This is a fabulous time to focus our intentions and energies on wellness as we head into the new year. Positive psychology offers some very practical ways to enhance lives, allowing the cultivation of joy and strengthening resiliency.
Following are five positive psychology practices that will set a positive tone for the forthcoming year.
1. Gratitude journaling
This simple yet effective exercise helps improving one’s mental well-being. Write down a few things daily you feel thankful for, and shift the focal point from what you do not have to what you do. The benefits associated with depressive symptoms by engaging in creative writing-like journaling activities of gratitude include that these are simple, easy means and within the access of anyone to lift the mood of an individual.
- Get a Journal: Find a notebook or an app you like.
- Set a Time: Decide on the best time of day that works for you to write.
- Write Three Things: You can list at least three things every day you are grateful for.
Tips for Effective Journaling
- Be specific in regards to what you are thankful for.
- The little things, like hot tea or a smile from a passer-by.
- Reflect on why you are grateful for those things.
Writing down good things in your life will make you appreciate the positive side of your life more and make you a happier, more satisfied person.
2. Mindfulness Meditation
The practice of meditation tends to make one stay present in the now (The power of now, 2020). Such meditation is also able to considerably reduce your level of stress and generally enhance your well-being.
Among the important benefits accrued to mindfulness meditation are that the practice tends to:
- Reduce anxiety: This might help quieten your mind through its regular practice.
- Improve concentration: This helps in giving focused attention while doing some tasks at hand.
- Improve emotional well-being: It can make life more positive.
The following are the simple steps one may follow to practice mindfulness meditation:
- Find a quiet place, where you are not likely to be disturbed.
- Sit comfortably, either on a chair or on the floor.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply, observing the rise and fall of your breath.
- If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your breath.
Mindfulness meditation is about being aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment, not just relaxation. By consistently using mindfulness apps, one can effectively promote their relaxation, reduce stress levels, and improve focus. With regular mindfulness, you can start the new year with a clearer mind and a more positive attitude.
3. Acts of Kindness
Kindness is an act of the simplest, most powerful means of disseminating goodness in the environment and making life better. Acts of kindness help other people and improve your mood. Here are a few acts of kindness one can use in everyday life:
- Give a helping hand to the neighbour to carry groceries.
- Write a letter of thanks to a person who made a difference in your life.
- Spend some time volunteering with a local charity or community centre.
Practising all these little acts contributes a wave of kindness. Similarly, kindness bounces like a boomerang because it always happens in one way or another: including ‘being kind’ in day-to-day activities can allow anyone to live a joyful, satisfied life. Even a least-sized thing will surely make a BIG impact!
4. Affirmations
Positive affirmations (Cascio et al., 2016) are strong statements that allow you to oppose negative thoughts and limiting beliefs. The affirmations must concern oneself and one’s actions and feelings -not about other people. When these are repeated constantly, such affirmations raise a person’s self-esteem.
Here’s a couple you can use for examples.
- I deserve happiness and success.
- I learn and grow something new every day.
How to Make Positive Affirmations Effective:
- Positive affirmations should be written down.
- Every day, these must be repeated in front of a mirror.
- One should believe in what one says.
If positive affirmations are done on a regular basis, it helps you view life from another perspective. Quite simply, affirmations have proved to be a successful tool with positive returns in regards to developing favourable change about one’s mental and social ego by reminding one of one’s strengths and to help to keep life in perspective. After all, affirmations are about you, the things in life you can do-never about another.
5. Strengths-Based Reflection
One of the powerful practices is that of strengths-based reflection, helping one understand their unique abilities and talents. The application and recognition of strengths could be an antecedent that can raise a person’s well-being level. Other than building self-esteem, the approach might be able to help lower the stress level in the individual’s life.
Below are ways whereby one can easily do strengths-based reflexivity:
- Identify Your Strengths: Reflect on your strengths. These may be anything from listening well to solving problems in any manner.
- Reflect on Times of Success: Look to times you felt proud. What strengths did you apply at such moments?
- Create Goals from Recognised Strengths: Setting personal goals based on identified strengths helps in sustaining motivation and focusing your resources on what one can do.
My Strengths Benefits
Resilience Reduced levels of stress
More Empathy More self-esteem
Creativity More energy and positive affect
Appreciating your strengths can enable a life of greater purpose. Accepting what you are good at may help you approach challenges with confidence and optimism. Indeed, adding strengths-based reflection to life brings remarkable positive consequences on mental health and well-being. It is one great easy way to kick off this new year.
Conclusion
This New Year reflect on how we will make our lives more joyful. The 5 positive psychology practices discussed here will be of help in crafting a better future. We can make every day count by being grateful, active, connected with others, setting goals, and kind. After all, small changes make a big difference. Now let us imitate those practices and head start 2025!
References
- Cascio, C.N., O’Donnell, M.B., Tinney, F.J., Lieberman, M.D., Taylor, S.E., Strecher, V.J., Falk, E.B., 2016. Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 11, 621–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv136
- The power of now: a guide to spiritual enlightenment, 20th Anniversary Edition, reissued in 2020. ed, 2020. . Yellow Kite, London.