Positive psychology is currently very popular, and taking into account that it is still a relatively new discipline, people often talk about it without knowing exactly what it is about or what its methods consist of.
In this article we are going to review some of the best positive psychology techniques out there and we will also review the concepts related to this paradigm of psychology, so that the reader can know exactly what it is about and in what areas it can be used.
Positive psychology techniques seek to provide an alternative for psychological well-being that does not focus so much on combating mental disorders related to sadness, depression and other maladaptive ways that some people have of leading their daily lives, but rather concentrates their efforts in enhance those healthy psychological dynamics that are already present in the individual.
This area of psychology is relatively new, it only emerged in 1998, which is why even today there is a certain degree of confusion regarding its contributions and functions within the field of behavioral sciences.
The main objective of positive psychology is that people learn to change the perspective with which they see reality, moving towards a more positive and adaptive perspective of the life. Well applied, it can make those individuals with a tendency to poorly manage their efforts and time make better use of their potential when it comes to providing well-being.
Positive psychology techniques can be used to improve the living conditions of a patient or a psychotherapy client. Although it is not enough to completely abandon negative habits, it is effective to change some dysfunctional thought patterns.
positive psychology It is not about ignoring problems or evading them ; On the contrary, it tries to provide appropriate ways to deal with these negative circumstances.
Sometimes it happens that people perceive problems as bigger than they really are, and this causes them distress. To counteract irrational negativity, positive psychology emerges, which in short tries to prevent us from drowning in a glass of water. It teaches us to see the good side of things without downplaying problems.
The best positive psychology techniques
Now we will see a list with some of the best positive psychology techniques to improve the quality of life. Most of them are used in psychotherapy but its most basic and simple principles can be applied by the user in their own home.
1. Self-reinforcement
In many cases, people tend to punish themselves when things do not go the way they expected; It is a behavior in which the subject focuses only on the bad in an exaggerated way, coming to think that he has no chance of being good at what he proposes.
The self-reinforcement technique in positive psychology consists of being our own motivator, reinforcing our character with positive phrases and ideas based on the good things we can do.
For example, if you are good at writing, playing an instrument, or any other area of experience, praise yourself for it and enjoy it.
This training consists of modify the way we internalize successes and failures.
Many times we are unable to fully rejoice in our success, but when we fail at something we sink into lamentations. The ideal is to learn to enjoy our good moments, and give ourselves the credit we deserve.
Especially when it comes to failure, we must be objective. If it was our responsibility, it is necessary to accept it, but understanding that it is a temporary circumstance, which does not have to be repeated always.
3. Laughter sessions
Humor is a great way to reduce daily stress.
When we are at an early age of development we tend to laugh more often than when we reach adolescent age, and this statistic decreases even more in adulthood. In positive psychology we seek recover this source of pleasant emotions through group laughter therapy sessions where participants learn to laugh a little at themselves and take away the tragic burden of their problems, being able to look for more adaptive methods to solve them.
4. Get an animal companion
Pets represent a significant source of affection when we take responsibility for them and learn to love them. Having a pet allows us develop the most empathetic side of ourselves while strengthening our responsibility in general terms.
5. Visualization
Visualization is a technique used to familiarize people with positive situations and normalize them. Consists in imagine pleasant scenarios where we find ourselves doing activities that we enjoy.
It is advisable to perform this technique before going to sleep, so that we can have the possibility of accessing pleasant dreams and having a better quality of rest. For example, imagine that we are walking on a clear beach and we are totally relaxed after having achieved something we want.
First of all, we must be able to identify our recurring negative thoughts. Sometimes it is a good idea to go to psychotherapy so that a psychology professional can help us determine what they are, given that sometimes these thoughts are unconscious.
Once we know what our recurring negative thoughts are, we will begin to refute them using logic. It is about answering ourselves to each negative thought we have, in an accurate way and where we give an effective solution to each one.
7. Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques are part of the various positive psychology techniques used to prepare the person for a new way of seeing things. It is easier for the subject to assimilate and internalize ideas positively when he or she is relaxed.
An effective way to achieve this is through Bernstein and Borkovec Progressive Relaxation. It consists of guiding the person through the steps of their breathing while suggesting pleasant scenarios to think about.
