PERMA+: A Simple Positive Psychology Model for a Life That Feels Good
What if improving your wellbeing wasn’t about fixing what’s wrong, but strengthening what’s already right?
We can spend a lot of time thinking about what needs changing.
What do I need to do better? What am I missing? Why don’t I feel happier? What should I be doing differently?
Positive psychology invites us to look through a slightly different lens.
Rather than focusing only on our weaknesses or what isn’t working, positive psychology explores what helps us grow, flourish and create a life with greater joy, meaning and purpose.
As Martin Seligman beautifully describes it, positive psychology takes us beyond pleasure towards our strengths and virtues, and ultimately towards lasting fulfilment, meaning and purpose.
And that fits perfectly with the philosophy behind An Ideal Day.
Because living well isn’t about creating a perfect life. It’s about understanding what contributes to your wellbeing and intentionally bringing more of those things into your ordinary days.
One useful way to do that is through the PERMA+ model.
What is PERMA+?
PERMA+ gives us a simple framework for thinking about wellbeing.
It encourages us to look at several different areas of our lives rather than expecting happiness to come from one thing.
The letters stand for:
P — Positive Emotion
E — Engagement
R — Relationships
M — Meaning
A — Accomplishment
+ — The physical foundations that support our wellbeing
The idea isn't to achieve a perfect score in every area.
Instead, use these as prompts to notice what is already supporting you and where a small shift might make your days feel richer.
P — Positive Emotion
Positive emotion is about far more than simply being happy.
Think hope, interest, compassion, love, amusement, joy and pride.
These emotions can be encouraged through the things we choose to bring into our days: doing something we enjoy, being creative, spending time with people who lift us, noticing something beautiful or reflecting on what went well.
Gratitude is a particularly simple place to begin.
At the end of your day, ask yourself:
What was good about today?
It doesn't need to be extraordinary.
A good conversation. A laugh. Sunshine on your morning walk. Finishing something you had been putting off. A quiet cup of coffee.
Train yourself to notice the good that already exists in your ordinary life.
E — Engagement
Have you ever been so absorbed in something that you lost track of time?
That sense of being completely immersed is engagement.
It can happen when we use our strengths, do something we genuinely enjoy or become completely present in what we are doing.
Spend time in nature. Make something. Learn something. Do work that challenges you. Immerse yourself in a hobby. Notice moments of awe.
And perhaps most importantly, be where you are.
So much of life can be spent thinking about what happened yesterday or what needs to happen tomorrow.
Engagement brings us back to now.
R — Relationships
We are not designed to do life entirely alone.
Feeling supported, loved and valued contributes enormously to our sense of wellbeing.
But meaningful relationships also require participation.
Reach out.
Be interested.
Join something new.
Reconnect with someone you haven't spoken to for a while.
Celebrate other people's successes.
Sometimes improving our wellbeing isn't about looking further inward. It is about looking outward and strengthening our connection with the people around us.
M — Meaning
Meaning is deeply personal.
It is the sense that what you do and how you live matters.
Meaning might come through your family, work, creativity, spirituality, community, service to others or something you are passionate about.
And underneath much of it are your values.
When you know what matters to you, it becomes easier to make choices that feel aligned with the person you want to be.
This is why knowing your because matters.
Why do you do what you do?
Why does this goal matter?
Why is this relationship important?
Why do you want to make this change?
Go beneath the obvious answer. Often, that is where meaning lives.
A — Accomplishment
There is something powerful about making progress.
Accomplishment doesn't have to mean receiving an award, reaching the top or achieving something enormous.
It can be mastering something new, following through on a commitment, moving towards a goal or simply recognising that you are becoming more capable than you were before.
Set achievable, measurable goals.
Keep going.
Build perseverance.
And then remember to acknowledge your progress.
Celebrate the small wins too.
We can become so focused on the next milestone that we forget to appreciate how far we've already come.
Accomplishment isn't only about arriving at the destination. There is value in enjoying who you become along the way.
And then there is the +
The plus is easy to overlook, but it provides the foundation beneath everything else.
Nutrition. Movement. Sleep.
Our physical wellbeing supports our mental wellbeing.
Moving regularly can help with focus and stress.
Nourishing your body gives it what it needs to function well.
Prioritising quality sleep supports your mindset, resilience and ability to approach life with optimism.
Your PERMA+ Check-In
Take a moment and think about your life right now.
Positive Emotion: What has been bringing me joy lately?
Engagement: When do I feel most absorbed, interested and alive?
Relationships: Who makes my life richer and who could I connect with more?
Meaning: What matters deeply to me, and am I giving it enough attention?
Accomplishment: What am I working towards and what progress should I acknowledge?
Plus: Am I supporting myself with enough movement, nourishment and quality sleep?
You don't need to overhaul every area.
Notice the one that catches your attention.
What is one small thing you could do today to strengthen it?
Positive Psychology in an Ordinary Day
Perhaps one of the most useful things about positive psychology is that we don't have to wait for life to become extraordinary before we can experience greater wellbeing.
We can actively pay attention to our happiness, strengths, relationships, purpose, progress and physical wellbeing.
And we can practice recognising where those things already exist.
A meaningful conversation.
A walk outside.
Working towards something that matters.
Doing something you're good at.
Going to bed a little earlier.
Stopping long enough to appreciate something good.
These may look like small choices.
But small choices repeated across ordinary days shape the way we experience our lives.
That is the heart of An Ideal Day.
Not chasing perfection.
Not trying to feel positive every minute.
But becoming more aware of what helps you flourish and intentionally creating more space for it.
Your ideal day doesn't need to contain everything.
It simply needs to contain more of what matters.
Discover more practical ways to move from autopilot to awareness in An Ideal Day: Master Your Mindset — Your Ideal Day Starts Within, and explore more free resources and reflections at An Ideal Day.
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