6 Exercises for Positive Emotions - All in the Mind - Dr Sangeetha Madhu and RK Shivani

6 Exercises for Positive Emotions

1. “Three blessings exercise”

Every day, at the end of the day, write about 3 things – large or small – that went well for you, and why they went well.

This exercise has been shown to improve symptoms of depression over a timeframe of a few months, but really all of us can benefit from reflecting on what went well each day. Experiencing and savouring the moment is a powerful way of connecting with our inner selves in a positive way.

2. Mindfulness

There are various techniques which can be practised to train your brain for mindfulness, some examples include mindful breathing and the full body-scan.

3. Loving-Kindness Meditation

Self-Compassion, a concept introduced and studied extensively by Kristen Neff, is about learning to love and support oneself. This approach of “self-love” has been shown to impact positive emotions towards ourselves, our behaviours and blunders as well as developing loving kindness and compassion for others.

4. Reframing

How we interpret the world around us has an influence on our subjective well-being. Developing skills to deal with adversity helps us become more resilient and positive.

Reivich and Shatté (2002) describe a sequence of steps you can take to examine and reframe negative events, which include:

·        identifying the type of emotion experienced,

·        identifying thinking traps preventing us from seeing the bigger picture,

·        putting our negative thoughts into perspective and

·        taking positive action.

5. Create Positive Experiences

It has been shown that positive experiences, and especially sharing these with others, can have a lasting impact on our emotions.

research has shown that helping others makes us happy, whether it is helping out a colleague, friend or neighbour at short notice, or offering support and volunteering ourselves regularly. Random acts of kindness are an easy and fulfilling way to bring positive emotions into your life.

6. Posture and Presence 

When you are in immediate need of positive emotions, paying attention to your body language and adjusting it accordingly can be beneficial.

 Source : https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/6-positive-emotion-exercises/

Dr Sangeetha Madhu , a clinical psychologist and Leadership expert & Shivani RK presenting articles related to well being, leadership/personal development, cognitive mastery, positive emotions, building resilience, and relationships.