In the face of the sadness and worry of the coronavirus pandemic, I encourage you to create a digital Positive Portfolio on your smartphone: This is a folder attached to your home screen where you consciously assemble artifacts, such as photos, videos, and music, that evoke memories of special positive valence.
Savoring / In-the-Moment
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AllOptimismPPN BitesPPND TV SeriesSavoring / In-the-Moment
PPN Bites: “Why should you savor things?” by Carin Rockind (Episode 02)
Researchers have long talked about the good of savoring. Recent research that came out in 2018 also shows that savoring the past can help with being optimistic about the future.
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So my friends, it seems we are wired to feel good when we smile and when we share smiles and laughter with others. So laugh away on April Fool’s Day and every day because, after all, laughter is the best medicine for health and vitality.
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AllPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Savoring / In-the-MomentTaking Action
Eyes Wide Open: Putting Limits on Autopilot
Employing tools from aviation can allow people to take charge of their lives and pilot successful futures. Embracing your life with eyes wide open allows you to design your own life story, full of appreciation, gratitude, and awe.
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AllBook AnnouncementBook ReviewHome and FamilyPositive EmotionRelationshipsSavoring / In-the-MomentStrengths
Happy Together Relationship Workout (Book Review)
As the calendar bends towards Valentine’s Day, Happy Together is a wonderful book for you and the important people in your life. It provides a dazzling array of easy-to-implement exercises to keep your relationships strong and energetic. The Pawelskis demonstrate that relationships can get better with age, like fine bottles of wine.
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AllGratitudeHome and FamilyRelationshipsSavoring / In-the-MomentSpirituality
Holiday Hot Cider Spiced with Grief
Our family’s last Thanksgiving celebration was the final holiday we shared with my beloved father nine days before he died. I never know when I will experience a pang or a sobbing bout or a joyful wave of hilarious memories. The only constant is that there are no rules. I appreciate Claire Ansberry’s helpful guidance for people wondering how to say and do helpful things gracefully for people who are grieving.
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Welcome back to part 2 of the active learning studies done by my students this fall.
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AllGratitudePathway 3 "Meaning"Positive EmotionSavoring / In-the-Moment
Active Learning Yields Results – Part 1
The students in Positive Psychology: The Science of Optimal Human Functioning did not just read books, listen to my mini-lectures, and write papers. They conducted class-based research projects to contribute to our collective knowledge.
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AllHabitsHome and FamilyParenting & SchoolsSavoring / In-the-Moment
Looking Back: Last Year’s Resolution Changed My Life
by Alicia Assadby Alicia AssadI made a more gentle resolution for 2016, because I am a parent in a world where “mom guilt” is the trend. I want to do the best I can for the kids I love, but sometimes more is unproductive and better is unrealistic. By pairing my natural urges to be perfect with the remorse I carried following my son’s burn injury, I was on a one-way trip to martyrdom. For this reason, 2016 was the year of self-compassion. My year-end reflection reveals a happier, more resilient version of myself so I think this resolution is one I will keep.
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AllHome and FamilyParenting & SchoolsSavoring / In-the-Moment
One Mother’s Holiday Survival Guide
by Alicia Assadby Alicia AssadYes there are crowds, more on the to-do list, and the flu season is upon us. But there are also more connections, sparkle, and cheer. Since I am (somewhat gracefully) surviving this holiday season with the support of the concepts I understand from positive psychology, I am compelled to spread my cheer by sharing my holiday survival list.
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AllHome and FamilyHopeParenting & SchoolsSavoring / In-the-Moment
An Essay of Gratitude for the Midwife of Words
by Alicia Assadby Alicia AssadMy rainbow baby writer’s block serves as a reminder that sometimes we need to sit back and let life unfold while maintaining self-compassion in our passive state.
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AllAppreciative InquiryBusinessGratitudeParenting & SchoolsSavoring / In-the-MomentStrengths
Well-being Fractals
“If you could do only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?” This question, posed by Greg McKeown stopped me in my tracks. Applying it specifically to work, I wondered what one thing I could happily do for the rest of my life. The answer, strangely enough, arrived in my head as a diagram.
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AllPositive EmotionSavoring / In-the-MomentTaking Action
Holiday Gift Ideas for 2015: Actions and Experiences
This is part 2 of the 2015 annual holiday gift article, supplementing part 1 published yesterday that listed books and things. Today’s suggestions are about experiences and actions that can contribute to well-being, as well as ways to think about giving.
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AllChangeGratitudeHabitsPositive EmotionSavoring / In-the-MomentTaking Action
Changing your To-Do List To Ta-Da!
Savoring what we’ve accomplished helps us experience gratitude for the good things in our lives, which puts us in a better frame of mind than just grinding it out. Then we can invest in the six areas that we know have value for us in the long run. These areas fuel us with the sustenance we need to make life worth living. When we do that, we change our to-do’s into ta-da’s.
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AllMovieSavoring / In-the-MomentStrengths
Positive Psychology Movie Awards for 2014
by Ryan Niemiecby Ryan NiemiecGet your Netflix queue ready. Fire up the On-Demand services of your cable TV. Because it’s time for an annual PPND tradition since 2009, the positive psychology movie awards! These awards go to films that offer some of the best portrayals of key themes in positive psychology. 2014 was a very strong year for positive psychology movies. Here are the winners:
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AllHabitsMindfulnessSavoring / In-the-MomentTaking Action
Mindfulness in the Morning is More than Meditation
by Louis Alloroby Louis AlloroThe world needs peace right now. The world needs you to increase your mindfulness. So, thank you for practicing and building your mindfulness muscle. When the alarm goes off tomorrow morning, take a slow and low cleansing breath and remember to express gratitude for another day to be alive.
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I was attracted to the course, Mindfulness: Practice, Theory and Applications precisely because it covered both theoretical and practical aspects of mindfulness. I learned about using the body to increase mindfulness, about uses of mindfulness in therapy, and about mindfulness as a life style.
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AllAppreciation of Beauty and ExcellenceAweSavoring / In-the-MomentStrengths_1 Positive Experiences
Fringe Benefits of Appreciating Beauty and Excellence
Some people might be scared by a thunderstorm while others might be awed. In those moments, the person with the strength of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence is able to transcend ego and instead be moved to an awareness of the vastness and amazement that the world has to offer. Time slows down. In such moments a person may feel drawn to future opportunities for using this strength.
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What started as a casual diary in my early teens is now a daily ritual, as essential as the caffeine that accompanies it. I’m talking about writing a journal, my life enhancing way to juggle my obligations and wants. So imagine my delight when I discovered that the practice can create personal and spiritual growth. The question is, how?
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AllAweBusinessCoachingFieldsGratitudeHappiness ExercisesHealthHome and FamilyHopeKindnessLoveOptimismParenting & SchoolsPathway 1 "Pleasure"Positive agingPositive FeelingsRelationshipsSavoring / In-the-MomentSpirituality
5 Minutes to Feeling More Loved, Valued, Peaceful, and Connected
When they want to feel more loved, valued, respected or connected, most people give away their power. They ask (or want) others to be different, which means someone else’s behavior determines how happy they will be.
What do happier people do?