Positive psychology in 7 exercises

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 Positive psychology, what is it? It's not seeing the world with pink glasses! But to borrow the right words of Christophe André: "positive psychology is not used to deny the fact that there are problems or to avoid suffering, but to be stronger and more motivated to overcome them. Positive psychology is a discipline that focuses on the development of people by seeking general rules that apply to the greatest number.Why a science of happiness? Because without a scientific approach, one runs the risk of following very numerous and sometimes contradictory advice. "Indulge yourself, have fun, give up your desires, have faith, go on vacation ..." , and so on. We do not know where to turn.In this article, I have chosen to group together a good part of the positive psychology exercises that have been proven to make the vast majority of people happier. And over the course of my discoveries, I will share them with you of course.

Exercise # 1: I respect the ratio of Losada

 Positive psychology has shown that to be more fulfilling with others, one must pronounce three times more positive words than negative ones. Below this threshold, relationships are bad and are a drag on our well-being. Adopting nonviolent communication is essential to feel happy and serene.Your exercise: (to do at the end of the day). Sit quietly with your notebook and pen, and take stock of the words you said today distinguishing the groups to which you have addressed: your friends, your children, your colleagues ... Have you respected this ratio?Whether your answer is yes or no, commit to doing better tomorrow!

Exercise # 2: I cultivate my kindness

Performing acts in the service of others brings many benefits : our social relations are improved, the others are in return more kind to us which increases our confidence, we feel less guilty of their difficulties, our image of ourselves s improves, our esteem is strengthened ... Living in harmony with others is essential to our happiness!Your exercise: every day for a week, serve around you. Choose a different action and person each day, doing new things.

Exercise # 3: I express my gratitude

Expressing gratitude , whether to others or simply in general for what we live on a daily basis, increases our level of happiness significantly. In our lives, in every person around us, there are positive aspects and other negative ones. Our overall impression depends on what we pay attention to. And that's us who decides it.Your exercise: express in a few lines your mood of the day and give it a rating on a scale of 1 to 10. Then turn your attention to everything that goes well in your life, making the most complete tour of all your little daily gestures, everything that makes your life easier or makes you happy. The place where you live, the comfort you have, the people you live with ... List at least 30 positive things. Then write down your mood in a few lines and rate it on a scale of 1 to 10.Has your rating not changed since the beginning of the exercise?

Exercise # 4: I test autoanalytical writing

 Writing back to a difficult event that we have experienced in our lives, the most difficult, the one we do not dare to talk about, it frees up the weight of what happened, and emotions too strong that we lived without sharing them. And when we take care to highlight the impact of this event on our daily lives, and our relationships with others, it gives a new meaning to what we live.Your exercise: book about ten minutes each day this week in autoanalytical writing.Sit quietly with a notebook and a pen, and write down all your thoughts and deep feelings about the most difficult experience you have ever experienced. Explore what's been going on inside you, what's going on today, and what impact it has on you.Your discomfort related to this test should decrease significantly.

Exercise # 5: I smile

 Positive psychology has pinpointed an incredible physiological mechanism: smile makes you happy. Of course we usually smile because we are happy because there is something joyous about us or around us. But what is wonderful is that the opposite is true. When we smile, messages are sent to the brain that interprets them as a sign of happiness: it releases neurotransmitters that increase our good mood. In short, there are only good reasons to adopt a broad smile all the temp s .Your exercise:

• 1st step: take your pen and place it a few minutes between your teeth.
• Then take the time to watch your mood for a moment.
• 2nd step : take your pen for a few minutes between your upper lip and your nose, which forces you to make a small pout. Then watch your mood.

Do you feel the difference?A variant of this exercise is to smile really to see the improvement of your mood , and it is precisely the challenge that we noted during a week on the blog and the effects are quite incredible!

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Exercise # 6: I forgive

 To forgive a person who has hurt or deceived us is a very difficult thing. But we must accept the idea that it is not a question of clearing the other of his responsibility but of doing it for himself. To alleviate his negative feelings and ruminant thoughts and give way to a more constructive and positive attitude of his life.Your exercise: Write a letter of forgiveness. Think of someone who betrayed your trust, who made you suffer. Describe in detail this injury that you experienced while stating the feelings you experienced then. Express what you would like this person to do, and how it still affects you today.Then tell him very clearly that you forgive him for what has happened by making a maximum of understanding and putting himself in his place.When your letter is finished, it's up to you whether you want to send it or not 

Exercise # 7: I hold a notebook of happiness

 We all have something to be happy about, the problem is that we tend to adapt a little too easily to all that we live in positive, and to forget it. We have already seen that expressing gratitude is a recognized way of being happier. Keeping a notebook of happiness will also counteract this trend effectively.Your exercise: buy yourself a nice and inspiring notebook and put together all the elements that symbolize your successes, your successes, your reasons for satisfaction. Take a tour of the hardships you have overcome, of all that has made you happy, of your daily pleasures as well. The idea of ​​this notebook is that on the one hand write it and hold it will do you the greatest good, but also that you will be able to refer to it in case of lower morale.So, happy ?!You know everything, or in any case already enough to note nice changes in your mood ... and see life in pink !A quick reminder of everything you have learned in this article and that you only need to apply on a daily basis:Positive psychology - a true science of happiness - has identified 7 tracks that increase our degree of happiness:

• say three times more positive than negative words,
• cultivate his kindness,
• express gratitude,
• practice self-analytical writing,
• smile,
• forgive,
• keep a notebook of happiness.

What do you think of these little exercises? Do you usually do all this or do you already see room for maneuver in your daily attitude?