Swirl it around and find it

Set aside 10 minutes before you go to bed each night to write down three things that went really well that day. Next to each event answer the question, “Why did this good thing happen?”

Instead of focusing on life’s lows, which can increase the likelihood of depression, the exercise “turns your attention to the good things in life, so it changes what you attend to,” Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman said. “Consciousness is like your tongue: It swirls around in the mouth looking for a cavity, and when it finds it, you focus on it. Imagine if your tongue went looking for a beautiful, healthy tooth.” Polish it.

~ Julie Scelfo, excerpt from Get Happy: Four Well-Being Workouts (NY Times, April 5, 2017)


Photo: Pinterest

Comments

  1. Great advice about three good things!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Wonderful

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Love, love, love this, pal! Met Marty Seligman years ago when I was at Princeton and was so inspired by his message and approach to life…still am. I’m definitely going to incorporate this into my routine. Thx for another great share. 😉

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Oh I love this. I started with 3 things and now I have much more than 3 thankful good things each day. I love the writing them down idea. This positive energy is so wonderful

    Liked by 1 person

  5. 1. woke up early into a quiet morning
    2. kinder made me a card with heart stickers at school today
    3. saw happy people while walking in the park tonight

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Such a great approach to life! Thank goodness for Seligman …. imagine if Freud was in style!!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I’ve been writing 5 things I’m grateful for before bed for years now…
    It truly does change your perspective!

    Liked by 2 people

  8. I’m Polishing away Mr K! Haven’t had a cavity in years ha 😬😅

    Liked by 2 people

  9. roseanne333 says:

    Loving this, and all the responses.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Yes. But EEUW on the visual! (I’ve been looking inside my mouth a lot lately).

    Liked by 1 person

  11. In my mouth it would be out of luck. But, we should put emphasis on the positive. God knows the negative gets enough press.
    -Alan

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Smart analogy for finding positivity👍

    Like

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