you do it, the better you are at being mindful. However, it is almost impossible to be mindful from the moment you wake up in the morning to the time you fall asleep at night. So, instead of trying to be mindful 24/7, it is easier to focus on small chunks. Here are some tips for your daily mindfulness practice. 1. Set your mind positively from the start When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you need to remind yoursel

The word, sacred, has two kinds of meanings. First, it can refer to something related to religion or spirituality. Second, more broadly, it can refer to something that one cherishes, that is precious, to which one is respectfully, even reverently, dedicated, such as honesty with one's life partner, old growth redwoods, human rights, the light in a child's eyes, or longings for truth and justice and peace.

I invite you to read about how Rebecca Trelfa put beauty, meaning and form into her home. Her story is different from my story about my grandmother and how her things have enriched my life, as each of ours stories are different. Don't forget, you have a story, too! Building Enchantment By ...