Positivity

Unlocking Happiness: How Positive Psychology Can Change Your Life

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<p> </p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">As we go through life, we are faced with many questions. For example, who are we? Where are we from? These questions are crucial to understanding our place in the world. </b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">My Stories Matter is here to help you explore these questions and discover the answers through your own life stories.</b></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">Life Questions to Ponder </b></h2>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">My Stories Matter provides various life question prompts designed to inspire reflection and encourage you to delve deep into your own experiences. These prompts will help you uncover the hidden aspects of your life and explore the emotions, thoughts, and feelings that have shaped who you are today. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">If you sign up, here is a list of crucial prompts My Stories Matter will ask: </b></p>
<ol>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“What was your most significant childhood experience?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“What have been the most defining moments of your life?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“How have your experiences shaped your beliefs?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“Who have you looked up to over the years and why?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“What is the best advice you have ever received?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“What is a tough obstacle in your life that you overcame?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“How would you like people to remember you?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“If you could go back in time, what wisdom would you give your younger self?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“What was a pivotal turning point in your life?”</b></p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">“How has your role model influenced you?”</b></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">These prompts can help you understand more about yourself and your experiences and answer some of the life questions lingering in your mind.</b></p>
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<h2 dir="ltr"> </h2>
<h2 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">Craft Your Life Story</b></h2>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">My Stories Matter has an assisted writing feature that can help you put your thoughts into words. Our writers will work with you to craft a narrative that captures your story and the emotions that go with it, helping you to answer the life questions you have been asking yourself. </b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">Sharing your life story can be a powerful way to connect with others. It can also leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Once your life story is complete, you can share it with loved ones or make it public. You can also print a physical copy to flip through the pages whenever you need a reminder of your journey.</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">Answering life questions can be a challenging journey, but it can also be a deeply rewarding one. With My Stories Matter, you'll have the tools and resources you need to explore your stories and find the answers to the life questions that are most meaningful to you. </b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-c3a5f85a-7fff-1cff-ab89-2c93b3251d1d">Whether you're looking for a way to understand your past, present, or future, My Stories Matter is here to help. Find out more <a href="https://book.mystoriesmatter.com/" title="life questions">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.mystoriesmatter.com/" title="life questions">sign up</a> for free!</b></p>


10 Questions to Ask Yourself for a Happy Life 

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    <img title="happiness curve" class="media-element file-default" data-delta="1" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://cueback-com.storage.googleapis.com/cueback/blog_editor_media/people-2583943_640_0.jpg?GoogleAccessId=298180869348-compute@developer.gserviceaccount.com&amp;Expires=1699038439&amp;Signature=D2EJQB2vCxg5LKF8wxt3T1l9MSUd9wm%2BUtnbhh4vR4WExoLk5J3VBujXk6pGXY4Xj3GUWzDYmMwBzgzXERkZQUwdUKuxxW%2BGMBfYpZB2sGQXKukhkW0a1BAYtBwcJCj53NwdIjh%2Fjns1%2BFub7vSQClepktwSwAmu02PnWGQx4SLLCIzzjVCeyUdw%2FB7WnuhXWL5YnhJteC7xC3XmX139KCpE%2FKj1P6qObdkDZCkhqleFEFa7ZsfPyISfbAA8CQe%2BRce8isgFo7aIzhfMoWjPewDFP9yVVPsyoiBr3jnJEqZQ1zCKnTASxQWhF7nkL0W80ifRixckwXAi2HPZQZkuMw%3D%3D" width="480" height="640" alt="Happiness in age" />  </div>

  
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<p>Which period of life was your happiest? </p>
<p>Chances are you’d say young adulthood. Your body is in great shape, and friends and family surround you. The world is your oyster.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/mental/improvement-in-mental-health-with-aging/" title="happiness curve">research</a> suggests that the older you get, the happier you become. Despite a decline in physical and cognitive abilities, your <a href="https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/mental/improvement-in-mental-health-with-aging/" title="happiness curve">mental state improves</a>. The “<a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w26641" title="happiness curve">Happiness curve</a>” best illustrates this phenomenon.</p>
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<p><strong>What is the Happiness Curve?</strong></p>
<p>Though seemingly paradoxical, the happiness curve is tied to the natural pressures of young adulthood, which contribute to an atmosphere of stress and uncertainty. Questions of how to:</p>
<p>• Find the right romantic partner </p>
<p>• Choose an enjoyable yet lucrative career </p>
<p>• Transition to financial stability </p>
<p>constantly plague the minds of young adults. </p>
<p>Since <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3792649/" title="happiness curve">the “self” is still forming in this stage of life</a>, searching for a core identity feels emotionally consuming. Conversely, older adults have typically <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018853/" title="happiness curve">cemented their identity</a>, leading to more emotional stability and achieving the happiness curve. </p>
<p>For this reason, the happiness curve is a kind of “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-real-roots-of-midlife-crisis/382235/" title="happiness curve">U-curve</a>” (or, as some have whimsically modeled it, a <a href="http://thecontextofthings.com/2015/01/05/happiness-u-curve/" title="happiness curve">smiley face</a>) – with physical and cognitive health having a surprisingly inverse relationship with happiness.</p>
<p>Remarkably, people entering their 20s and 30s reported having the <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100448?rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed&amp;url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&amp;journalCode=psych" title="happiness curve">highest stress, depression, and anxiety among all age groups</a>. Simultaneously, they also have the lowest levels of contentment and well-being. In contrast, people in their 50s and 60s have much <a href="https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/mental/improvement-in-mental-health-with-aging/" title="happiness curve">higher life satisfaction, emotional stability, and positivity than their younger counterparts</a>.</p>
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<p><strong>The Happiness Curve</strong></p>
<p>The happiness curve is attributed to the ability of older people to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-00438-011?doi=1" title="happiness curve">focus on the positive aspects of situations</a>. As you grow older, you’re affected by adverse conditions less than younger people and are more likely to focus on your successes.  For example, an evening spent reading stories to grandchildren significantly outweighs the annoyance of achy knees or weak glasses. </p>
<p>These findings support the principles of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-10334-001" title="happiness curve">socio-emotional selectivity theory (SST)</a>, which refers to the relationship between increased happiness and a limited timeline. Happiness, according to SST, is an individual’s confidence in their future. Since an <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00339/full" title="happiness curve">unpredictable future</a> confronts younger people, they focus their energy on combating whatever challenges lie ahead, such as going to college, completing a summer internship, or getting into perfect shape.</p>
<p>This ambiguity makes young adults less embedded in the “now’, delaying internal emotional satisfaction. Therefore, the happiness curve is at its lowest at this point in life. </p>
<p>Conversely, when facing a shorter period, a person will focus on the present, prioritizing emotional satisfaction over preparation for the future. Happiness, in turn, becomes the biggest priority for the aging adult, as do values such as love, family connection, and self-reflection. The happiness curve is complete. </p>
<p><b>Perspective: Essential to the Happiness Curve</b></p>
<p>As you grow older, you acquire wisdom by learning lessons from your past. Knowledge increases the sense of self and contributes to the notion of “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1064748112600682" title="happiness curve">successful aging</a>.” </p>
<p>Wisdom allows you to have a meaningful relationship with your past, using memories as a lens to view your identity. This accumulation of memories gives you perspective, a key ingredient in the happiness curve. </p>
<p>As you remember countless embarrassing or negative moments (like when you spilled yogurt on a breakfast date), you also remember that none of it mattered. Though your younger self felt humiliated, those moments are now funny. </p>
<p>Age shows us that even losses that seem incredibly consequential at the moment, like breakups, are ultimately minor in the grand scheme of life. Older people focus on happiness instead of heartbreak when reflecting on a past love. Filtered by <a href="https://mystoriesmatter.com/blog/what-causes-nostalgia-goggles" title="happiness curve">nostalgia goggles</a> (looking at past events positively), the past becomes a harbor of positive recollections.</p>
<p><strong>Record Memories on My Stories Matter </strong></p>
<p>Thanks to the happiness curve, it only goes up from here! In the <a href="https://seniorplanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bowie-aging-quote-1.jpg" title="happiness curve">words</a> of David Bowie, “Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” So don’t let the fear of aging worry you. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.mystoriesmatter.com/" title="Happiness curve">My Stories Matter</a> is a great platform to start <a href="https://mystoriesmatter.com/journal-my-life" title="happiness curve">recording the lessons</a> you’ve learned along the way. You can: </p>
<p>• Collaborate with friends and family </p>
<p>• Organize your stories and memories with our timeline feature</p>
<p>• Answer prompts that ask you specific questions to get started </p>
<p>Your information is kept secure and private, unlike other social media apps. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.mystoriesmatter.com/" title="happiness curve">Sign up</a> today for free and allow your happiness curve to rise.</p>


Positivity

Unlocking Happiness: How Positive Psychology Can Change Your Life

10 Questions to Ask Yourself for a Happy Life

Why You Get Happier as You Age