Positive psychology this summer

It is summertime again, and I would like to share some reflections that may help us pause, think and practise metacognition during this period.

Metacognition refers to thinking about our own thinking. It helps us become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, choices and behaviours so that we can continue to improve ourselves.

Today, I would like to base my reflections on positive psychology, an area strongly associated with Martin Seligman, who helped develop it as a formal movement in 1998.

Positive psychology focuses on what helps people flourish, live meaningfully, recognise our strengths and build emotional well-being. It does not mean ignoring stress, sadness, failure or difficulty. Rather, it encourages us to ask deeper questions: What helps me grow? What gives me hope? What strengths do I already have? What kind of person do I want to become?

What helps me grow? What gives me hope? What strengths do I already have? What kind of person do I want to become?

Summer often invites us to slow down. For students, it is the end of examinations, assignments, timetables and academic pressure. For educators, it offers a much-needed pause after months of planning, teaching, supporting, correcting, encouraging and holding classrooms emotionally together. For families, it may bring different routines, more time together, and perhaps a little more space to breathe.

Yet summer can be more than a break from school or work. It can also become a time for a mental and emotional reset.

One of the best-known models in positive psychology is the PERMA model, developed by Seligman.

PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. These five areas can offer practical guidance for students, educators and families during the summer months.

• Positive emotions include gratitude, hope, joy, peace, love and inspiration. This does not mean pretending that everything is perfect. It means intentionally noticing moments of goodness, even in ordinary days. Gratitude helps the mind notice what is present, not only what is missing.

• Engagement is about becoming deeply involved in something that absorbs our attention in a healthy way. During summer, students can choose an activity that makes them feel alive and present: swimming, going out with friends, reading, sports, art, music, cooking, volunteering or learning a new skill.

Teachers too can reconnect with activities that restore energy rather than drain it. Engagement reminds us that well-being is not only about resting. It is also about participating in life with interest, curiosity and attention.

• Relationships are central to well-being. Human beings need connection and emotional safety. Summer offers students a chance to reconnect with family and friends. It also offers parents an opportunity to speak with their children beyond school-related matters and future plans. One simple question can open a meaningful conversation: “How are you really feeling?” The important part is to listen without immediately correcting, judging or advising. Teachers may also use summer to nurture relationships with family and friends.

• Meaning is the sense that life has purpose, and that what we do matters. For students, summer can be a time to reflect on why they are studying and what kind of future they wish to build. Education is not only about passing examinations; it is also about developing as a person and preparing to contribute to others.

For educators, meaning may come from remembering that teaching is not only the delivery of content. It is also the formation of young people, the encouragement of confidence and the support given to students who may be struggling more than they show.

• Accomplishment is about progress and realistic goals. It does not always mean perfect results or public success. Sometimes accomplishment means trying again after disappointment, organising one’s notes, improving sleep routines, reading a book, revising a difficult topic, asking for help or keeping a small promise to oneself. Small goals matter because they build confidence. Each small step tells the brain: “I can do this.”

For teachers, accomplishment during summer should not become another burden. It may be enough to prepare a creative activity, read a useful article, organise a folder or simply rest without guilt. Educators give much of themselves during the scholastic year. Rest is not laziness; it is part of renewal.

Positive psychology reminds us that well-being is not found only by chance. It can be practised through gratitude, engagement, supportive relationships, meaning and small accomplishments. Summer is not only a time to rest from what we have carried. It is also a time to choose what we want to carry forward. Wherever life takes us next, let us remember to take our strengths with us.

Josephine Ebejer Grech is a doctoral candidate studying the well-being and academic resilience of post-secondary students.