The following was written by Trip Hart of SoHaPP — Science of Happiness and Positive Psychology:
Now. Now is the time, more than ever. Whenever positivity might have been needed to help folks through dark and daunting days, it is now. We’ve just passed the Winter Solstice, a new COVID variant is exploding, and many things are going the wrong direction. Want to change directions? You can, and you should for mental wellness. Habits for Happiness suggests strengthening five habits that changes your life for the better, and being more Positive is first on the list.
What one chooses to focus on the most will make that subject’s pathways in the brain shorter and stronger. Sadly, our society exists with negative news cycles and tragic events dominating the airwaves and social media, and our mind’s pathways are shaped accordingly. This makes our psyche even more devoted to that unwelcomed arena.
With purposeful intent, you can change this. Start the day on a positive note, and at least you’re beginning in the right direction. If you start every day for 30 days going in the right direction, you will just naturally begin heading that way always. Just spend one or two minutes soon after waking, and think of the best parts of the previous 24 hours. What do you most look forward to in the coming day? Having one or two reinforcements of purposeful positivity throughout the day solidifies this habit even more. A discussion at dinner? Only you can create these shorter and stronger pathways for yourself, and with just a little commitment it’s easier than you think.
Make a negative subject into a positive one. We could look at COVID and be quite alarmed, but then realize that a year ago we had no vaccine. We have monoclonal antibody therapy for treatment that eases our anxiety (a bit). Every cloud has a silver lining. Make a habit of looking for them!
Take a positive subject and make that bigger. When walking through nature, spend extra time focusing on flora and fauna.Take delight and linger at the Hellebore blooming in winter. Coming across a happy scene, purposely add an extra minute for just pure enjoyment sake. Why not? Life is too short, so make it happy as possible.
Habits for Happiness suggests doing a small effort, repeated daily for thirty days to re-wire the brain, and make those pathways stronger. Take the month of January to make yourself a more Positive you. It benefits you, your family and friends. Our website www.sohapp.org is from the program the Science of Happiness and Positive Psychology (SoHaPP). Find helpful ideas on the Positivity page of our site. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the program, so please tell us what you’re planning!
SoHaPP’s other habits – being more Kind, Mindful, Active and Grateful – will be reviewed in the Courier-Herald at the beginning of each month. ‘Til then, work on being more Positive. It’s up to you. Will you change your brain?
