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The Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness is more than a lack of pain: it is the ability to find joy in our daily lives, despite any difficulties we

encounter. It is an attitude of openness towards life, an ability to enjoy the world we find around us, and

the ability to be resilient when we do face obstacles. And it helps us succeed in life: studies show the

people who identify themselves as happy are more goal-oriented, have better relationships, manage stress

better, and are more successful in life. Above all, happiness is a set of skills that can be learned. According

to a relatively new branch of study, called Positive Psychology, there are characteristics that are shared by

people who are happy, and we can all use those techniques to add more happiness in all of our lives.

Optimism

Optimism isn’t a belief that bad things won’t happen to us. It’s a way of

interpreting our world, understanding that whatever is occurring is

happening for a purpose, and we will be equal to the challenge. When we

use optimism, we see any difficulties in perspective, accepting them, and

understanding that they will recede in time. We know when to move on,

and focus our time and energy on what we can control. We are good at

compartmentalizing: not letting an adversity in one area of our lives seep

over and negatively influence any other area of our lives.

Strategies for developing optimism are:

Consciously changing our negative thoughts to positive ones, trying to visualize what we want instead of

what we fear, trying to find the positives in every situation, surrounding ourselves with positive people, and

using humor frequently.

Gratitude

Gratitude is an acknowledgement of the benefits given to us by others.

And, of all the character traits, it has the highest link to positive mental

health. People who experience gratitude regularly report being happier,

less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives. They have

higher levels of control of their environments, higher personal growth,

more of a purpose in their lives, and a greater self-acceptance. They are

more likely to seek help from others, and grow from difficult experiences.

They also sleep better, possibly because they think less negative and more

positive thoughts just before going to sleep.

Strategies for developing gratitude are: include paying a “gratitude visit,” by visiting people who have

helped us in our lives and saying “thank you,” not leaving the house daily until we can think of three things

we have to be grateful for, and volunteering our time to give to others,

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to adapt and “bounce back” in difficult

circumstances, in order to reach our goals. And it is a powerful predictor,

regarding whether we will succeed at what we are attempting. Resilience

means that we view adversity in a positive light, because it teaches us to

cope, and makes us stronger as a result. It is based on the theory that we

can’t control the obstacles we encounter in life, but we can control how

we react to them. It includes the skills of positive reframing (viewing a

difficult circumstance in a positive light), enthusiasm, and perseverance.

Strategies for developing resilience are: learning not to give up, examining past experiences for what we

can change in ourselves, asking for help from others, and allowing ourselves to feel good about the things

that go right, instead of dwelling on the negatives of a situation.

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Flow

Flow is a focused mental state in which we’re fully immersed and involved

in the activity we’re engaged in. It means having values that we care about

and outcomes that are worth working for, and harnessing ourselves

towards those life goals. It also means utilizing our emotions in positive

ways, by using enthusiasm, curiosity, and excitement about learning to

“throw ourselves” into what we’re doing. Flow consists of an intense

concentration, “losing ourselves” into the activity, feeling “in the zone,” or

at our peak competence, losing our sense of time, and feeling an intense

pleasure from the activity.

Strategies for developing flow are: discovering our “signature strengths,” setting simple step-by-step

goals, engaging fully in an activity without distraction, solving mental puzzles, finding ways to explore and

grow in our jobs, and engaging in an activity for its own sake.

Creativity

Put simply, creativity is the skill of coming up with new ideas. There are

many kinds of creativity, including flexible thinking, elaboration of existing

ideas, and originality. Creativity both contributes to, and is caused by

happiness. Creativity often happens naturally, because we are all creative

beings. In fact, studies are showing that adults can be prompted to

become more creative by being asked to think like children. But creativity

is also a skill that can be developed, because we often need the right skills

and environment to bring our creativity out. Qualities that often help

promote creativity are curiosity, flexibility, and open-mindedness.

Strategies for developing creativity are: putting our ideas down in words or pictures; taking up a new

creative pursuit, getting ourselves out of our routine, brainstorming all the ideas we have, no matter how

outrageous they sound, and seeking inspiration in our daily lives.

Connection

It isn’t just a child who needs a village: we all need a strong support group

for our own emotional wellness. People who have solid ongoing

connections with their families, friends, neighbors, places of worship, and

communities report feeling happier, and for good reason. These strong

connections impart the emotional support we need to cope with stressors,

and act as buffers for any difficulties that come along. In addition, our

connections give us concrete support by giving a feeling of belonging,

giving a place to share difficulties, giving information, and giving

constructive advice.

Strategies for strengthening our connections are: staying in contact with friends, surrounding ourselves

with people who are positive, and supportive, using every-day situations as opportunities to connect with

friends, and asking for help when we need to.

For more information, please feel free to contact the following websites:

• Psychology today has a variety of articles on happiness and Positive Psychology at:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/positive-psychology

• ABC New’s 20/20 show has a good article on Positive Psychology and happiness, at:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4115033&page=1

• Authentic Happiness, the website of the Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, is a

free site, but registration is required.

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx

concernservices.com | 513 891 1627 | 800 642 9794