Living a richer emotional life isn’t just about managing negative emotions and triggers—it’s also about creating and embracing positive experiences. You might assume that good feelings should come naturally without effort, and while they often do, it’s easy to fall out of the habit of noticing life’s positives, appreciating the moment, and seeking out uplifting experiences and connections.
Many people with chronic pain lose touch with the habit of feeling good. How often do you naturally experience positive emotions? Would you like to feel better more often?
Monitor Positive Triggers Activity
Throughout the day, notice when you experience any positive emotion. How positive is the emotion? Next, try to figure out the trigger. Is it something internal or in the environment? Internal triggers can be thoughts, sensations, images, or memories. Environmental triggers can be social interactions, activities, objects, or observations. Next, rate how likely it is that you will encounter this trigger again.
If you can’t figure out the cause of a particular feeling, that is okay. This monitoring activity will give you a chance to practice noticing feelings and thinking about their cause. You will get better with practice.
To help build the habit of noticing positive emotions and their triggers, you may want to remind yourself throughout the day by sending yourself a few texts or email reminders or just posting a few notes around the house.
Keep track on a piece of paper or your phone. Take note of:
- The emotion
- How positive is it
- The possible trigger
- How likely it is that you may face this trigger again
After completing your two-day monitoring exercise, you’ll use your observations in the next activity, “Build Positive Emotional Experiences”.
Practice Relaxation, Manage Negativity, and Increase Positivity
