POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Positive psychology is the science and study of life’s positive situation -well-being, happiness, compensation, and the capability to flourish in our day-to-day lives. It helps to foster happiness and expressive wellbeing.  Also positive psychology offers a valuable alternative or complementary approach to a diagnostic, problem focused approach to health and comfort. Positive psychology is the study of human thriving flourishing experience and positive functioning across several levels of life. It emphasizes research and applications that contribute to our understanding of resilience, happiness, quality of life and character concentrations. As our world faces crises on multiple fronts, positive psychology can help clinicians, leaders, educators and communities focus on enhancing inherent resources and attributes that can not only bolster resilience, but lead to more effective, flexible, creative thinking that can guide us through those crises.

We must understand those who practice positive psychology attempt psychological intervention that poster positive attitude toward one’s subjective experience, individual traits, and life events. The goal is to minimize pathological thoughts that may arise in a hopeless mindset and develop a sense of optimism toward life. Positive psychologist seeks to encourage approval one’s history. You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it does take time and practice — you're creating a new habit, after all. Following are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

The positive psychology offers a valuable alternative or complementary approach to a investigative, problem-focused approach to health and well-being. Observing the world through a “problem to be solved” lens can limit our field of vision as helpers and leaders, causing us to miss existing resources that we could build upon. Amid various crises, positive psychology offer a path for clinicians, leaders educators, and communities to enhance innate strengths, fostering not just adaptability but also creative thinking. This approach equips us to navigate through challenge effectively.

 The positive thinking doesn't mean that you ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst. Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information or expectations due to preconceived ideas of what may happen. If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.

THE POSITIVE PSYCHLOGY FOCUS:

The positive psychology focuses on the positive events and influences in life,

1.      Positive experiences (like happiness , joy, encouragement, and love).

2.      Positive states and traits (like gratitude, resilience, and compassion).

The field of positive psychology spends much of its time thinking about topics like character strengths, optimism, life satisfaction, happiness, wellbeing, gratitude, compassion (as well as self-compassion), self-esteem and self-confidence, hope, and elevation.

These topics are studied in order to learn how to help people flourish and live their best lives.

:

It is essential to replace negative thinking into positive thinking. It is not too difficult to replace it. In order to accomplish you must be creating a new habit. The following are some way and mean to think more positive and hopeful means.

·         Recognize areas to change :If you want to become more hopeful and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute, life changes or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way. Think of a positive thought to manage your stress instead of a negative one.

·         Examine yourself:  Intermittently during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.

·         Be open to humor: It is important to give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.

·         Pursue a healthy lifestyle: Endeavor to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can also break it up into 5- or 10-minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. Get enough sleep. And learn techniques to manage stress.

·         Mount yourself with positive people:  To make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in beneficial pathways.

·         Attempt Positive: It is important to start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're grateful for in your life.

THE HEALTH BENEFITING OF POSTIVE THINKING:

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

·         Expanded life duration.

·         Lower frequencies of depression.

·         Lower levels of hardship and pain.

·         Greater resistance to illnesses.

·         Improved psychological and physical well-being.

·         Effective cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

·         Decreased risk of death from cancer.

·         Decreased risk of death from respiratory conditions.

·         Decreased risk of death from Dementia, Alzheimer and infections.

·         Helpful coping skills during hardships and times of stress.

DETECTING NEGATIVE THINKING:

Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some common forms of negative self-talk include:

·         Clarifying: You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening, you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.

·         Monogramming: When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

·         Catastrophizing: You automatically anticipate the worst without facts that the worse will happen. The drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong, and then you think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.

·         Accusing: You try to say someone else is responsible for what happened to you instead of yourself. You avoid being responsible for your thoughts and feelings.

·         Saying you "should" do something: You think of all the things you think you should do and blame yourself for not doing them.

·         Magnifying: You make a big deal out of minor problems.

·         Fussiness. Keeping impossible standards and trying to be more perfect sets yourself up for failure.

·         Splitting: You see things only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground.

It's also known   that positive thinker and optimistic people tend to live better lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet.

POSTIVE FEELING IN RELIGION:

The positive thoughts are those that produce good feelings, good deeds, peace of mind, gratitude, tranquility, contentment, and other positive emotional states. It produce wisdom and enlightenment in the heart. Negative thoughts are those that produce bad feelings, anger, envy, jealousy, hatred, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotional states. These are thoughts about the world, our wealth, our status, people we do not like or who have wronged us, and so on. The cause of these thoughts is an connection to the delusions of worldly and materialistic life that cloud the heart and prevent its purification. Hence, the rule is that we should only engage  in good thoughts or keep our minds silent. As our prophet ( PBUH)Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good  or remain silent..

The positive thinking and optimism are very important, as they relate to our prayers, supplications, and acts of worship. A prayer or supplication that is offered with certainty that Allah will answer is far more effective and beneficial than a weak prayer. For this reason, the Prophet told us to pray to Allah with the certain knowledge that he will answer. A great scholar named   Ibnul Qayyim said, “don’t ruin your happiness with worry, and don’t ruin your mind with pessimism. Don’t ruin your success with deception and don’t ruin the optimism of others by destroying it. Don’t ruin your day by looking back at yesterday.” In essence, never give up. Some of us may lose more in life than others; however, we should never let feelings of hopelessness affect our positive energy. Similarly he said , sadness weakens the heart and diminishes determination and wanting to go forward. For this reason, be happy, optimistic, and think well about Allah. Have trust in what Allah is able to do and depend on Him. Then, you will find happiness and pleasure in all situations.

It is important to live your life with this principle, “be good even if you do not receive good, not for the sake of others, but because Allah Loves those who do good.” Finally, if you do good be assured Allah bless will never let you fight in life alone. He will always be with you and He will give you more than what you want. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) says: “The believer who mixes with people and bears their annoyance with patience will have a greater reward than the believer who does not mix with people and does not put up with their annoyance.  Always keep one thing in your mind  how to please Allah, because if you please Him, He pleases you, fulfills you, and enriches you. Do not weep from a life that made your heart weep. Just say, “Oh Allah compensates me with good in this life and the hereafter. Remember Sadness departs with a Sajdah. Happiness comes with a sincere supplicate ( Du’a). Allah does not forget the good you do. Nor does He forget the good you did to others.

 It is important to know that our thoughts have a powerful ability to determine our feelings and emotional states and ultimately affect how we behave, for better or worse. The religion of   Islam teaches us to direct the act reflection “Deep Thought” , towards the signs of Allah, the names and attributes of God ( Allah Almighty) , to his blessings and wonders, to hope in the Hereafter, and to enthusiasm. By controlling our thought processes in a positive manner, we can increase the effectiveness of our prayers and worship as well as relieve ourselves from the anger, depression, and anxieties that worldly thoughts prompt. Converse to popular belief, we have control over which thoughts we choose to follow. We may

not have a choice over which particular thought occurs initially in our minds at a given time, but we do have a choice to either ignore it or pursue it.

FINAL THOUGHT ABOUT POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:

A psychologist who finds a “home” in positive psychology is one who embraces the idea that practices like kindness, gratitude, personal strengths assessment, mindfulness, love, self-compassion, meaning, and celebration of accomplishments are critical ingredients to a life worth living. People from all educational backgrounds and professional roles who feel aligned with “human flourishing” as an important concept to dedicate time, study, energy, money and other resources to, are most likely to have the greatest impact working within this perspective. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said: No person suffers any anxiety or grief, if perform proper supplication and definitely Allah will take away his sorrow and grief, and give him in their stead joy.

Allah who genuinely cares, who listens to desperate pleas, and who grants generous help, has a better chance of getting back on track much faster because there is a strong helping hand to reach for while dealing with life’s troubles. Depression: Condemned in Islam? Islam does not require us to be superhuman. If one experiences negative feelings, he is encouraged to resist them with positive thoughts and actions if possible, or to seek professional help if the case is clinical. We are required to take charge of our lives since we are accountable for our deeds and decisions, both for ourselves and for others who will be affected, and we are not allowed to hate or harm ourselves; instead we are taught dignity, self-respect and protection both as a right and a duty: (And make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good.