Positivity & Resilience

By Mark Evans

In his book - 'Flourish' - Martin Seligman, an academic and founder of the Positive Psychology movement, identifies the key elements that contribute to authentic happiness and getting the most out of life.

He also illustrates the power of a positive mindset in overcoming challenges.

There are 5 elements. Each can be measured independently, and each contributes to overall well-being.

Positive emotion - feeling good about life. Enjoying whatever it is you are doing be it family, friends, good food, sport. Pleasure for pleasure's sake.

Engagement/Interest - being completely absorbed by what you are doing. Think of a time when you were so engaged in an activity that time stood still and you were focused only on the project in front of you.

Meaning - having a sense that you are contributing to something bigger than yourself. Feeling that what you do in life has purpose and value.

Accomplishment - winning for winning's sake. It is perfectly natural and healthy to pursue success.

Positive Relationships - other people. The best experiences take place around other people. Doing a kindness produces the single most reliable increase in well-being of any tested exercise.

The trick is to recognise how well you score against each of the 5 elements. Accentuate the positive and work out how to develop the others - at home, at work, wherever.

Positive Psychology, Seligman argues, makes you happier. Its benefits include self-esteem, optimism and resilience.

We may need all of those and more in the coming months!