Learn to do it and you will be happy in any situation: Viktor Frankl’s technique

Today, many people know about Viktor Frankl. The Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, author of the bestsellers “Say YES to Life” and “On the Meaning of Life”, who went through all the hardships of concentration camps in WWII, saved thousands of people. Based on his practice, the doctor developed his own system – logotherapy. It is aimed at helping people find the meaning of life. It is based on one basic principle. What is it?

Viktor Frankl worked with Holocaust victims in concentration camps. He taught people, despite the cold, hunger and other deprivations, to retain the main thing – a sense of meaning and purpose. The support was to be the belief that these were only temporary hardships that everyone could bear. The only important thing is to treat them correctly. It is this point that is considered the main point in Frankl’s theory.

The main principle

According to Viktor Frankl, a person is able to choose his own reaction to the events that occur in life. It is this factor that mainly affects the quality of life of people. This observation formed the basis of his logotherapy.

“You can lose everything in life except one thing – the freedom to choose your reaction to what happens. That is what determines the quality of the life we live – not wealth or poverty, not fame or obscurity, not health or anguish.

The quality of our life is determined by how we relate to these realities, what meaning we attribute to them, what state of mind they create for us,” Frankl writes in Man in Search of Meaning.

The power of perception

How does Frankl explain it? Correct perception of events, he believes, helps to accept absolutely any reality. An unambiguously negative reaction to what is happening predetermines the corresponding mental state.

Let’s consider an example. Let’s say a person was fired from his job. He feels anger, resentment, disappointment. This is normal, but only if it does not last too long. Prolonged suffering and self-abuse can lead to depression.

It is important to look at the situation from different angles. Then it is realistic to emphasize the moments that will help to cheer up. Instead of beating oneself up, it is worth paying attention to the opportunities that are opening up.

For example, now a person has a chance to find a better-paying job, or finally he will be able to find something close to home. Perhaps it was long overdue for him to change his social circle.

According to Viktor Frankl, our thoughts shape our future. A person can be deprived of freedom and food, but not the right to choose his reaction to what happens. The truth is simple – to enjoy life, you have to live and enjoy yourself.