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In the Pursuit of Happiness: How positive psychology theory can be incorporated into your daily life

By Bethany Withycombe posted 05-05-2020 07:02

  

How can we improve our baseline levels of happiness to fuel success across multiple life domains (work, relationships, and health)? The PERMA model can help! The PERMA model was first introduced by Martin Seligman in 2011. It is a theoretical model of happiness that includes five elements (P-E-R-M-A) which are thought to contribute to an individual’s overall happiness and well-being. “P” stands for positive emotions, and satisfaction with life. “E” stands for engagement and the importance of establishing flow in daily life. Flow refers to the feeling of “time flying by” or “being in the zone” because you are heavily immersed and engaged in the task or activity at hand. “R” stands for relationships and emphasizes the need for healthy social connections. “M” stands for meaning and is a deeper element in that it challenges you to reflect on why you are here. What is the purpose of this life? By having a greater understanding of our personal purpose and the impact we can make with our daily actions, it can lead to greater enjoyment with what we do day to day. “A” stands for achievement and experiencing a sense of accomplishment regardless of the positive emotions that may or may not be sustained overtime.1,2

 

Additionally, it has been recognized that you cannot have complete well-being if you are not meeting your basic health needs (breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep, etc.). Therefore, the addition of “H” for health, to create PERMAH (also referred to as PERMA+) has been suggested.3


Figure A: PERMAH (also known as PERMA+)4

There are multiple ways to apply PERMAH. Some selected examples that align with the various elements are listed in the table below.3 You will notice that some activities overlap and fulfill more than one PERMAH element. To monitor your own PERMAH and to be connected to additional resources, checkout this website: https://permahsurvey.com/ Register under the “for you tab,” (registration is free!), take the survey and consider discussing with a friend of family member. Or consider learning more about PERMAH from Martin Seligman himself in this 25 minute video clip: https://youtu.be/iK6K_N2qe9Y

PERMAH Category

Activities for Applying and Enhancing PERMAH Elements in Your Life

Positive Emotions

·        Gratitude rituals (e.g. keeping a daily gratitude journal)

·        Participating in acts of kindness (e.g. engaging in 3-5 acts of kindness in a day)

·        Optimistic thinking (e.g. journaling about “your best possible self in the future” or about “me at my best”)

·        Disputing the negative mindset (e.g. try one of the worksheets available on challenging negative self-talk and automatic thoughts, available at: https://positivepsychology.com/challenging-automatic-thoughts-positive-thoughts-worksheets/)

·        Daily affirmations (e.g. check out this website for more information: https://positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations/)

Engagement

·        Strengths spotting (e.g. identifying your personal strengths and incorporating those strengths into daily life. Identify your strengths at: http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Admin/Signature-Strengths-Strengths-Spotting)

·        Mindfulness practices (e.g. mindfulness meditation. Checkout apps such as Headspace, which is now offered for free to ASHP members, available at: https://www.ashp.org/Membership-Center/Be-Kind-to-Your-Mind)

·        Engage in activities that you really love, where you lose track of time

Relationships

·        Acts of kindness

·        Active constructive responding (Check out the following website for additional information: https://positivepsychology.com/active-constructive-communication/)

·        Social events (making new friends and forming/maintaining social connections)

Meaning

·        Strengths spotting

·        Become involved in a cause or organization that matters to you

·        Spending time with people that you really care about

Accomplishment

·        Goal setting (use the SMART goals format: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timebound)

·        Keeping a diary or training diary

·        Success celebrations

Health

·        Eating a balanced diet

·        Exercise

·        Adhering to good sleep hygiene

 

The upcoming posts this week (as well as additional posts which will be posted throughout Mental Health Awareness Month (May) by Maggie Kronz, Daniel Pons, and Cavan O’Kane) were created by ASHP New Practitioner’s Forum CDAG to provide you with helpful resources to improve your mental health and well-being. Upcoming topics include: Positive psychology and how this can be applied to your personal and professional life to increase your levels of happiness and well-being, managing anxiety and depression, identifying your personal values and how to incorporate these values into your career to avoid burnout, imposter syndrome and how it may be affecting your mental wellness, how to handle a negative work environment, and how to be a wellness leader at your workplace. We hope you find these posts beneficial and give you a good starting point to help you be well!


If you missed yesterday’s post, check it out here:

https://connect.ashp.org/blogs/bethany-withycombe1/2020/05/04/understanding-happiness


The topic tomorrow is focused on STRESS. Everyone has felt this at one time or another. Perhaps you are even feeling stress at this moment. Unfortunately, stress is starting to define American lives, as the incidence of work-related stress has been progressively increasing over the past few decades. The silver-lining? Research shows we can make stress work for us, rather than against us and elevate overall work satisfaction. Keep an eye out for the post tomorrow for more information!


References:

  1. Suldo SM. Promoting student happiness. New York: Guilford Publications; 2016.
  2. Pascha, M. The PERMA Model: your scientific theory of happiness. PositivePsychology.com. 2019. Accessed from: https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/
  3. PERMA+. The Wellbeing and Resilience Centre, SAHMRI.
  4. The wellbeing lab. How to move from functioning to flourishing. Accessed from: https://www.michellemcquaid.com/thewellbeinglab/


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Megan Adelman
05-05-2020 14:12

Thanks for this great content; definitely something right now we should be thinking of as pharmacists, new practitioners, and learners!