When the quarantine started, I looked into online courses I could take, and I stumbled upon the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization on Coursera. Through my work, I was already familiar with the science of character strength and the VIA survey, and I wanted to learn more about the core tenets of positive psychology. My colleague further encouraged me to pursue this specialization when he realized that Martin Seligman, one of the founding fathers of positive psychology, was one of the instructors.
Positive psychology is the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple dimensions of life (biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, etc.). What holds the highest value in life and contributes the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life? In positive psychology, researchers have shown that diverse strategies such as expressing gratitude, savoring experiences, using strengths, increasing optimism, and practicing kindness all demonstrate the potential to boost an individual’s level of well-being. Seligman proved that a meaningful life has to include 5 factors, captured in the acronym PERMA:
Naturally, I got curious and researched how positive psychology had influenced the treatment of bipolar disorder. Several studies show that positive psychology interventions improve well-being and lower depression levels. I wanted to know more and reached out to the source himself. I emailed Martin Seligman on a Sunday and asked him which, if any, of the positive interventions were helpful to the treatment of bipolar patients. He replied, to my great surprise, to try all of them! Without further ado, here are some of the most prominent positive interventions in the field of positive psychology, hoping one of them might help someone with bipolar disorder feel a little bit better. If you’re feeling up for it, measure your current happiness today and then measure it again after you’ve tried one of the interventions below. You’ll be surprised at the results after implementing those simple changes. Assess your happiness a) Your overall level of happiness with life: General Happiness Survey b) Your current mood: Positive and Negative Affect survey, PANAS Find the questionnaires here. The ‘What went well’ Exercise As a species, we are generally oversensitive to the threats in our environment and overlook the positives. The gratitude diary is one of the most straightforward techniques scientifically proven to boost happiness. Every day for the next 2 weeks, and then once a week after that, simply write down 3 good things that you are grateful for that have occurred recently. Doing this exercise for 2 weeks has been shown to positively affect happiness for up to 6 months. It helps rewire the brain to scan for the positives and helps you better notice and pay attention to the things that bring you joy. Daily Mindfulness Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment. When mindful, we become more aware of our thoughts and feelings and better manage them. Being mindful involves staying in the moment and noticing what's happening inside ourselves and our surroundings. Rather than trying to change things, it consists of accepting how things are, for better or worse. Take 10 minutes each day to do a simple mindfulness meditation. Try apps like Headspace or Insight Timer for many free meditations. Gratitude Letter and Visit Studies show that expressing our gratitude to others can significantly boost our happiness. It can also have a powerful effect on the recipient and help strengthen your relationship. Think of three people who have positively influenced your life and for whom you feel really grateful. They could be a member of your family, an old teacher, a long-lost friend, a colleague, or someone else who has made a real difference in your life Now you can choose one of these people to write to and tell them how grateful you are; perhaps someone you've not appropriately thanked before. Think about the impact this person had on you and write a letter to tell them:
grateful to them as you write. If possible, could you arrange to visit the person and read the letter aloud to them? Otherwise, post or email the letter to them and follow up with a phone call. Random Acts of Kindness Doing things to help others is not only suitable for the recipients but also has a positive payback for our happiness and health. When people experience kindness, it also makes them kinder – so kindness is contagious! The saying goes: "if you want to feel good, do good." Could you perform an extra act of kindness each day? This could be a compliment, a helping hand, a hug, a gift, or something else. The action may be large or small, and the recipient may not even know it. The ‘Signature strength’ Log Understanding and using our strengths is about focusing on the things that come most naturally to us and that we love to do. Research shows that using our strengths in new ways can make us happier even after just one week! Assess your strengths and then focus on using these in new ways. First, identify your strengths with the VIA Character Strengths assessment here (takes up to 30 minutes) Pick one of your top 5 strengths and ask yourself:
Repeat the following week using another of your top five. And so on. For a comprehensive list of positive psychology exercises, you can visit the ultimate resource here and here.
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AuthorI was born in 1986 in Lebanon. I'm still trying to find my passion in life and in the meantime I'm learning to navigate my bipolarity and redefining stability. Archives
February 2024
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