In our endeavour to become more self-aware of our mental health and take care of ourselves, Positive Psychology can work hand in hand with the process of diagnosis and treatment to help make us more resilient and happy people.
Positive Psychology is all about focussing on the positive things within our control and our strengths so that we can build a life of meaning and purpose. This is a wonderfully empowering idea. It asks, “What’s already great about you that you can improve on to make you a happier person?” We walk you through the PERMA model of Positive Psychology, an abbrieviation for 5 components we can take ownership of and pay attention to towards happiness.
Image by Vonecia Carswell, from Unsplash.
Relationships don’t have to be romantic. We have relationships with the people we interact with, including our family, friends, colleagues and community. Positive relationships are ones that make us feel supported, loved and valued by others. This is based on the idea that human beings are inherently social creatures, and that social connections become more important to us as we age.
Here are some ways we can build relationships!
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Joining a class or group that interests us
A baking class, a book club or a language exchange meet up: the possibilities abound! Besides being able to nurture our interests, we’ll also get to meet other individuals who share these interests. Common interests are a great foundation for building relationships that add value to our lives.
Asking questions
This is an accessible and effective way to nurture relationships, new or existing. Doing so allows us to understand the person on the other end better towards finding common ground and appreciating differences.
Image by Priscilla Du Preez, from Unsplash.
Reconnecting
It’s not uncommon to get swept up as we enter different phases of life, such as a new school, focussing on a new interest or new job responsibilities. Getting in touch with people we have not connected with in a while may prove worthwhile as we relive positive memories and revisit shared interests.
Thank you to Alexandra, our contributor in the psychology field, for your expertise!
To find out more about Positive Psychology, read the other parts of our Positive Psychology series:
Contributors
Sherrie is the resident writer, programmer, marketing wizard and snack curator of Co.'s community team. Her favourite things about being at Co. include sharing calories with community members, meeting new friends in the Duxton neighbourhood (and sharing more calories) and getting lost in Littered with Books across the street.
Alexandra is a vibrant Mental Wellbeing Psychologist who graduated with BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Counselling (Distinction) from Monash University. She has more than 10 years of experience, including extensive training in various positive psychology, mental resilience and counseling techniques. Alexandra’s diverse work is driven by her firm belief that humans have far more that can bring them together than should bring them apart.