08 Feb 5 Ways to Boost Your Happiness
Want to feel happier and feel more fulfilled? Yes, please!
Now, even more in the land of COVID, where little changes and life feels a bit grittier, we could all use a solid plan to bring on some more joy.
Thankfully we don’t have to figure this out on our own. With 40 years of research, we can look to some solid science to help us flourish and increase feelings of happiness.
You can count them on five fingers with an acronym. P.E.R.M.A., the critical components of flourishing identified by Dr. Martin Seligman. He is known as the founder of Positive Psychology and studied the must-haves for well-being and flourishing for over 40 years. (AND a wee secret-it’s the premise of my upcoming book, Finding Your Joy Spot. Every chapter of the book aligns with a component of PERMA – get on the preorder list here and get some goodies along the way https://leonadevinne.com/findingyourjoyspot/)
The acronym stands for:
P – Positive Emotion
E – Engagement
R – Relationships
M – Meaning
A – Achievement
The science of P.E.R.M.A. is what makes us feel happy and fulfilled.
This week’s Love at Lunch explains the different pieces.
Let’s unpack P.E.R.M.A. a wee bit so you can see the secret sauce behind what makes you feel happy and filled with a sense of well-being.
P – Positive Emotion
This element has perhaps the most apparent connection to happiness. Focusing on positive emotions is more than smiling; it is the ability to remain optimistic and view one’s past, present, and future from an open-minded perspective.
E – Engagement
Activities that meet our need for engagement flood the body with positive neurotransmitters and hormones that elevate one’s sense of well-being. This engagement helps us remain present and synthesizes the activities where we find calm, focus, and joy.
R – Relationships
Relationships and social connections are crucial to meaningful lives. We thrive on connections that promote love, intimacy, and a strong emotional and physical interaction with other humans. Healthy relationships also provide support in difficult times that require resilience.
M – Meaning
An answer as to “why are we on this earth?” is a crucial ingredient that can drive us towards fulfilment. Meaning doesn’t need to come from religion and spirituality. Working for a good company, raising children, volunteering for a more significant cause, and expressing ourselves creatively can also hold meaning.
A – Accomplishments
Having goals and ambition in life can help us achieve things that can give us a sense of accomplishment. You should set realistic goals that you know you can meet. Once you’ve reached the goals, you’ll be filled with a sense of satisfaction, pride, and fulfilment.
Over the next 5 weeks we will look at each component of PERMA in greater detail. It’s going to be delightful!
Heading into the weekend you can be thinking about one of the components of PERMA and start being more intentional about how you can increase your feelings of flourishing in that area.
3 Ways to Increase Your Happiness Today
In the meantime if you want three ways to feel happier today grab my wee course -3 Ways to Increase Your Happiness Today: https://leona-devinne.teachable.com/p/3-ways-to-increase-your-happiness-today It’s only $7.99 It’s the same price of a fancy cup of coffee and way more joy inducing than a bottle of wine for that price-take my word about the wine ;))
Lots of love to you all! xo
Leona
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