Let’s FLOW out of a Bad Day!
“Breathe. It’s Just a Bad Day, Not a Bad Life” ~ unknown
Before Taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were a little mixed. I wondered if throughout the course we’d analyze how positive our mindset was and honestly, that scared me a little being the pessimistic person I am, but I was also curious to explore what was in it to help me. At the close of the term, I am walking away with valuable insight on ways looking at the brighter side of each day.
Make Time to FLOW into Life
An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about FLOW. The meaning of FLOW is exactly what you would imagine…if someone told me to visualize a picture in my mind of what flow meant, my vision would be that of water gently running downstream and the sound of the water soothing my mind. While experiencing FLOW, your mind is free, you don’t think about what you’re doing…you just go with it. Having a positive mindset leads you to living a healthier lifestyle. Everyone leads a busy life, but I found that it’s important that you make time for FLOW moments to be able to refresh and recharge your mind and your body.
Finding FLOW in Everyday Enjoyment
I’ve never thought about this before taking Positive Psychology and it wasn’t until we were asked to describe something that where we experienced FLOW that I was aware that simple activities that I enjoy such as baking or running provided me with a positive outcome. Having to take the time to think about this made me realize that I had experienced it more than I thought. Looking back, I see how I felt before FLOW, I thought about being in the moment and finally, the sense of satisfaction after completing a task, while leaving all of my troubles behind, made me realize how this made a positive impact on me. While experiencing FLOW, you do just as my vision states…FLOW! There is no level of skill, you don’t think about what you are doing, you don’t have a sense of time and the after effect is so refreshing!
Opening up to Creating a Healthier Life
Positive Psychology opened my eyes to being mindful of my thoughts and the little things that I can do to live a more positive, healthy life. It has also given me the tools I need to be more optimistic. I am in charge of my own thoughts, therefore, I have the power to create a positive and meaningful life. Positive Psychology has reinforced that it takes small steps to achieve your goals and how those small steps are the driving force to strive harder toward bigger goals. It has definitely taught me not to get caught up on cloudy days; look beyond those clouds and whether big or small, you’ll find amazing things!
About the author: Dana Kuoha is a student at Chaminade University, pursuing her degree in Psychology. She loves to spend time with family and hopes one day to go into counseling.