#Positive Psychology

[underwhelmingalchemist]

Made this for a discord server I’m in, thought I’d put it here. Remember to be kind to yourself. Yes, even if it’s really funny

#there are a lot of ways to rephrase things to get the same sentiment across without putting yourself down #and a lot of times it can be a lot more creative or funny #'i'm going to kms'? #no #you're going to bare-knuckle box the god of fate in a denny's parking lot #'i'm trash'? #nope #you're just too iconic for most people to understand and that's a them problem #it may not fix the problem #but it definitely helps #source: personal experience #sh recovery #mental health #positivity #positive psychology

[reasonsforhope]

Catherine Borowski has always had an active imagination. As a child, she dreamed that the car park on her north London council estate would be transformed into a garden. The reality was quite different. “No one had a car, so it was empty, grey and depressing,” she says. Now a sculptor and event producer, Borowski has made it her mission to fill unloved urban spaces with flowers – albeit virtual ones. 

She and her partner Lee Baker are the founders of Graphic Rewilding, a project to install huge nature-inspired artworks into the urban landscape. “Where real rewilding isn’t possible, our goal is to inject the colour and diversity of nature into rundown spaces, urging people to notice – and find joy in – the world around them,” says Baker.   

The pair believe that flowers possess serious powers, even when they’re not real. “We know that spending time in nature is good for us, but studies show that even pictures of plants have a positive effect on the mind,” says Baker. He cites research published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, which found that imagery of plants in hospital waiting rooms can help reduce feelings of stress in patients. 

Baker, a painter and music producer, has long understood the benefits of biophilic design. Having suffered a breakdown 10 years ago, he found that drawing flowers was the only way to soothe his buzzy brain. “I would set out to draw dystopian landscapes, representative of my state of mind, but I’d always end up drawing flowers, which uplifted me,” he says.

It was around this time that Baker met Borowski, joining her production company as creative director. The pair have collaborated ever since, launching Graphic Rewilding in 2021. Since then, they’ve installed floral murals at locations including Earl’s Court station, Lewes Castle and Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush – all hand drawn by Baker. “We love galleries, but we focus on public art,” he says. “This way, our work is out there for everyone to enjoy.”

This year the pair have grand plans to create a series of stained glass pavilions (think greenhouses with colourful floral-themed panels), which they hope might find homes at Kew Gardens and the Eden Project. “The way light shines through the glass is magical,” says Borowski.  

Even so, they concede that art is no match for Mother Nature. “Some people have suggested that our project detracts from real rewilding efforts. But both can co-exist,” says Borowski. “Of course we want more green spaces.” adds Baker. “But we aren’t gardeners. We’re artists. In the absence of nature, we want to create inspiring spaces through art.”

Overall, the response has been hugely positive. “The joy that these artworks bring is palpable,” says Baker, highlighting an early project in Crawley, West Sussex. “Many people in the town were employed by Gatwick airport and Covid had taken its toll,” he recalls. In a bid to spread some joy, the duo painted brick walls, billboards, benches and even bins with their signature floral flair. “Peoples’ reactions were heartwarming. There were so many smiling faces,” he says.

Elsewhere, in Earl’s Court, the pair transformed “a ratty piece of tarmac” into a modern-day pleasure garden, which is now often filled with children dancing and doing cartwheels on the way home from school. “Putting art into a place that previously felt unloved feels like cultivating joy where there was none,” reflects Borowski. “If something like this had been installed on my estate when I was a kid, it would have been a dream come true.”

-via Positive.News, November 6, 2023

#art #public art #mural #muralart #street mural #muralpainting #england #rewiliding #solarpunk #evidence based #stained glass #glass art #activist art #good news #hope #positive psychology #london #uk #public housing

[mindfulhavens]

Guess what, my friend?

You’re so much more talented than you allow yourself to believe.

Lean into what you’re good at and watch it bloom.

#poetry #writing #quotes #mental health #prose #musings #emotional health #positive thoughts #ruminating #positive psychology #talent

[theshadowworker]

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts

- Marcus Aurelius

#mindset #high vibration #marcus aurelius #quotes of wisdom #philosophy #law of vibration #psychology #shadow work #stoicism #stoic philosophy #philosophy quotes #psychology quotes #jungian psychology #positive psychology #spiritual wisdom #spiritual path #spiritual development #spiritual vibrations #spiritual healing #spiritual quotes

[luvsjimmyreed]

The issue is *not* with positive psychology per se. Rather, the issue is with the 'one size fits all' approach to psychology. A coping method that works for one person might not work for another, and it's important to take that into consideration. It's important to understand nuances when it comes to psychology, so that everyone can benefit.

Jimmy Reed, On Positive Psychology

#jimmy reed #blues #psychology #sociology #positive psychology #toxic positivity #nuance

[edjectedly]

What's wrong with positive psychology (as it is taught in your school)?

Bless you anon, you're my favorite.

Okay so, Positive Psych is a relatively new field of psychology (founded in 2000), which is super cool! Love new things, especially when it comes to making you happier! I'm totally down! The whole premise of positive psychology is that we focus on fixing the bad, but what about growing the good? What happens when we focus on the positive? And that's a great question to ask! However, you cannot just look at the good.

A lot of the criticism for positive psych come from the fact that it is new and a lot of the science is still sciencing (being replicated, redone, retested, etc.) and that people are taking the studies and stuff and applying them without context. My criticisms with it is that it seems awfully like over generalization and self-help bullshit that doesn't do anything but make people waste money and put the blame for you not being happy on you and not the fact that society right now sucks due to capitalism.

Positive Psych feels like victim blaming. It's saying that you could be happy if you chose to be, you're just not making that choice hard enough.

To go into the over generalization bit, Lyubomirsky proposed "The 40% Happiness Solution" which is a book where they state that 10% of happiness is determined by your circumstances, 40% by you, and 50% by genetics. Which feels,,,, wrong? That feels to me like saying people are born evil. You're either born happy, or your not. Also I feel like 10% is a VERY small piece of the pie when that covers everything from stubbing your toe, to getting married, to someone you love dying. Then there is the 40%, which is up to you entirely!

Then you have the classism that goes into the field as well. My teacher told us that material items cannot make you happy, which is frankly incorrect when she is including food and shelter as some of those material goods. I promise you I can be a mindful as I want, not having food is going to impact my ability to be happy. Like there have been multiple studies that show you have to have a basic quota filled of Needs Being Met before Things™ stop impacting your happiness.

I could go on, and I will if anyone wants me to, but this is the basics. Don't even talk to me about the study claiming people who are dying are just as happy as people who aren't.

#ace rambles #riddle me this #positive psychology

[fashionlandscapeblog]

pOsItIvE ViBeS oNLy lOvE yOuRsElf mORe PrOtEcT yOuR eNErgY sElf-lOve iS tHe BeSt lOvE!

(P.S. Self-centeredness is ObViOusLy the smallest problem we have in society)

#white privilege #positive psychology #toxic positivity #deepities #you get the drill

[babyspacebatclone]

Responding to the following note from @papyrus126 on this post:

The original post about Anxiety referred specifically to remaining in a “freeze” state, an unconscious and automatic response to perceived threats in order to protect the individual:

Fight: facing any perceived threat aggressively.

Flight: running away from danger.

Freeze: unable to move or act against a threat.

Fawn: immediately acting to try to please to avoid any conflict.

Again, when one feels threatened, the body rapidly responds to imminent danger. The underlying goal of springing into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, is to decrease, end, or evade the danger to return to a state of calm and control. (taken from the article from “Simply Psychology” below)

In the chart’s context, it describes how the stress from being constantly anxious (or suffering from a related condition, such as PTSD, or having a disorder with high comorbidity for anxiety, such as ADHD) means that the individual feels like everything has to be perceived as a potential threat, and the only reliable coping strategy left for this omnipresent sense of danger is complete submission.

However, what you are describing with feeling “empty” can best be considered a symptom of Anhedonia:

Anhedonia is the loss or a decrease in the ability to feel pleasure from things we once enjoyed. And it's a common symptom of mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a rise in these disorders, so it's likely that anhedonia is affecting more people—and to a higher degree. (taken from article from “Real Simple” linked below)

You most likely have a combination of both, because as said Anhedonia is common in the same type of disorders the chart directly relates to.

A way of contextualizing it is the term “learned helplessness” - there’s nothing you do that makes anything feel better, so there’s no reason to try, leaving you just numb.

It’s important to recognize that learned helplessness and Anhedonia have a physical component: your physical brain stops either producing or responding to important chemicals.

The brain regions use a chemical called dopamine to communicate with each other. Dopamine is used to decide what's rewarding and how you want to attain it. It's also used to decide whether something is threatening. Felger explains that these reward circuit regions may not interact as well with each other in people with anhedonia. And therefore, this weakened communication between regions suggests unbalanced levels of dopamine, says Tiffany Ho, Ph.D. (taken from article from “Real Simple” linked below)

It’s not just a case of “trying harder,” your brain has to repair itself to get out of a cycle of learned helpless, constant anxiety, or Anhedonia.

The first step, therefore, is giving your body a chance to repair, primarily with better sleep because poor sleep is so highly correlated with all the related conditions.

Now, as someone with a divergent circadian cycle (my awake cycle is approximately noon until 4am), I’m going to emphasize: You need to find a sleep routine that is healthy for you.

If this means you need to be up at a set time, due to school or work or other obligations, than this may require a very strict pre-sleep routine in order to meet these obligations.

But please, please, see this as “I need to work on my sleep schedule so I can be healthy.” And not “I need to conform to society’s expectations of my sleep.”

Because those are two very, very different things.

The second is to use cognitive behavioral psychology to train your thinking away from “helplessness” or despaired thinking.

The first step here is to replace negative self talk with neutral self talk.

That’s right, we’re not going to go straight to the “positive happy happy stuff.”

You want to focus on objective observations about yourself, the situations you find yourself in, and your reactions. It is a move away from catastrophic, all-or- nothing thinking:

Instead of “I don’t even enjoy anything, I’m not even human” it’s “My brain is not working properly; it’s not giving me the rewarding responses it should.”

As you train your thinking away from feelings of helplessness, take note of things that are currently ok or even good. We tend to remember negative experiences more than positive experiences, which makes sense from a survival perspective.

But journaling - even mentally - about good things as they happen helps to reinforce that everything isn’t bad.

That there are things to be grateful for, even if you feel numb and overwhelmed.

Then, as you have a catalog of things that do bring positives to your life, you can use them to further counteract the feelings of numbness:

“That short walk made me feel good today. I probably won’t have time to do it again this week, but it’s nice to remember how it felt to hear the birds in the sun.”

Finally, give yourself something to be successful at. Puzzle games are great for this in my experience.

If you have a hobby you used to enjoy but don’t find pleasure in, work on improving a skill within that hobby.

Look at it as an investment for the future: “If I can master this stitch pattern, when I feel motivated it will be so much fun to knit a scarf using it later.”

Take note of the things you do that do move you out of a numb, overwhelmed feeling.

Reward yourself without guilt.

“I don’t want to read right now, but having this book by my favorite author feels nice. I’m going to buy it now, without any expectation to read it, but just so it’s right at hand for when I do have the spoons that I can read it!”

This already got long, but I hope some of it is helpful. I tried to find stuff that goes beyond the usual “practice coping strategies!” which of course is helpful but been told to death.

Linked articles for further reading below the cut.

#positive psychology #learned helplessness #anhedonia #actually anxious #actually traumatized #actually autistic #actually adhd #actually depressed #actually bpd #actually mentally ill #actually obsessive #actually neurodivergent

[deerstar4]

Once you stop saying “I’m sorry” when going out of your comfort zone and replace it with “I’m sexy” you’ll be a force to be reckoned with

#ori #life advice #positive psychology #cannot stress this enough

[bebebisous33]

Jinx: Tie: „I was this close to winning“. 🏆 ( second version)

#JooJaekyung #JINX #Jinxmanhwa The essay "Tie: I was this close to winning". 🏆 has been updated. #jinxchapter51 I hope you will like it. Like always, it also contains predictions. Reblog or like it as support. Thanks. It would be great, if you left comments. The essay is locked. Please use the third password, like in the past.

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa: Jinx. But be aware that the Manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas. Here are the links, if you are…

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#Analyses #Baek Junmin #Chapter 1 #Chapter 40 #Chapter 41 #Chapter 42 #Chapter 46 #Chapter 47 #Chapter 48 #Chapter 49 #Chapter 5 #Chapter 50 #Chapter 51 #Coach Jeong Yosep #Halmoni - Shin Okja #Heo Manwook #징크스 #Jinx #Jinxmanhwa #Joo Jaekyung #Kim Dan #Manager Park Namwook #Manhwa #mature Yaoi - BL Manhwa #MFC Manager #Mr Choi Gilseok #Positive Psychology #Psychology #Seonho

[theemotionmachine]

Savoring Happiness: How to Prolong Any Positive Experience

Savoring is the act of recognizing, appreciating, and prolonging a positive experience. We typically think of savoring while eating, but it’s an ability that can be applied to every area of your life. It also may be the key to long-lasting happiness.

Learn more here!

#psychology #mental health #mindfulness #savoring #positive psychology #savor #self help #self improvement #happiness #relax

[perfect-vantage]

Positive Psychology

What about the positive?

The science of psychology has had amazing success in understanding all the things that can go wrong with the human mind. But what about the things that can go right?We know all about the causes of anxiety and depression, but what about contentment and fulfillment?

A science of flourishing

Positive psychology is a scientific approach to understanding how to live a good life.It offers an alternative to the ‘disease-model’ of psychology, and brings attention to practices and behaviors that lead to human flourishing.

How does it work?

Positive psychology is not ‘self-help’, instead it is research-led. It has precise and predictive theories that have been, and continue to be, tested, challenged, and improved.Perhaps its most significant impact is the shift in our perception. Even a small change here can transform our quality of life and our wellbeing. A greater focus on 'giving more,' 'showing kindness,' and 'being grateful' can create a more meaningful life.

#positivity #positive psychology #my post #new blogger #new blog #blogger #blogging #hello tumblr

[thelaladump]

Hello, swagat hai meri vulnerabilities ke andar

Hello, friends! Welcome back to another week's journey through my Grunts and Gratitudes. This is where I vent a little, celebrate a lot, and share the real ebb and flow of my daily life. Let's unpack this week's trials and triumphs together.

Grunts:

Sudden Heatwave: This week, we abruptly shifted from a cool, comfortable winter to an unexpectedly harsh summer heat. The sudden temperature spike has been jarring, making even simple outdoor tasks feel overwhelmingly hot and sticky. It's like winter handed us over directly to the scorching arms of summer without any warning

Navigating a Man's World: As a woman, moving through spaces that often feel dominated by male presence and perspective can be exhausting and unsettling. There’s a palpable tension, a constant alertness that I have to maintain. It's a stark reminder of the strides we still need to make toward genuine safety and equality

The Exhaustion of Giving: There's a particular kind of tiredness that comes from being a giver. This week, I've felt the weight of continuously extending my energy and care, emotionally and physically. It’s draining to keep pouring parts of yourself into others and tasks, and it has left me feeling depleted, emphasizing the need to find balance in my generosity.

Gratitudes

The Courage to Cry: This week, I found gratitude in my tears—those moments when I allowed myself to just let go and express my vulnerabilities. Crying is not a sign of weakness but a brave act of confronting my feelings head-on, and each tear shed is a step towards healing and strength

Embracing My Emotions: I am deeply thankful for the ability to feel my emotions so intensely and care for them without judgment. Whether it’s joy, sorrow, fear, or excitement, I embrace each emotion, giving myself the space to understand and learn from them. This emotional depth is a gift that continues to shape my resilience and compassion

Self-Love in Solitude: This week, my solitude reminded me of the profound love I have for myself. In moments of quiet, I'm grateful for the company I keep in my own thoughts and feelings, celebrating my own presence as much as I would with someone else. Self-love isn’t just a practice but a state of being that I cherish deeply.

Reflecting on this week’s grunts and gratitudes brings me a sense of balanced perspective—life is indeed a complex tapestry of experiences. Each grunt and gratitude adds a unique thread to this tapestry, enriching my understanding and appreciation of life’s multifaceted nature. Until next time, let’s keep navigating the rough with the smooth, finding strength and joy in the journey. Until next time, stay grateful and take care.

#positive psychology #grunts #gratitude #reframethinking

[bananartista]

RIRIDI! - Entity N° 16015

Laugh again, laugh twice!

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#digital art #emotions #endorphins #eudaimonia #felicità #happiness #joy #laughing #positive psychology

[wtfcl0ud]

ik i say this all the time but the positive shift mood swings are SO underrated bleh also can mood swings to positive emotions be considered a part of positive psychology

#mood swings #positive psychology #cloud nonsense

[les-grenades]

When you find a fault in yourself it will hurt, briefly, but if you keep going and acknowledge the fault, you are likely to be rewarded with a flash of pleasure that is mixed, oddly, with a hint of pride. It is the pleasure of taking responsibility for your own behavior. It is the feeling of honor.

Jonathan Haidt "The Happiness Hypothesis"

#the happiness hypothesis #jonathan haidt #positive psychology #unposted drafts