Positive Psychology – A Week of Photos

A few weeks ago we had our office summer retreat.  We had Michelle Gielan from GoodThinkInc. as our keynote speaker on positive psychology.  It was a fascinating talk about the importance of happiness and positive thinking in all aspects of our lives.  The central theme was a happy brain is a better brain — we all produce higher-quality work when we are feeling positive.  You can learn more by checking out their website here.

Michelle had some great suggestions for cultivating more positivity in our everyday lives.  She encouraged us to pick one of her suggestions and try it for at least 21 days.  It takes 21 days for your body to develop a new pattern and for the benefits to really sink in.

I decided to try her suggestion ‘Grab the Camera’ by taking a picture on my phone each day and reviewing the pictures later to reflect back and remember those happy moments.  She suggested snapping photos of things you found beautiful, were thankful for, or wanted to remember.  By looking at the world through this new lens we are more likely to see new things and appreciate our surroundings in a deeper way.

I have really enjoyed this project and am now into my third week taking photos.  In theory my husband, T, is also taking pictures and we are going to share them with each other over dinner.  We haven’t been consistent with that yet, but we’re still trying.  Michelle really emphasized the importance of looking back at your pictures and reflecting on what they mean to you.  Your brain can’t tell the difference between actually experiencing something positive and remembering a positive event.  So, by looking back at your photos you get double the bang for your buck in the happiness department.

Here are a few of my favorite shots so far.  These were all snapped on the go with my iphone.  Pretty cool!

The first heirloom tomatoes of the season at the farmers market.

The pattern in the sand made by waves lapping at the beach.

Two old friends who I hadn’t seen in a while over for dinner.

Rocks on my all-time favorite rocky beach.

Millions of eggplants!