Harvard’s #1 Class is on Positivity

by Psyguy on January 14, 2011 · 0 comments

in happiness,positive psychology,Psychology and You


by: Suzanne De Cornelia

Harvard University’s most popular class is ‘Positive Psychology’ about living a rich, full and abundant life. Since research proves positive people are longer living, healthier and higher functioning, students maintain a nightly diary for six months to record what was positive in that day to stay focused on the high points. They learn to take short meditation breaks throughout the day to focus on their breathing to release tension from their bodies. They discover that how we think about events is often more important than what actually occurs. It’s not ‘it happened for the best,’ but ‘how can I make the best of what happened?’ And yes, they learn to stop and smell the roses.

Here’s the Harvard course distilled into tips you can put to use today:

-Happiness lies at the intersection of what is meaningful and enjoyable. Find a way to use your passion for purpose, profit, and pleasure.

-Happiness is dependent on your state of mind. You are today where your thoughts brought you and will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. Recognize, accept and get to the root of your human emotions of anxiety, sadness, fear for the messages there, rather than deny them.

-Simplify! Instead of a ‘To Do List’ have a ‘To Become List.’ Just say no to time fillers and buying lots of things that clutter and don’t enhance life.

-Fortify mind-body wellness: Eat fresh healthy foods, get regular exercise, and refreshing sleep. Be affirmative in your thoughts and words.

-Express gratitude: Focus and savor the beautiful, good and true things in life.

-Ask yourself: What is the one moment from your entire life that you would choose to live with in eternity. Knowing it gives you a key to what it takes to make your life happy and worthwhile.

© 2008-2012-Suzanne de Cornelia. http://suzannedecornelia.com All worldwide rights apply. This article may be reprinted on websites as long as the entire article, including website link and resource box are included and unchanged. Suzanne is a UCLA Writing program grad, author of a novel novel “French Heart” and provides ghost writing and Web 2.0 services. Contact Suzanne on FaceBook, follow her on Twitter @SuzanneDeC, or on her site.

Similar Calgary Psychologists News:

  1. Let the Umbrella of Positivity Defend Negativity
  2. Positivity Creates Rather Than Ruins Productivity
  3. Increasing Happiness With Positive Psychology, NLP and Hypnosis
  4. A New Branch of Psychology Called Positive Psychology Focuses On The Bright Side
  5. Positive Discipline, Positive Thoughts, and Contributing Positivity

Previous post:

Next post: