If you want to increase your happiness, one way is through nurturing your character strengths. Positive psychology has identified 24 strengths which can be divided into 6 distinct virtues. In this article I will talk about the strengths which make up the virtue ‘transcendence’: appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope, spirituality and playfulness and humour. In addition, I offer tips to help you develop each strength.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence
People with an appreciation of beauty and excellence find pleasure in the beauty of the world around them. This pleasure will be …

Use your strengths

Rather than focusing on your limitations, try to spend time nurturing your strengths. In particular I mean your character strengths. Positive psychology has identified 24 different character strengths of which some will be more important to you than others. These are your signature strengths. If you can, use your  strengths everyday. It will help you feel good about yourself.

Carry out volunteer work

Try giving some of your time to a worthy cause. It can be as  often as you like; however, the more time you spend volunteering, the happier …

“Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.” Dodie Smith
For the purposes of this article, depression will refer to those times of low mood we all sometimes experience; those episodes when you are really fed up and feeling blue. Past experience tells you it won’t last forever but at that moment you just can’t seem to cast it away. It does not refer to clinically diagnosed depression, as to do so would be flippant. Depression is a serious mental health condition and should not be underestimated.
What I …

Having goals can help you live the life you want. It can give you a focus and some direction. This article outlines why setting goals can be beneficial for your wellbeing. It also discusses how your character strengths can be used to assist you in setting and achieving goals.
The benefits of goal setting
Hope and optimism
Goals give you a focus and something to look forward to.  They give your life a purpose and increase your feelings of hope and . Whether your goals are long term or short term, you are …

What is positive psychology?
The positive psychology movement was pioneered by Martin Seligman and is about improving the quality of life for all. It is concerned with happiness, sensual pleasure, wellbeing and . The vision is to enhance and nurture individual traits such as love, courage, forgiveness and perseverance. It is through this focus that it is hoped many mental health problems will be prevented.This idea is in sharp contrast to traditional psychology with its overriding concern with pathology and focus on what is wrong, rather than what is right with …

Julia set up her promoting happiness blog so she could share her own ideas, thoughts and observations on anything happiness related. It is also a chance to learn more about Julia’s own happiness journey. Different elements of her book may also be discussed.

Have you read the book? Feel free to email me at:  julia@promotinghappiness.com
I would love to hear what you thought, what you learnt, and how it changed you. If there’s an area that you want to know more about, then let me know. I may write about it in my blog or in an article.
If you like, you can even send an actual letter. Write to:
MTC Books
PO Box 268
St Agnes
5097
Australia

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Enhancing happiness and wellbeing is the intention of these tips and suggestions. They are ideas you can implement into your own life to improve your day. All of these tips are based on sound psychological thinking and are particularly influenced by the principles, ideas and research of positive psychology.

Promoting Happiness
a workbook to help you appreciate and get the most out of your life

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Promoting Happiness has been created to help you live a happy, healthy, balanced life. Through using this workbook you can learn to have a better outlook on your life, both past and present. It covers many different areas, from your work and relationships, to the goals you set and how you spend your leisure time.
Drawing on the work of Positive Psychology as well as her work as a counsellor, the author puts you in the …