Hello, Happy Wednesday! It's Sam here and welcome back to Radio Headspace.

Today I want to talk to you about a field that has fascinated me for many years. Positive

psychology is a subfield of psychology and it focuses on the art and science of thriving. So

think about it as the difference between just getting through your day surviving versus

having a day full of purpose, meaning and presence. Mindfulness is a subject often studied

within positive psychology as are factors that lead to a high quality of life. So Martin

Saligman is one of the founders of the field of positive psychology and he's outlined five core

aspects that contribute to well-being. They're captured in an acronym he created called Perma.

Positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. So let's break this down.

Positive emotions are all about paying attention to the good things in life. We can think about

cultivating positive emotions by reflecting on the past with gratitude and forgiveness,

looking forward to the future with optimism and savoring the present moment through mindfulness.

Engagement is all about feeling connected to a task, one that makes you feel fulfilled. So

for example maybe it's something small like trying a new recipe or something big like completing a

project for a job that you love. Next is nurturing relationships and we can do this in many ways

that increase our well-being. We can start by sharing what we appreciate about people in our lives

and performing acts of kindness like texting a friend you haven't seen in a while or even

mailing them a physical letter. We can also remember to be fully present when we're with those we

care about and use our innate curiosity to learn more about their interests and points of view. In

conversations you can ask questions like what led you to that decision or why do you think you feel

that way and then learn something new about the people close to you. For meaning simply take a moment

to think about what gives your life meaning. For example maybe it's your family or spirituality

...