Learning to appreciate the small can be big

Learning to appreciate the small can be big

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh” Before Taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were: Always up for the challenge, and I was thinking I could use what I learned to help other that I come across in my life. An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about….. (The Small Wins Habit) Seeing and appreciating one small success at a time I can’t wait to finish school I know it will take one class at a time. This same principle is shared in the book, “Habits and Happiness.” When we achieve a goal, our body releases a happy chemical of dopamine that makes us feel good about ourselves. This means even if we finish a small part of our bigger goal our minds and bodies still release some dopamine. Small wins fuel the fire and keep us going Small wins help us in continuing and motivate us to finish something we started. Positive Psychology opened my eyes to… (Explain what it was you learned about the topic, what it has come to mean to you and how it will be part of your life. What opened my eyes in Positive Psychology is that I need to be proud of the small accomplishments that I do. I think society puts some much pressure on school. I thankful that I took this class because I use to think I was dumb because I didn’t have a college degree. But I can still do things that make me happy and that’s all that matters. One day I hope to finish my degree...
Learning to appreciate the small can be big

Live life to the Fullest Everyday, You Only Have One Life!

You may not be able to control every situation and its outcome, but you can control your own attitude and how  you deal with it. Before taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were: that positive psychology is about thinking “happy thoughts”. An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about…..how much control I have of MY happiness. People experience hard times in their life on a daily basis. Four years ago, I thought my world was destroyed. My husband lay in the hospital bed, lifeless. He suffered his first stroke at the age of 38 years old. He could no longer talk or communicate with me like we were used to. He suffered from aphasia, which is a condition that short circuits the brain and does not allow the person to communicate freely through oral or written communication. Two days later, he suffered a second stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side. My husband could no longer talk and now walk. I cried and cried as I sat in that hospital room as he lay in the bed. What was I going to do? He was the strongest man I knew and my superman was now disabled. Using the power of self-motivation and control in tough times Positive psychology is about being able to control your thoughts, feelings and emotions to find the strength to get better. I had to learn quickly that I was in control. I was in control of my thoughts and actions that could help my husband get better. By understanding how strong my thoughts, feelings and emotions were, I was able...
Learning to appreciate the small can be big

Finding a New Self-appreciation “I love me!”

Love Yourself  “Stop hating yourself for everything you aren’t and start loving yourself for everything that you are”.             Before Taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were: Before taking this course I was really thinking that “man I was a positive person already what would make me even more positive?”. I didn’t think I had to change, and boy after taking this class I learned a lot about myself. Finding a new self-appreciation An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about….. Myself. I think often times we don’t love ourselves, we don’t trust ourselves, don’t accept ourselves and who we are and really an Ah-ha moment was realizing that we are to hard on ourselves sometimes. We need to love ourselves , take care ourselves, and enjoy the little the things we have an appreciate it. I feel like we get so caught up in society where we need to go to school , go to college, get a good job, and provide for our family, but that’s not how life is we need to live in the moment not in the past or the future , but the present. Enjoy the things you have and appreciate the beauty in front of you. Life is too short not to appreciate what you got. Happy to be me Positive Psychology opened my eyes to… I learned not to be so hard on myself. You have to first love yourself before loving anyone else. I feel at times our standards and who we look up to is not realistic, and that we shouldn’t put...
Learning to appreciate the small can be big

Resilience~More than just bouncing back, It’s growing Stronger!

“You never fail until you stop trying.”- Albert Einstein Before Taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were to be open-minded about what Positive Psychology had to offer. After taking Psychology last semester I was excited to see what this course was going to be about. Reading the title for the first time I knew that it had to do with bringing positivity in our life, but I did not know how. The only thing I knew before taking Positive Psychology was that I needed to come into the classroom with a clear mind and open up to what the course had to offer. Finding a new meaning of resilience: bounce back An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about resilience. Since serving in the military, resiliency was something that was always mentioned in a classroom or even in the shop. I knew that resiliency meant that you are able to bounce back from a difficult situation and you were able to perform your duties as a soldier or supervisor to the fullest. One thing that I was able to go in-depth about resilience is that it wasn’t just about bouncing back, rather it was about growing stronger as a person. Positive Psychology opened my eyes to accept the circumstances and become a stronger person. Bouncing back and growing stronger One thing that I learned about resiliency is that it’s not just about bouncing back, but rather I was growing stronger as a person from whatever it was that I was facing. Resilience is something that I hold deep in my heart because no matter what the situation I...
Learning to appreciate the small can be big

Revelation of Education: My Strengths are Unique

“Psychology is more than just a subject or theory to me, it is a foundation for how I go through life and from which I learn and grow”. The growing field of Positive Psychology is based on the science of happiness and of individual strengths. Learning my unique strengths and tools to build on those strengths and to improve my weaknesses are found all throughout Positive Psychology. As I learn to adapt to change and stress, I find myself more relaxed and more prepared to combat challenges from a positive, mindful, and productive mindset. This is important as I care about how I represent myself through challenges and to individuals I love and respect. I love my family and that gives me great motivation for self-improvement. I believe a day without learning or working towards a better self is a day wasted. There is always room to grow. Before taking Positive Psychology Before taking Positive Psychology, I struggled implementing positive habits and breaking negative ones. I often found myself using commonly acceptable excuses for those bad habits, such as there is not enough time in the day or I have no energy.  However, while taking Positive Psychology, I learned about the power of triggers, trigger-blockers, and mindfulness. Triggers are an activation or reminder to complete a goal and create a habit. Trigger blockers are the prevention or reminder not to engage in a negative habit. Mindfulness is a state of mind that focuses on the present and to relax. For instance, there is the story of the man struggling to walk up the stream. He passes a wise man...
Learning to appreciate the small can be big

Mindfulness and Self-Love

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe,deserve your love and affection” Buddha Before taking Positive Psychology Before taking Positive Psychology all I could really think of how this class might help me improve my current and future life. Honestly, I didn’t know how it would change my mind set or heal my emotions but I was eager to find out. For the past few months or so I have been on a ‘spiritual journey’ trying to find peace from my past mistakes, live in the present moment and eventually find meaning in my life. The one book I started reading but still haven’t finished is The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle. This book helped me refocus my energy and the present moment, appreciating life and everything and everyone around me. But that light slowly dimmed, life caught up with me and I had to put my head back in the books, majority of my time went to homework and a full time job, putting most of my free time aside. The one part that didn’t seem too dreary was this course, Positive Psychology. Once I felt overwhelmed with my other two courses I signed on to e-college and found sanctuary in this class. Finding mindfulness and self-love An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about mindfulness. Since I previously took Health and Stress and read Ekhart Tolle’s book I couldn’t help but instantly connect with this topic. Honestly, mindfulness was not easy for me to practice but the one thing that helped was attending my bikram yoga class, I was able to clear my mind...