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New research on positive psychology exercises has found several ways to give your happiness a boost and lessen your depression. If you are trying to manage your stress better, lift some of the holiday blues, or simply become a bit happier, pick one of these seven exercises and try it for a week.
- One door closes, and another door opens: Consider a moment in your life when a negative event led to positive consequences you were not expecting. Write about this each day.
- Gift of time: Offer the “gift” of your time to three different people this week. This might be in the form of time spent, helping someone around their house, or sharing a meal with someone lonely. These “gifts” should be in addition to your planned activities.
- Counting kindness: Keep a log of all the kind acts you do on a particular day. Jot them down by the end of each day.
- Three funny things: Write down the three funniest things that you experienced or participated in each day; also write about why the funny thing happened (for example, was it something you created, something you observed, something spontaneous?)
- Gratitude letter or visit: Write a letter of gratitude to someone who has had a positive influence on you. If feasible, you might consider delivering the letter to the person. [It is important to first weigh the pros and cons of delivering such a letter.]
- Three good things: Jot down three things that went well for you each day and give an explanation as to why these good things occurred.
- Use your signature strengths in a new way: This is the most popular of all positive psychology exercises. Take this survey that asks you about your character strengths. Choose one of your highest strengths (your signature strengths) and use it in a new way each day.
Caveats
- If you don’t like the idea of writing these exercises out, consider having a planned discussion each day for a week about the exercise with someone in your life.
- Make sure you practice the exercise for a full week. Take notice of the impact it has on you.
References
Gander, F., Proyer, R. T., Ruch, W., & Wyss, T. (2012). Strength-based positive interventions: Further evidence for their potential in enhancing well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies.
Related studies and sources with similar exercises:
Mitchell, J., Stanimirovic, R., Klein, B., & Vella-Brodrick, D. (2009). A randomised controlled trial of a self-guided internet intervention promoting well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 749–760.
Mongrain, M., & Anselmo-Matthews, T. (2012).Do positive psychology exercises work? A replication of Seligman et al. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(4).
Niemiec, R. M., & Wedding, D. (2013). Positive psychology at the movies 2: Using films to build virtues and character strengths. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.
Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K., & Fredrickson, B. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindness intervention. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(3), 361–375.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rashid, T., & Anjum, A. (2008). Positive psychotherapy for young adults and children. In J. R. Z. Abela & B. L. Hankin (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents: Causes, treatment, and prevention (pp. 250–287). New York: Guilford.
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410–421.
