Positive Psychology focuses on daily practices in order to heighten eternal happiness and inner joy. Clients often tell me they have the things that they need, career, spouse, house, children, 401K, etc. but often feels empty and unfulfilled. Inner Joy and Happiness does not reside in possessions and assets. Amidst the daily hustle and bustle and commitments to family and job happiness over time can slowly erode. Happiness becomes a daily journey of purposefully re-fueling your emotional gas tank. The Positive Psychology Researchers indicates that a few daily practice can enhance overall inner peace and joy. The happiest people report:
- A More Positive Life Outlook
- More Harmonious Relationships
- Increased Self Esteem
- Reduced Health Complications
- More Fulfilling and Success Careers
You can begin a daily ritual in order to bolster self-esteem and inner joy by practicing these three exercises:
Exercise #1: Count kindness gestures
Keep a record of all the kind acts that you do in a particular day or witness on any one particular day. For instance a person holding the door open for another person, Witnessing a Stranger stopping to say “hello” to another. Count your own Kindness gestures throughout the day as you leave a homeless person your spare change, Take a moment to say a kind word to a service person as they are serving you. Counting Kindness helps to remind you that the world you live in can be an awesome place! Sometimes moving from activity to activity and listening to news bites we get left with the message that the world is a cruel and difficult place. When we take purposeful time to observe our own kindness and others it begins to slowly changes our perspective and adds to our own positive outlook of the world and elevate our own sense of happiness in the world
Exercise #2: Practice Kindness to Self
On a daily basis be deliberate, choose foods that feels better to your body. Use exercise as a means to move stagnant energy in your body to more revitalized energy. Begin by also visualizing the love you want and clearly articulating what that love will look like. Close your eyes and visualize your new life with all the changes you desire and on a daily basis begin to use this imagery to guide you through your day. Your brain does not know the difference between a visualization and a memory, capitalize on this by using your visualizations to create your new life imagery.
Exercise #3: Re-Tell Your Story
We often tell ourselves self-defeating stories based on our past trauma, emotional pain and current reality. The story that will guide us into a better life, however, is a more positive well-defined story. Divorce your old story. Focus on how you can affirm yourself in a positive, self descriptive way. Instead of saying “I’m Broke” consider saying “I’m in between funds” Instead of saying my father did not choose me say instead my father had trouble in loving himself so therefore he was unable to love me the way I deserved to be love.
Practice these 3 exercises everyday and notice the shift that begins to show up in your life!
Namaste!
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Monique West is the Program Director and Founder of Awaken The Power Therapy in Milford, CT. Monique believes that all the answers for a person to gear their lives in a powerful direction is trapped within them. Monique uses a strength based approach to guide clients to tap into their own inner power. Ms. West has worked as a therapist at America's largest non-profit voluntary mental health organization, Jewish Boards of Family & Children Services (JBFCS) where she has fine-tuned her expertise providing service to families, couples, & children. You can find out more about Monique and Awaken The Power Therapy at www.awakenthepower.org