Kathryn Britton recently wrote about using positive psychology to deal with a sudden loss as she mourned her dear friend Linda. Grieving is an individual process, but while no two people have an identical experience of losing a loved one, there are several patterns that emerge. I’d like to offer some observations about how Positive Psychology is at work while people heal after a loss, even in the long term.

How can we help people experience more gratitude and build cross-generational ties that enrich their lives? The Joyful Blessing Day design has emerged from monthly events at the Neptune Senior Center, where the “Feeling Great” dance-fitness class members are joined by high school students in an intergenerational workout followed by lunch. The Joyful Blessing Day approach combines music, savoring, and positive conversations across generations.

Keynote speaker, Miriam Akhtar, described the Positive Emotion Kit (PE Kit) approach to countering depression. To boost mood naturally and experience more positive than negative emotion, people can form personal PE kits by selecting interventions from five essential evidence-based categories.

Jenny Fox Eades and I had an interesting discussion about pausing, taking time, and using silence to consider what to say or do next. Jenny is a great supporter of little drops of quiet.

Florentino is in his mid-forties, and has worked for a fortune 500 company for the last ten years. For the first six, he worked hard and stayed late. However after several small events that caused him to question his role in the organization, he was passed over for a promotion. No one acknowledged his work, or talked with him about his progress. While he continued to do the minimum necessary for his job, by all measures, Florentino was disengaged and unhappy. How did he change that?

Inspiration, or more precisely the lack of it, strikes fear into the hearts of many students faced with an assignment or test, a blank sheet of paper and a ticking clock. I can remember countless …

My dear friend, even though I do not write for Cosmo magazine, my advice truly could reignite passion and connection in your relationship. In my five years of post-divorce dating, I have gathered valuable information …

For years, I have seen men roll their eyes and exclaim, “Women! I’ll never understand them!” I have always been at a loss for how to respond to this outburst, since I have always found …

I’ve been thinking about how to sum up the main topics of positive psychology. Many people think of Chris Peterson’s three word summary, “Other people matter.” This phrase, powerful in its brevity, …

“Can you imagine … looking forward to work every day? … Knowing that you make a difference and feeling good about the work you do?” So starts this book by Val Kinjerski about taking …