This page includes resources, activities, and tools from positive psychology that help you support your mental health and well-being even during challenging times. Do you want support as you experiment with these practices? Connect with a liveWELL Health Coach to get started.
Positive Psychology
"Positive psychology is the study of what constitutes the pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life." - Martin Seligman, founding father of Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology can help you foster a more positive mindset, buffer negative emotions and stress, protect your mental well-being and build positive self-growth during challenges.
The PERMA model is a framework developed by Martin Seligman, and it describes five essential elements of well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.
Positive Emotions
- Practice gratitude
- Identify your positive emotions – 3 Good Things
- Practice affirmations (self-compassion)
- Participate in small acts of kindness
- Supportive Touch Exercise
- Mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation
- Nominate a Wellness Hero
Engagement
- Participate in an activity you love. Remove distractions so you have more energy to focus and engage.
- Explore your character strengths. You can take the free VIA Character
Strengths Survey. - Bonus: Find an activity that you love that requires you to use your character strengths.
- Practice mindfulness and being in the present moment.
- Spend time in nature.
Relationships
- Connect with family or friends regularly. Get to know your coworkers. Ask them to share a favorite accomplishment or story from their life.
- Message a loved one and tell them how much you appreciate them.
- Invite friends, family, or coworkers to share a meal or refreshment.
- Join a class or group that interests you.
- Volunteer in your community.
- Express gratitude.
Meaning
- Journal and reflect on your personal values and life goals.
- Spend your time with people you care about.
- Be curious on how you can share your passion with others.
- Identify a cause or organization that matters to you. How can you help?
Accomplishment
- Write down SMART goals for what you want to accomplish. Make sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound.
- Reflect on a previous challenge and how you overcame it.
- Celebrate your accomplishments.
Recharge+
Looking for tips and strategies to help build resiliency? Sign up for Recharge+, a text-based resiliency-boosting program! Recharge+ is designed to help you identify and build the skills you need to bounce back from whatever life throws your way.
Campus Resources
- Seek support and assistance from an EAP counselor.
- Make an appointment with the liveWELL Health Coach Service. liveWELL offers a one-on-one Health Coach Service free for faculty and staff 50% or greater.
- Seek assistance from the Office of the Ombudsperson.
- Participate in focused training opportunities through Learning and Development.
- Learn more about resources to help with communication at the Conflict Management at Iowa website.