It can be hard to stay positive and upbeat in the midst of dissertation work.
Yet, being able to stay in a positive place brings all kinds of health, relationship, and productivity benefits.
The monthly Centre for Applied Positive Psychology newsletter brings a nice exercise for savouring. Savouring is one good way — along with gratitude journals and heart coherence and some others — to increase your overall “happiness index”.
So take a read and see which of their suggestions resonates for you today.
(And tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that….well, you get my drift.)
Savouring Great Moments
It’s that time of year where subtle changes are taking place all around us… the weather is brighter and warmer, friends and family are taking holiday breaks, and it’s the end of exams for students. It marks the start of a new season! So how can you truly make the most of it all?
Savouring enables us to enhance our enjoyment of life. Fred Bryant tells us that positive events in themselves do not make us happy, but the way in which we experience and respond to positive events does. We can savour in three ways: reminiscing or looking back and enjoying an event again in our memories, enjoying the present moment, and anticipation or looking forward to an event.
Below are 10 Top Tips for savouring by Bryant . This season, why don’t you pick the ones that suit you… and truly make the most of that summer holiday!1. Take a mental photograph of great moments
2. Acknowledge and enjoy your achievements
3. Sharpen your sensory perceptions – focus on one sense at a time
4. Jump up and down, smile and laugh!
5. Make positive comparisons
6. Get absorbed in the moment
7. Cultivate gratitude
8. Remind yourself how fleeting life is and appreciate what you have now
9. Avoid kill-joy thinking
10. Share good feelings with others