About Positive Psychology​

Engagement is the act of being invested and present in the work you do. Dr. Martin Seligman, co-founder of positive psychology defines engagement as “Being one with the music…time stopping and the loss of self-consciousness during an absorbing activity.” You’ve been there, right? You are doing an activity that you really enjoy and when you look up you are surprised at how much time has gone by? When that happens you have experienced what the scientists call flow. The more often you achieve flow, the more likely you are engaged with the activity at hand. It could be anything from preparing for a big presentation to playing an intense game of chess or tennis.

Here’s a few fun facts about engagement and flow:

• People who exhibit high levels of self-control are better able to achieve the state of flow or engagement.
• The Gallup Organization reports that when people are able to use their natural strengths for engaging activities, they are 66% more satisfied with the quality of their life.
• Engagement doesn’t normally create a feeling of “happy” in the moment, but it does induce feeling happy or proud afterwards.

> Try this: 5:5:5 Breathing Exercise

Here’s a technique designed to help you train your brain for increased self-control. Take 5 belly breathes, inhaling for 5 counts and exhaling for 5 counts. When you do this be sure you stick your belly out on the inhale and retract it on the exhale. This will activate your parasympathetic nervous system which lifts your mood, strengthens your immune system, and lowers your blood pressure.

As human beings we have an innate need to belong to a group; to connect and bond. In fact, the feeling of isolation is caused less by the number of people around, but by our feeling of being unloved.

Altruism is defined as the belief in, or practice of, the disinterested selfless well-being of others. Cultivating a sense of altruism along with kindness, is directly related to an increase in life satisfaction and a decrease in depression. Science also shows that participating in an altruistic activities on a regular basis will lower your blood pressure and increase your longevity.

Here’s a few fun facts about relationships:

• The majority of people have 3 friends. Everyone needs at least 1 friend.
• Our brains are wired to recognize 150 people. After 150 friends, the quality of our relationships decrease.
• According to a study by the UnitedHealth Group, in a survey of people who volunteered for a cause they cared about, 76% felt physically healthier, 94% said that volunteering improved their mood, and 78% said that volunteering made them feel less stressed.

> Try this: Acts of Kindness Exercise

Looking for ways to connect with other people? Try one of these random acts of kindness and see how it strengthens your relationships and helps you feel more connected to people in general.

1. Smile at 5 strangers today.
2. Buy a plant and put it in a terracotta pot. Write words that describe a friend on the pot and give it to that friend.
3. Leave a note on someone’s care telling them how awesome they parked.
4. Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
5. Send a positive text message to 5 of your friends right now.

Meaning and purpose are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences. Meaning is the feeling that life fits into a larger context and has some significance. Purpose is an overall sense of goals and direction in life. You can think about it as meaning is understanding why we are here and purpose is a plan for what we are going to do while we are here.
Meaning and purpose compliment each other and when it comes to wellbeing, finding meaning helps people who are struggling with life and finding purpose helps people flourish.

Here’s a few fun facts about meaning and purpose:

• No one wants to experience trauma, but it doesn’t have to lead to PTSD. By using brain-based techniques, it can also lead to Post- Traumatic Growth or PTG.
• A study on purpose and longevity, found that having a sense of higher purpose cuts the risk of heart disease by 27% and cuts the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by 50%. (Hill & Turiano 2014)
• 72% of college students and 59% of adults classified finding meaningful work as one of their most important goals in life. (Net Impact 2012)

> Try this: Values Exercise

Being clear on your values may help you discover your purpose. Spend some time clarifying your top 5 values. Another way to think of this is “what do you want to be remembered for?” Write your values down and use them as you make decisions to ensure that you are living your purpose.

Achievement is something done successfully by effort, courage, or skill. Our ability to implement change theory, find intrinsic motivation, create goals, visualize the outcome, and maintain positive habits all relate directly to realizing success and experiencing a sense of accomplishment.
Everyone has the ability to find success and positive psychology provides concrete action steps that you can follow to increase you chance of achieving your goals every time.

Here’s a few fun facts about achievement:

• Hope and optimism are a direct predictor of achievement in all sorts of domains from academic, athletic, military, political, and vocational (Peterson & Seligman 2004).
• Google discovered that the most productive and successful employees are people working on 3 different projects at any given time.
• 40% of the actions we take are governed by habit, not actual decision making. ( Neal 2006)

> Try this: Best Possible Self Exercise

Visualizing yourself at your best boosts your ability to achieve your goals. Spend 20 minutes a day for the next 4 days writing about yourself in the future. Imagine everything in your life has gone exceptionally well and your had work has helped you accomplish of your goals. Imagine living this ideal life that is the perfect realization of your all your fondest dreams.

In studies using this prompt, Laura King (2001) found that 3 weeks later, the group was happier and more optimistic and 5 months later they were physically healthier than before.

The newest pathway to the PERMA-V model is Vitality which is simply the state of being strong and active and having the energy to do what you want to do. Vitality is the pathway that serves the other pathways. It is truly the keystone and includes components such as sleep, physical activity, breath, sunlight, ergonomics, and nutrition.

Here’s a few fun facts about vitality:

• PE classes were introduced into public schools after the American conscripts were not fit enough to pass the rigors set to serve in the military during WW I.
• Until age 30 your muscles naturally grow larger and stronger. During your 30s your muscles naturally begin to shrink which decreases your metabolism.
• Spending time in nature can improve your memory performance and attention span by 20%. (TX A&M)

> Try this: Problem Solving in Nature Exercise

Humans are designed to solve problems most effectively while in motion in nature. Next time you are struggling with a problem and aren’t sure what to do next, take a walk in nature. If you can walk barefoot, even better. Allow yourself to appreciate the scenery before heading back to problem solving mode.