Positive Health: The Basics

by Jolanta Burke, Pádraic J. Dunne, Elaine Byrne, Ciaran A. O’Boyle This introductory book offers a clear guide to the new field of Positive Health which incorporates a shift towards perceiving body and mind as an integrated system. The book combines Lifestyle Medicine research and practice, such as healthy eating, good sleep hygiene, and physical activity, with positive psychology research and practice, including cognitive, arts-based, and positive affect tools, to delve into the psychology of positive health, physiology, and health behaviour. Combining theory with interventions, and illustrated by case material, mind-maps, and infographics, the book also provides exercises on how to use key research findings from the field of positive health to enhance personal wellbeing. It helps readers focus on the changes they can make to their thinking, attitudes, and behaviours, as well as changes they can instigate in their environment that can lead to positive health. Topics covered include the social determinants of health and meaning as a factor contributing to health. It is essential for introductory courses on Positive Health, and supplementary reading for courses on positive psychology or wellbeing, as well as valuable reading for all healthcare professionals and policy makers.