What to register in a positive diary?
In a positive diary you write down the things that make you feel good, that you enjoy and that make you happy.
It doesn’t have to be big at all. It’s about learning to enjoy the little things in life.
Everyone is happy when they win the lottery or when they find the ideal partner. But not everyone can appreciate the little things in life.
The source of happiness
Small positive things are much more common than big positive things.
By using the little things in life to increase and strengthen your positive feelings, your feelings and your mindset become much less dependent on external circumstances.
“Happiness is determined more by your attitude than by external events.”
~ Dalai Lama
Small positive things form an inexhaustible source of happiness and satisfaction. The only challenge is learning to tap into this resource properly and doing it long enough so that it becomes automatic or a habit.
Examples of small positive experiences
- The weather is nice
- You get a nice message from someone
- Someone smiles at you
- The traffic light turns green
- You hear a nice song on the radio
- You hear the birds chirping
- You worked out
- You cleaned your house
- You have a nice memory
- You are thinking about your next holiday destination
- You enjoy a walk
- You watched a nice movie or series
What if you can’t find positive things?
When you’re not feeling well, it can seem like there are no positives at all. In this case, you can just come up with something.
This is the so-called “fake it until you make it” technique. This technique is widely used in psychotherapy and its positive effect has been proven in several scientific studies.
This technique is based on the idea that if you act like the person you want to be, over time you will become that way.
To use this technique, all you have to do is label neutral experiences as positive. You just have to characterize and write down five things or experiences as positive every day.
If you do this, over time you will automatically start to notice real positive things.
See the “Fake It Until You Make It” blog post in the Tips for more information on this technique.