Following the renowned psychologist and author Dr. Martin Seligman’s advice in his latest book, Flourish, I started making a list of three things, right before I went to sleep, that I was either grateful for during the day, or three moments that made me happy. Either direction took me to the same goal, focusing on what I was appreciative of.
I found interesting patterns, being grateful on multiple days for reading in bed surrounded by my menagerie, or sitting on my back porch hearing songbirds, with my animals around me. And at other times my moments seemed very esoteric, a shockingly vivid pink sunset, a moment of exhilaration during a dance class or a feeling of triumph when I felt I reached someone during a class. The idea is simple. Start conditioning yourself to ensure every day has an element of positivity.
There are a myriad ways to add positivity to your day, according to Johns Hopkins expert Dr. Lisa R. Yanek, including smiling, it can reduce heart rate and blood pressure during stress. Reframing, which means taking the annoying or frustrating scenario and turning it around. (Stuck in traffic, decide it’s a great time to catch up on the podcast you like or the audio book you love). And look for opportunities to build resiliency through strengthening the connections between family and friends.
There is definitely a strong link between positivity and health, but more than that, it just feels better when we can see the world through a positive lens, and that’s enough of a reason for me to keep adding items to my list!
