06 Jun Scheduling Pleasant Events
Did you know incorporating pleasant events into your daily life will increase frequency of positive emotions and decrease negative emotions! This may seem like a no brainer, right? However, with the rapid speed at which our society operates it can be easy for positive events to fall through the cracks. I know I’ve been guilty of this myself. Mindfulness is a central part of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and setting time aside to mindfully engage in positive events will reduce overall stress in one’s life and increase happiness. Think of yourself as a bank account. Attending to daily stressors means withdrawing from your emotional bank account. When you overdraw in your emotional bank account you have nothing left to give resulting in going into emotional debt. This can result in burn out, resentment, and negative feelings such as sadness and anxiety. Positive events are the currency to replenishing your emotional bank account. These events can be doing a quick mindfulness meditation, calling a friend, or loved one to chat, working out or whatever brings you joy throughout your day. When doing these events we are engaging in them mindfully. Meaning we are fully present to the pleasant event and not numbing ourselves with mindless activities such as watching YouTube shorts or Instagram videos that are easy to get lost in. These events do not have to be big or life time-consuming, such as going to an all-day event. As I have stated above, positive events can be small like getting your favorite meal, reading, or listening to music. Take a minute and think about things you do that elicit positive emotions that can be incorporated into your day leaving you emotionally replenished and ready to tackle daily