How to Use Your Positive Memories To Boost Mental Health and Prevent Depression

When you think back on your life throughout your day, are you more likely to revisit “positive memories” or “negative memories?”

According to a new study published in Nature Human Behavior, recalling positive memories may play an important role in managing stress, preventing depressive symptoms, and boosting our mental health overall.

Researchers set up an experiment where participants were shown either a “positive” or “negative” word on a screen, and were then asked to recall a specific autobiographical memory from their past that was related to that word. By doing this, researchers prompted individuals to either think of pleasant memories from their past or unpleasant memories.

Psychologists discovered that individuals who were better able to recall a specific positive memory from their past were more likely to report fewer negative self-related thoughts, lower morning cortisol levels (the hormone that creates stress), and less depressive symptoms overall. They did a follow-up 12 months later and found similar results.

The study theorizes that thinking back on specific “positive memories” can help build resilience to stressful events and reduce vulnerability to depression later in life (especially in young people).

One potential limitation of this study is that people who are less susceptible to stress and depression are already really good at thinking back on “positive memories” – or they simply have more “positive memories” to draw from in their life experiences. However, another study published in Clinical Psychology Review suggests that individuals can be trained to better recall positive memories from their past.

It is well-known that individuals, especially those prone to depression, are more likely to have a negativity bias. This means our minds have a tendency to focus more on negative memories and negative thinking, because that’s generally a sign that something needs to be “fixed” and our minds want to solve it (minds are natural problem-solvers).

In other words, positive thinking doesn’t always come naturally to people, which is why it’s important for some people to take active steps to re-focus on the positive in their lives rather than keep dwelling on the negative.

Everyone has “positive memories” from their past – whether big or small. No one goes through life with literally nothing good happening to them. The trick is to put in the time and effort to actively recall these positive memories, write them down, cherish them, and use them as a resource when we need to lift our spirits.

The ability to think back on “positive memories” is important for a variety of reasons:

• Positive memories are an instant source of positive emotions like joy, inspiration, and/or gratitude.
• Positive memories are evidence that you are capable of happiness and good things happening to you.
• Positive memories can be used as a learning experience to find out what may bring you happiness in the future.
• Positive memories give you a more balanced view of your life story, especially if you only focus on the negative ones.

I recommend everyone create a “List of Positive Memories” and save it somewhere, especially if you struggle with negative moods and negative emotions.

Creating a list of “Positive Memories” is a valuable mental tool you can use whenever you need to boost your happiness or motivation.

For now, open a Word document on your computer (or get a paper and pen), set a timer for 2 minutes, and write down as many positive memories that you can think of.

It could be anything big or small: a family vacation you enjoyed as a kid, that time you and your friends had a wild and fun night in college, getting an A+ in that math class, your first kiss, playing that awesome video game from your childhood, or anything that comes to you.

When starting out with your “List of Positive Memories,” you might find it very difficult. But stick with it. If it helps, think back to just something good that happened to you this week: that delicious lunch, that calm walk through nature after work, being able to spend time with your dog/cat/pet.

If the only “positive memories” you can think of seem small or trivial, write them down anyway. You need to get the “positivity ball” rolling and then other positive memories will begin to come more naturally to you. You can always revisit your “List of Positive Memories” at a later date and add new things as they come to you.

Another great idea is to ask your friends or family to recall positive memories with you. They may be able to think of events that you have completely forgotten about over the years, or just haven’t thought about in a very long time.

As you continue to build your “List of Positive Memories,” it can become an extremely valuable resource for happiness, motivation, and inspiration.

You can also take your list and borrow Tim Ferris’ idea of creating a Jar of Awesome to draw from when you need an extra boost in your life.

It may take some work, but it’s worth it to put in the time to actively recall and build your list of positive memories. It can become a reservoir of positivity that you can dip into whenever you need it.

Of course, I’m not one of those people that think you need to fake positivity all-the-time.

I’m fully aware that we should give ourselves permission to be negative every now and then. Being able to accept (and even embrace) negative emotions is an important part of mental health and emotional intelligence.

At the same time, some people need to give themselves permission to be positive as well. Some people get so comfortable with being negative all-the-time, that they forget all the good things that have happened to them.

Positive thinking doesn’t come naturally to everyone, so it’s important that some people put in the time and effort to get their minds thinking in a new direction. This is one effective way to begin doing that!

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