Tag: mindfulness

  • My Daily Joys ₊˚⛅.ೃ࿔*:🌻･

    Daily writing prompt
    What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
    View all responses

    I try to find joy in the little things. My inclination toward positive psychology encourages me to notice and nurture happiness in everyday moments. In this field, happiness is often seen as having two essential components: feeling good, and engaging in meaningful activities that foster personal growth and fulfilment.

    One of my simplest pleasures is watching the sunrise in silence. I love observing the morning sky as it shifts from crimson to red, then saffron to orange. Waking up to a sky already bright yellow makes me feel as though I’ve missed an important event. I admit, it leaves me a little grumpy. When I do catch the sunrise, I take a pause, thinking of nothing in particular, absorbing the beauty. It fills me with a sense of renewal, like the day holds fresh promise.

    Another small joy is scrolling through my phone—especially when it feels earned. After finishing a task, I allow myself a short break, telling myself I’ll relax for fifteen minutes. Of course, those fifteen minutes often stretch into thirty. Still, that time feels like a gentle reward: a mix of catching up, browsing, and unwinding.

    I also cherish the moments when I lie in bed with a book in hand. Sometimes I read, sometimes I drift off within minutes—there’s no guarantee. But the comfort of that quiet pause is enough.

    And whenever I can manage, which is not very often, I like to practice Yog Nidra. It’s so rejuvenating!

    Music is another constant companion. Every day, there’s usually one song playing on a loop in my mind, and I find myself humming it throughout the day. That, for me, is a sign of happiness. In fact, if I’m not humming while going about my mundane life, my family starts to wonder if something is wrong! ◡̈

    Yet, of all these small joys, nothing brings me greater fulfilment than writing. I am no great writer, yet the act of writing gives me immense satisfaction. And again! Enhancing life satisfaction is a fundamental focus of positive psychology (oh, can’t keep it out of my thoughts). Even composing a simple email can feel meaningful. When I haven’t written for a few days, I notice the absence—I feel restless, a little joyless, and somewhat unanchored.

    These everyday moments may seem ordinary, but together, they create a life that feels rich, mindful, and quietly joyful.

  • Make Space for Happiness

    ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble. ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Benjamin Franklin

    🧠The above quote contains a wealth of wisdom and the essence of strength-focused positive psychology.

    ๋࣭⭑Before I discuss the above aphorism, I’d like to draw your attention to a piece of information related to neuroscience. In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article regarding research about human thoughts per day. The average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those 95% are exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before and about 80% are negative. (Source: 22 Facts About the Brain By Julia Burket)

    ๋࣭⭑Two points need highlighting.⭑One, most of our thoughts are repetitive. ⭑⭑Two, most of our thoughts are negative. So, choosing happiness would mean a mindshift and being aware of our thoughts. In the light of the above facts the advice that Franklin offers holds significant merit. Let’s analyse what advice does this aphorism offer.

    ๋࣭⭑The first part suggests ✦ ‘Write the injuries in dust.’── .✦ What will happen if we do so? The sand of time would heal our wounds. Just as no mark, however deep, made on the sand stays there for long, our wounds will also heal soon if we let them. The past can only hurt as much as we let it. And we let it by not making a conscious effort to stop our repetitive thoughts about the painful past. If we don’t cling to our hurtful experiences and  let go of hurt, it can be easily erased like writing in dust. The basic idea is that we should not allow grudges or offenses be permanently stored in your mind or heart. 🌿

    ๋࣭⭑Write ✦Your benefits in marble ── .✦This part of the quote encourages us to remember the kindnesses, blessings, and good deeds we receive and cherish eternally. We should treasure good things. We should dwell on the happy experiences a little more, a little longer. The memory of positive events creates positive emotions that’s why those memories should be permanent like etching on marble.

    ๋࣭⭑How do we write our benefits in marble? Positive psychology answers. Practice gratitude. This would redirect our repetitive thoughts in the positive direction. To quote Martin Seligman ✦Happy people remember more good events than actually happened, and they forget more of the bad events. Depressed people, in contrast, are accurate about both── .✦ If we hold on to the good things in life, remember them often and treasure happy memories forever, it would be ike a benefit etched in marble which cannot be erased. 🍃

    ๋࣭⭑Do you see, that the quote above so completely aligns with the core ideas of rather modern positive psychology.ᐟ.ᐟ It was actually written in 18th C .ᐟ.ᐟ The point I’m trying to make is that positive psychology existed even before it came recognised as a subfield of psychology (1998)！ Psychology itself became its own discipline only in late 19th C when the first psychology laboratory was opened in Germany！And it shouldn’t surprise us as gravity existed even before Newton gave it a name and the theory that Gravity is the force by which earth or other planets attract objects. 💡

    ✱About Benjamin Franklin to whom the quote belongs. He is known as one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, lived in 18th C. He was a writer, inventor, stateman, publisher and a philosopher. He wielded great influence on American psyche at the time when social influencer were not known.

    🎤Over to you. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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