Positive Psychology

“Wellness is the process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence” (The National Wellness Institute).

Making choices however can be where the challenge starts, and with information now easily at our fingertips, the choices can become overwhelming.

An exciting and developing field in Psychology is a branch known as ‘Positive Psychology’ – the scientific study of the factors that enable individuals to lead their life to its optimal and full potential.  Martin Seligman, PhD, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, has dedicated a large part of his working life in establishing what it is that allows us to get the most out of life.  Happiness is only one factor in wellbeing, and research shows it doesn’t necessarily give us the meaning in life we seek.

Based on years of research, Seligman along with his colleagues, identified five pillars of wellbeing, and these combined allows individuals, communities and organizations to flourish.  These five pillars consist of:

Positive Emotions:  How satisfied we are with our life will heavily depend on our mood.  Research has shown that how positive we feel not only impacts how we view the world around us, it also boosts our physical health, strengthens our relationships, inspires us to be creative, take chances, and look into the future with optimism and hope.

Engagement:  When we’re engaged, we’re fully involved in what we’re doing, we’re totally absorbed and using our strengths and talents, feeling confident, productive and valuable.  A state, psychologists refer to as being “in flow”.  It happens when we’re totally absorbed in the task at hand, when you lose track of time and feel completely at one with what you’re doing.

Relationships:  As humans, we are social beings.  We have a need for connection, love, physical and emotional contact with others.  The people around us help us to maintain a balance in our lives.  When you belong to a community you have a network of support around you – and you are part of it.  It is important to build and maintain relationships with the people in your life, relationships that are equal, respectful, and positive.

Meaning:  Meaning can be described as belonging to and serving something that you believe is greater than your self, whether it’s a religious faith, community work, family, a political cause, a charity, a professional goal or creative goal.  It’s your reason for getting up every morning.  It gives you a sense of purpose and encompasses your goals, values and aspirations.  Meaning is very personal to the individual and what’s meaningful for you may not be for someone else.

Accomplishment:  Accomplishment is the fifth element and it includes your achievements, competence, success, mastery, and progress towards your goals.  It’s about striving for success – whatever your definition of success may be.  By creating and working towards goals we anticipate and build hope for the future.  Our past success and mastery make us feel more confident and optimistic about future