In the five years that I have been studying psychology, I have spent almost zero time studying positive psychology. There are a few reasons for this – namely, I had never been interested in taking the class and unless you take the class, you’re unlikely to hear it talked about elsewhere.
However, last semester, a TA gave a lecture in my Clinical & Counseling class about positive psychology. After that lecture, I found myself disappointed in not taking the time to learn more about positive psychology before the end of my undergraduate career.
The general gist of positive psychology is focusing on people’s strengths instead of their weaknesses. This is particularly true in dealing with depression or anxiety. After learning more about it, I am of the mindset that there are definitely aspects of positive psychology that could benefit anyone, not just those struggling with depression or anxiety.
One of my favorite tools in positive psychology counseling is the “Three Blessings/Three Good Things” exercise. It’s pretty self-explanatory – every day, write down three blessings or three good things you are happy about that day. It’s particularly helpful in dealing with depression as it helps people learn shift their thinking in a more positive manner. However, I think this is an excellent tool that could just promote general happiness and well-being in anyone’s life.
In an attempt to make more positive changes in my life, I’ve decided to start doing this myself. Between work and school, there are plenty of things for me to stress out over or plenty of things to be negative about. I don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes it seems so much easier to be negative than to be positive.
Because it’s so easy for me to get bogged down by negativity, I want to start focusing more on the things I’m grateful for and the things in my life that make me happy; even the littlest of things. Thus, I resolve to spend the next 30 days documenting my Three Good Things to see how this change impacts my general outlook on life.
Today, these are the Three Good Things about my life:
1. I got 10 hours of sleep last night and I woke up feeling more rested than I have in weeks.
2. I bought a new coffee mug yesterday and I used it this morning to drink my coffee. It’s pretty and turquoise and, call me crazy, I think it made my coffee taste better.
3. I actually feel motivated to bust through all of my homework for my online classes today, which leads me to feel like I will be incredibly productive today.
As you can see, none of these things are particularly life changing, but they are the things that are making me happy today. Not to mention the sun is shining and it really is a beautiful day today.
I encourage the few people who follow this blog to try this for a few days and see what kind of effect it has on your mood and outlook on life. If you feel like sharing any of them in the comments, I encourage that as well.
Oh, and it’s Wednesday! Happy hump day!
Twenty-Something 