“In a relationship, when communication starts to fade, everything else follows.”
Before Taking Positive Psychology I was not sure what to expect. I thought the class would be about how to have a more positive attitude and outlook on life. This class taught me many great things from breaking bad habits, hope, temperament, and personality, to FLOW, emotional behavior, and creativity. Positive psychology pushed me to look more within myself to find the things that may need a bit more work.
An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about HABITS. I have found myself in quite the rut as of late, and to study and learn about changing habits was very POSITIVE for me. I learned that habits are more than just the things we do day in and day out. Habits are behaviors that take little to no thought process. For example, like brushing our teeth or taking the same route to and from work every day. Habits can be as easy to break as they are to keep, it is merely whether you want to change or not.
Make it a Habit to Engage in the Conversation
Habits and communication go hand in hand. There is a statement I have heard in the past, “keep your ears open and your mouth shut”. “Communication skills are essential for empathizing with others, for understanding their concerns, and for setting the stage for interpersonal problem solving” (Carr, A Pg. 175). I am sure we all have had or tried to have, a conversation with the type of person that likes to rule the conversation, constantly cutting you off, or wanting to interject their two sense. These types of bad habits can make communication nearly impossible. The text points out the importance of listening carefully and briefly summarizing what you have heard to be sure you understand.
Really Hearing Someone makes a Difference
My reason for choosing this topic is it is one that I have worked on with myself. Changing my habits with communication and actually hearing to understand and learn instead of just listening to what others are saying. As with many of the other topics I have learned from this class, habits and communication are topics I will share with others. Ensuring we keep the good habits and discard the bad and work daily to enhance our communication skills will make us all better in our day to day lives.
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” –Mother Theresa
About the author: Rebekah Leonard is a full-time student at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is a retired Vet working on attaining her BS in Psychology. Following this achievement, she plans to pursue her Master’s in Psychology with a concentration in mental health. Her dream is to one day work with fellow female vets
I wholeheartedly agree with you that mindful listening and communicating can bring a whole new level of awareness. It’s also important to be mindful of our self judgments during the process of changing habits – kindness and compassion to self for our imperfections make change easier.