Life can be difficult. Most of us experience, to some degree, anxiety, depression, loneliness, failure and isolation. We live in challenging times, and our happiness and sense of fulfillment often depends on how we respond to these challenges.

Positive Psychology has been gaining traction among psychotherapists. In this, my last article of 2022, I will share some of its basic principles, with the hope that next year will be more positive and joyous for all of us.

Positive psychology teaches that we can impact our happiness and well-being by resetting the bias we often have toward the negative, and moving it to the positive. It focuses on working towards positive emotions, becoming more engaged in life, finding meaning and purpose, building and managing relationships, and finding joy in accomplishments.

Let’s remember to concentrate on what is working well in our lives, and to build on that. There is sadness, and there is joy. (This year, just three weeks after my mother passed on, my first grandchild was born.)

While it is critical that we learn from our challenging experiences, it’s where we ultimately put the emphasis that truly matters. Author Mandy Hale writes: “Happiness doesn’t have to be chased…it merely has to be chosen,” and another (unknown) author writes: “Happiness is not having what you want. It is appreciating what you have.”

In short, positive psychology teaches you to:

• Focus on your strengths.

• Journal your positive experiences. At the end of the day, write down three positive things that happened to you that day, and explore why.

• Be grateful. There is a growing body of evidence which ties gratitude practices to wellbeing, life satisfaction, mood, sleep, and relationships. Write about gratitude for others or for positive events every day, in order to lift mood and life satisfaction, and to create a greater connection to others.

• Show gratitude. Express your gratitude to the benefactors in person.

• Work on skills to increase positivity. We can all do this through many books on the subject, internet searches, or even by finding a positive psychology therapist.

I wish you a year of health, happiness and personal fulfillment.