For some people, the days feel a little long, and boredom is a great friend of anxiety. So for the duration of lockdown, I would like to offer a daily “shrink’s tip” that I find useful and that will help you to cultivate “salutogenesis.” Have you ever heard of that concept? It’s basically about promoting things that improve health rather than mitigating things that damage it.
For today, here’s an exercise in positive psychology:
- Identify a closet full of clothes (ideally yours!).
- Sort clothes into three piles: Keep things you’ve worn within the past two years. Donate those that are in good condition. Throw away the rest.
- Fold and place the clothing to be donated in a bag that you will deliver to a local charity as soon as possible.
Why is this a positive psych thing? Because adopting altruistic behaviour is correlated with your level of well-being and is beneficial to others, as well as to yourself.
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