Everyone should focus on their mental health, even when they don’t have a mental illness. To support your mental health, consider using the power of positive psychology to proactively boost your feelings of happiness.

Positive psychology focuses on positive emotions and personal strengths. This includes focusing on our character strengths, optimistic emotions, and constructive institutions. This practice is based on the belief that happiness stems from both emotional and mental factors. I found myself at a point of exhaustion in parenting and in my personal life 7 years ago which led me to create my non-profit organization, LIFE

As part of the development of the organization, I was looking for how to find and maintain happiness. I was looking for ways to find lasting happiness, fulfillment and enlightenment in my life. It was then that I came across the work and research of Martin Seligman, PhD in positive psychology – which he established in 1998 when he gave his presidential address at American Psychology. Association (APA). His heart topics include happiness, well-being, resilience, fluidity and mindfulness. Due to his research, Dr. Seligman is now widely regarded as the father of modernity. Positive psychology. As part of his research, he identified five elements that are important for happiness – positive emotions, commitment, relationships, meaning and achievement. The acronym for these items, PERMA, is the term they most often refer to.

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Positive psychology does not focus on dysfunctions, deficits or improving weaknesses. It can complement rather than replace traditional psychotherapy. Personally, I have found this to be a more effective approach to coaching doctors, nurses and students. Studies evaluating the results of interventions using positive psychology have been mostly small and short term, however, I believe in doing this and supporting people from a place of positivity to help them build their strengths and get rid of their shortcomings.

I support my mental health even today by incorporating a gratitude journal, using Dr. Seligman’s gratitude visit practice, visualizing my future achievements with Best Possible Self exercise, measuring my daily enjoyment and strengths with the work of daily strength awareness and incorporating mindfulness meditation.

For more information on how to incorporate these practices, visit: https://positivepsychology.com/positive-psychology-examples/

Dr. Seligman found that if he supported highly functional patients by helping them find positive emotions, commitment, relationships, meaning and achievement through these exercises that they could achieve great levels of success and happiness. He found that they only needed minimal support and the little nudges that have worn them so far. He found it much more rewarding and successful than focusing on people’s dysfunctions and deficiencies.

Focus on the positive experiences, positive individual traits, and positive institutions, takes the individual much further and helps guide him towards the development and meaning of his work and his life. I wanted to create an organization that focuses on the positive attributes of its members, supports their needs and well-being by providing education, community, mentorship and philanthropy. This is what I believe that I created with LIFE, and I hope to maintain it because I believe that there is no better time than the present moment to support our community.

Please check our organization on social media and our website to learn more and see what we are doing! We need and appreciate all the support we can get from our community to share it.

I encourage you to support our mission at LIFE – we would love to involve you so that we can continue to support our community. For more information on the organization, visit www.livingenlightenment.life or follow Facebook.

To learn more about positive psychology and to take the Personal Strengths Test as well as to gauge your overall happiness and optimism to see where you are now and to monitor your progress, visit https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/.

Dr. Mara Windsor is an emergency physician, philanthropist and wellness advocate. As a former clinical site manager and director of education who is now the head of wellness for her group of physicians at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Hospitals it serves as a leader in the medical industry. It also serves as Aassociate professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix and clinical assistant professor at Midwestern University AZCOM. Seven years ago, she founded LIFE (Living in Fulfilled Enlightenment), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of professionals. Throughout the pandemic, the association has supported frontline workers, provided virtual wellness crisis support, and organized health-focused events and conferences to help improve health outcomes. well-being of the community.