Positive Psychology Interventions

Now I’m going to share with you specific PPIs, and I’m going to do this with five themes. I categorise the practices because otherwise it gets confusing, what’s helpful for what. This aligns with the program I’ve got on order. In the 21 Day Happiness Practices Challenge, I split the 20 practices into five different themes. These themes are based on what I know is generally most beneficial to the people I work with. The first one is kind of my pet subject: mind time. Mind time is what I describe as our ability to be more dynamic in how we use our mind. There’s a statistic that says, on average, we spend 47% of our time with our mind wandering. Not necessarily in a good way. Your mind might be in the past or thinking about something in the future. That’s not too much of a problem in itself, but it is a problem if you can’t control it. If your mind is constantly ruminating on the past or feeling anxious and distracted by the future, you can’t be present. While it’s important to reflect and plan, it’s also important to be here now. There are three practices within this theme that I share in the challenge. This is the easiest and my favourite PPI. I would put this in your toolbox right now. It’s really simple. We all know how to do this. We get a coffee or a tea and we know how to savour it. We notice it as a positive experience and choose to lean into that moment. We activate our senses. We feel the cup, settle into our chair, smell the coffee, feel the warmth, and appreciate that we’re having a positive moment. We even intensify it by focusing fully on it and choosing not to bounce off it straight away. Instead of just taking a sip and moving on, we say, “This is a coffee moment.” You can do this with anything, and it’s most easily done with simple things. People start looking for moments they can savour—making a coffee, getting into bed with freshly made sheets, noticing sunlight through the window, or really savouring the moment when you sit down after a long day. This helps you become more dynamic in noticing moments that already exist in your day and getting something more positive from them. Practised over time, this works with your neuroplasticity and increases wellbeing. The next theme is self-compassion. This is the one that’s helped me the most. It’s a tricky one to access because it’s deep-rooted, and practices can really help. One of these practices is simply pausing, especially if you notice you’ve been hard on yourself, acknowledging your feelings, and bringing some calm. You reflect on the experience, think about how you might speak to a friend, reconnect with your body, or even write about it. It’s intentionally deciding to give yourself a break. Sometimes it’s simply saying, “Could I just let myself off the hook on this one?” It would be remiss not to include something movement-based. Our body is important for regulating emotions. This is the easiest form of movement that feels good and works even when people say they have no time. Sitting with a straight posture, doing the superwoman pose for ten seconds, standing up, stretching, shaking it out, or putting on music for 10 or 20 seconds helps regulate emotions and brings you back into your body. Another theme is prosocial practices. As social beings, we’re wired to connect with others. We feel good when we know we’ve had a positive impact on someone else. This doesn’t mean adding more to your to-do list or self-sacrifice, but small tweaks like smiling, holding a door open, or making an extra cup of tea. A specific practice here is “three things I value about you.” You pick three people and send them a message sharing three things you value about them and why. It feels good for you and for them. Another is active, constructive responding. When someone shares good news, instead of briefly acknowledging it and moving on, you put things down, face them, lean in, ask questions, and share in their joy. This strengthens relationships and increases positive emotions for both of you. Gratitude is one of the strongest wellbeing levers. It doesn’t mean feeling grateful for everything, but noticing and appreciating certain things. The “three good things” practice involves thinking about three things that went well or that you feel appreciative of at the end of the day. There’s a mix of practices you can do daily, as-and-when, or less frequently. Mini movements can be done throughout the day. Self-compassion breaks are as needed. Gratitude can be done at the end of the day. You can work with these practices in different ways. The key is to choose based on need. Build on what already works for you, and start with what feels easiest. Savouring, mini movements, and three good things are often the simplest to begin with.