Hello, I’m Karen!
Today, I’d like to introduce you to positive psychology, which I am currently studying ♬
In our daily lives, don’t you find yourself tending to focus on failures, worries, and things you couldn’t do?
Especially for working moms balancing work and home, raising children who don’t always do what you want (even though you know that’s normal), and managing partnerships…
I would find myself thinking, “I need to try harder” or “I’m still lacking in this or that,” searching for my own flaws, or comparing myself to others who are doing well and focusing on what I’m missing 😢
Especially if you are the curious type who wants to know everything, or
if you were raised in an environment where working hard is a virtue, you tend to blame yourself 💦
And then, after pushing yourself, you get exhausted and start seeking change from those around you, thinking, “I wish they would do this for me…”
This was totally me.
But here is what I realized after studying positive psychology.
The desire is already “within” you 💡
When I asked myself if what I wanted was truly my ultimate desire, I suddenly realized that maybe it was just a step along the way.
I was able to break free from the cycle of creating problems for myself and trying to solve them, and I can now see myself from a future a little further ahead ✨
Positive psychology is a field of psychology that scientifically studies human happiness, strengths, and life satisfaction.
Although it is still a new field, unlike existing psychology (when I was a psychology student, I studied psychology that focused on the science of the mind and turning negatives into zero), it is a psychology that aims to go from zero to plus. I am drawn to the fact that it has evidence for how people can live happier and more authentic lives 🥰
By the way, it’s easy to misunderstand, but “positive” here doesn’t mean always being bright and forward-looking, or forcibly erasing negative emotions.
It’s about finding ways to make life richer while accepting emotions like sadness, anxiety, and anger as important parts of yourself 🌟
I am studying in a course by #AriMatsumura, a leading expert in positive psychology and well-being, and it’s so much fun, like being a student again!
She teaches how to create happiness based on scientific evidence in a way that is easy to incorporate into daily life.
By the way, one of the big deciding factors for me in taking the course was Ari-san’s credentials 😂
Things like “Let’s be happy~ 🧚♀️🫧 (fluffy)” can easily lean toward just spirituality if you’re not careful, but Ari-san is a Doctor of Medicine and a Clinical Psychologist. Her lectures on positive psychology, backed by her wealth of knowledge including various academic psychologies, are well-evidenced and have literature to support them.
Isn’t that great? lol
What I love about Ari-san’s philosophy is that “happiness can be created by yourself.”
You don’t need special circumstances, great success, or to solve every daily problem to be happy; you can cultivate your own well-being by gradually changing your daily actions, habits, and how you interact with others.
One such practice is to know and utilize your “strengths” ✨
Especially in Japan, because we try to do things just like everyone else, we are good at making efforts to overcome our weaknesses. On the other hand, I feel that we don’t really pay attention to what we can do naturally, what we are good at, or where we excel—we often take them for granted and overlook them.
In the midst of that, understanding your strengths (which are also evidence-based!), accepting them, and first acknowledging your own good qualities yourself, and then utilizing them in work, relationships, and daily life, leads to confidence and a sense of fulfillment.
For example, try remembering three things that made you happy before you go to sleep.
The accumulation of such small actions becomes the catalyst for changing your way of being 💞
What’s important is not to evaluate yourself by comparing yourself to others, but to find and realize happiness while cherishing your own values 💛
Life doesn’t always go as planned, but even in those times, you can notice the strengths and possibilities within yourself and choose actions that lead to happiness.
By cultivating your own happiness like that, you might eventually attract a future beyond your expectations… Doesn’t that make you excited?!
I’m currently preparing to help with that 🫶
If you are interested, please stay tuned for updates!
#PPC #PositivePsychology #AriMatsumura
