Name
The Three Good Things (also known as "The Three Blessings")
Purpose/Effects
The Three Good Things exercise is intended to increase happiness and a sense of wellbeing.
It does this by a simple method of redirecting attention towards positive thoughts and away from negative thoughts. Human beings have evolved to spend much more time thinking about negative experiences than positive ones. We spend a lot of time thinking about what has gone wrong and how to fix it, or how to do it differently next time. In the past there may have been an evolutionary advantage to this way of thinking, since it seems to be innate. However, for modern humans this negative bias is the source of a lot of anxiety, depression, and general lack of wellbeing.
Luckily, by re-directing our thoughts on purpose towards positive events, we can do a lot to correct this negative bias.
In the video, Martin Seligman describes the purpose and effects of this exercise. Here he uses the alternate name, the "Three Blessings."
Method
Summary
Each night before you go to sleep:
- Think of three good things that happened today.
- Write them down.
- Reflect on why they happened.
Long Version
This exercise is to be done each night before going to sleep.
- Step 1: Think about anything good that happened to you today. It can be anything at all that seems positive to you. It need not be anything big or important. For example, you might recall the fact that you enjoyed the oatmeal you had for breakfast. On the other hand, you might also recall that your child took its first step today. Anything from the most mundane to the most exalted works, as long as it seems to you like a good, positive, happy thing.
- Step 2: Write down these three positive things.
- Step 3: Reflect on why each good thing happened. Determining the “why” of the event is the most important part of the exercise. For example, you might say that your oatmeal tasted really good this morning because your partner took the time to go shopping at the local farmer’s market, where they have fresh, organic oatmeal. Or you might say that your child took its first step today because God was pouring blessings down upon your family, or because it really wanted to get to some cookies on the table. You get to decide reasons for each event that make sense to you.
History
This method was created by psychologist Martin Seligman. He is considered to be an expert on depression and happiness, has been called the "father of Positive Psychology," and is one of the preeminent psychologists of the 20th century. He is also the director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
See Also
Bless you all for providing this resource.
1) Family- they’ve supported me since I’ve been off at college, I can’t thank them enough for that
2) Meditation- I meditate every other morning before I leave to go to practice. I do believe it’s really been helping mindset on attacking the day.
3)Scriptures- help me start my day off on the right terms, I highly recommend reading a couple of scriptures after you wake up.
A variation of this exercise that can build a sense of agency and self-esteem is to reflect upon what you yourself did to contribute to the 3 events/good things that happened. If you enjoyed a smile from a stranger’s baby in a store, for instance, you might recall that you took the time to smile at the child, or to notice him or her, that you were being friendly/are friendly, hence smiled and got the smile back, or that you were at the store to get something for someone else, as a favor, which made you feel good, so you were smiling and friendly, etc…. Or if using the oatmeal exam-le, above, you might say you were reflecting on your partner’s kindness in buying this for you, which allowed you to experience such joy from it, rather than just eating. Even a beautiful natural event, such as a lovely sunset or seeing a rainbow can be tied to one’s own actions—taking time out to pause and look up, to savor the beauty you might otherwise have missed if you had not decided to take a walk, or look out that particular window, or if you hadnt decided to open the drapes when you entered that room. 😌🩷