Keeping a positive perspective

With the quarter up and running and the workload piling up, you may start to feel overwhelmed and when you feel stressed you may not perform at peak levels. An important buffer to stress and sadness is to keep a positive perspective, and an important way to keep a positive perspective is to focus on the good things that happen throughout the day. Researchers in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (Emmons & Crumpler, 2000) have found that when people keep track of the things they are happy for the experience not just good emotional well being, but also physical health as well. You may have overslept, not had time to get breakfast, or tripped on your way to class; if you focus on these events, then you have primed yourself to focus on other negative things throughout the day. Focusing on positive events such as acing a test, getting a project done early, having a good time with friends, or meeting new people can help you buffer against negative feelings. One way to do that is to keep a gratitude journal. Keeping a gratitude journal is fairly simple. At the end of the day, take a few minutes to write down a list of positive things that happened that day or things that you are grateful for. Doing this at the end of the day around bedtime will allow you to focus on the positive as you are going to sleep, which will hopefully keep you feeling positive the next day. If you continue to do this, you may find that you feel happier and become more optimistic.

Keeping a gratitude journal does not mean you will never experience unhappiness, but focusing on the positive in your life may help protect against it.

This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or disorder. Nor is it intended to replace a consultation with a mental health provider.