One of the biggest reasons people feel frustrated is because they’re dwelling on the negative rather than noticing the positive. You can change your life for the better when you focus on what makes you happier.
Contrary to popular belief, happiness is rarely accidental, nor is it the result of achieving your goals. It’s usually the result of consistently making the right decisions to optimize your well-being.
This is the approach Martin Seligman adopted when he founded the field of Positive Psychology. Traditionally, psychologists concentrate on a client’s mental and emotional problems. Peterson, a contributor to the new movement, defined Positive Psychology as “the scientific study of what makes life worth living.”
Here are three questions you can ask to steer your life in the right direction:
What Kind of Rewarding Work Can I Do?
Since we spend most of our time working for a living, we might as well find a job doing something we enjoy.
If, for example, you’re a healthcare professional, say, a nurse, then you might have chosen that career because you want to help people. Unfortunately, after working in the same hospital for years, you might find the job unfulfilling. What should you do? Quit nursing?
There is a better solution: work for a medical staffing company. Organizations like Fusion Medical Staffing allow healthcare professionals to make lifestyle choices. If you want to work less, get a short contract, perhaps 6 weeks. Conversely, if you’re going to work more, possibly 6 months, get a lengthy contract. Similarly, you can stay in one geographical area or work in different parts of the country.
If you love being a healthcare professional but also need the convenience of flexible contracts or the stimulation of different environments, then consider working for a staffing agency rather directly for an employer.
How Can I Feel Better?
Two sustainable ways of feeling better mentally, emotionally, and physically, is to fall in love with exercising and eating healthy foods.
Our bodies consume and use fuel. When we eat healthy meals, we consume high-quality fuel. When we exercise correctly, we expend energy, build muscle, and burn fat.
Although this is common sense, most people dislike the strenuous efforts of exercise because it makes them feel uncomfortable, and they dislike eating healthy foods because these often taste bland.
You can move past inertia by finding an exercise that you enjoy. When you choose the right practice, you’ll look forward to working out. If you like stretching, try yoga. If you don’t like lifting weights, try callisthenics. And if you find exercise annoying, then try a sport.
You can start making better food choices by keeping the flavors you like and changing the composition of food, eating at good restaurants that serve healthy meals, or educating yourself about nutrition and food preparation.
How Can I Overcome My Loneliness?
Isolation and loneliness have become more prevalent in our time because it is possible to use technology to limit direct human interactions. You can easily hide behind a screen when conversing or just talk on the phone.
However, human beings are hard-wired to seek social interaction, and you need to make friends and have real conversations in person to feel a sense of connection.
Some ways to make more friends include finding people who share your interests, engaging with people without high expectations, and accepting other people without trying to change them.
Positive Psychology focuses on human flourishing. The best way to make the lifestyle changes you desire to enjoy a happier life is to ask better questions about your work, your general well-being, and your relationships. The small changes you make will begin to add up.