Winners and losers

UK elections work on the principle of first past the post and consequently we talk in terms of who won, and who lost. If we think like this then we all become losers. There are good people of integrity amongst every political party, let’s recognise this.

Welfare, not warfare!

Initiating or responding to hostile language, mud-slinging and fake news, brings out the worst of our characters. Let’s concentrate on what matters, the welfare of our people, our country and our place in the world. It’s not enough to place the responsibility of this solely on the government, we must all be accountable.

What can WE do?

Whilst we wait for our newly elected Government to fulfil their campaign promises there is much we can do as individuals to make a positive difference in everyday life. It is the small things that add up to make a huge difference.

‘Be the change you want to see in the world’

Gandhi’s words are simple but true. If we want to live in a compassionate society we need to practise compassion. If we want equality then we need to treat everyone equally. Actions speak louder than words.

How Positive Psychology can help

You may care greatly but unless you know HOW to make a difference, where do you start? Positive psychology research shows that even the smallest shift in our thinking can have positive results in how we feel, in our perceptions and in how others perceive us.

Topics such as hope, optimism, resilience, love, compassion, altruism and more are all earned behaviours. As such, this means they can be taught, learnt and practised daily.

The Positive Psychology People (TPPP)

For the last five years, The Positive Psychology People writers have been writing and sharing articles illustrating different ways that the theory of psychological wellbeing can be applied in everyday life. We feel that this is more important now than at any other time. In 2020 our focus will be looking at ways to make the world a better place to live and how we as individuals can make a difference.

A Global Perspective

Although this blog refers to the UK post-election, TPPP is made up of people from all other the world and represents those of different races, ages, genders, languages, political beliefs, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. What we all have in common is the appetite to make a positive difference. Join us.

About the Author: Lesley Lyle

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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Recently, I was walking in Richmond Park with my partner, our friend and her two young children. It was a beautiful spring day and a real chance to blow away the cobwebs. Richmond Park is outstandingly beautiful and well maintained. Sadly, not all visitors treat it accordingly and as we were walking I spotted three empty plastic water bottles. Instinctively, I picked up the bottles ready to throw away in a litter-bin.  My friend’s son Jack, who is only four asked me what I was doing, so I explained to him that litter is dangerous for the animals as well as looking unsightly (using four year old terminology). To my surprise, he immediately spotted a larger empty plastic bottle some ten metres away. He walked straight over to it and picked it up, wanting to take it to a bin as well. So, off we went and disposed of the bottles. Later when we were walking through the town centre, Jack once again spotted another bottle, which he merrily picked up and asked where we could throw it away.   Jack had suddenly become a litter champion.

Internet Campaigns!

The afternoon’s events reminded me of a conversation with a colleague who told me about what happens when she goes to the beach with her friends and their children. At the end of the day, they all have to pick up five pieces of rubbish that did not belong to their party. I remember thinking what a great idea, particularly as awareness is being raised, in part to Sir David Attenborough’s BBC Blue Planet episode talking about plastic pollution. I suggested spreading the word through social media but of course there are already campaigns up and running such as Pick Up 3 Pieces (pickup3.org.uk) and Take 3 For The Sea (take3.org) to name but a few. Of course this doesn’t have to be limited to just the beach, it can include anywhere such as the park or playground.

Statistics and ways forward

According to statista.com, in September 2018, 655 pieces of litter were collected per 100 metres on English beaches. This was the highest amongst Scotland at 559, Wales at 528, Northern Ireland at 508 and The Channel Islands at 168. Additionally, litterbins.co.uk state that cleaning up litter from just the streets of Britain costs taxpayers around £500 million, with 48% of people admitting to dropping litter. We have seen an increase of 500% since the 1960s.

There are many considerations for tackling the ongoing worldwide problem. As climate change becomes more and more a focal point for all generations, corporations are beginning to consider the impact of their business and how they can contribute to a reduction of disposable items. In 2015 supermarkets and stores were forced to start charging 5p for carrier bags when the Government introduced a new law. This charge is to be raised to 10p per bag and extended to all retailers in January 2020, under plans set out by the environment secretary. The change has seen an 86 percent reduction in big supermarket plastic bag sales. Under their own environmental policies, some chains are now looking at other ways of reducing packaging and therefore leading to less waste for disposal.

As individuals and communities we also have our part to play, which brings me back to the various campaigns I mentioned above. Social media can have a very important influence by bringing communities together, with volunteers organising tidy up days, raising awareness and the encouraging of reporting fly-tippers. With the right education we can make a difference, but we also need the correct facilities provided by the relevant authorities such as adequate refuse collection services and more public places for our litter that are emptied appropriately. This needs to include organic waste because even a banana skin is considered litter.

Combating the litter problem will lead to cleaner oceans, rivers, parks and public spaces bringing us a healthier and happier planet for all those that dwell on it.

About the author: Stuart Dickson

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I recently spent a month in The Philippines which brought the depth of gratitude I have for the country that I was born and raised in, to a whole new level.  I have actively been practising gratitude in the form of a daily gratitude journal – writing down the three best things of the day and acknowledging why they are so good and why I’m so grateful for these things occurring – for almost two years now.  This has been a large contributing factor in the ongoing process to re-train the neural pathways in my own brain which enabled me to successfully overcome many years of depression and mental health challenges several years ago.

This activity in itself encompasses great power, however combined with real life altering and first hand experiences, this activity then becomes dramatically enhanced.  It is one thing to be vaguely aware of the poverty in this world and quite another to experience it firsthand.  There were several significant activities that occurred for me during this time that have raised my conscious awareness and consequently my expression of gratitude to new heights.  Number one being that for the very first time in my life, for 10 days whilst attending a Vipassana (silent) meditation program in the middle of nowhere, several hours outside of Manila, I did not have access to hot water.  On top of this for many hours every day there was no access to running water – hot or cold – at all.  For me, coming from Australia, where even during a major drought season several years ago, lack of water was not taken very seriously by many of us; this is such a basic essential.  It was very humbling to come to the realisation that for 10 days I would go without what I now consider a luxury, not an essential.

Grateful for the simplest of things

During the 10 days, very quickly, I realised how precious my bucket of cold water for showers actually was.  On day one, all lathered up mid washing, with less than half a bucket of cold water left, the running water was cut off completely.  I was left flabbergasted on how to proceed and finish my shower with such a little amount of water and no way to attain more.  Of course I managed and lived to see the next day (the same thing happened again and again) but this was not without having to sacrifice conditioned hair in order to wash the shampoo out and the suds off my body.  For the first two days I reacted like a spoiled child and stormed off to see the managers of the facility, wondering if this was some kind of test that was part of the meditation program that we were not informed of.  Upon realising there was nothing that could be done what so ever and I needed to just accept this occurring, I became very aware that at any stage we could run out of water completely.  I started hoarding the water when it was working – if I saw a bucket with even an inch to spare, I would fill it up.

Being mindful that others have but a fraction

The next thing that raised my conscious awareness even further was being confronted with the reality of having to hand-wash my clothes in a plastic container of cold water.  Again I reacted like a spoiled child and stormed off to burst into tears of frustration.  I quickly recovered and knowing there was zilch I could do, accepted the fact that I would be wearing smelly, half clean clothes for the rest of the week, as I really had no skills in this area.  These experiences were deepened even more when I visited the slums of Manila after the meditation program was over.  Ironically the slums community was called “Happy Land” and for the most part many of the people did appear reasonably happy despite their substandard situation.  Here I met women who earn 60 PHP a day ($2) hand peeling garlic and people who earn money by recycling thrown out chicken, rewashing it and recooking it.  I came to realise there are millions of people, including children, living off recycled and re-cooked chicken on a daily basis – risking salmonella poisoning every single time.

The home of people in the slums are mere shanty’s, made of wood and tin with very limited plumbing and only limited illegal and unsafe electricity.  Often up to 10 people live in these one or two room confined spaces.  They cook out in the open on gas cookers and there is no actual room to shower in.  People – fully dressed – publicly shower from a buckets of water out in front of their shanty standing in dirt and mud.   The entire community is one giant recycled tip, where naked and shoeless children run around.  For me everything about this community was appalling and heart breaking, but for over 15 million people in The Philippines alone, this is what they refer to as home.

These kinds of experiences are life altering when you realise just how fortunate you really are.

About the author: Jamie views Positive Psychology as her lifes’ calling – to help change the world. She is the 47th person in the world to finish the only government accredited Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing in existence. She has designed a free 21-day Happiness Program to introduce people to retraining their brain for greater happiness. www.thehappinessninja.com.au

‘We are the Positive Psychology People’

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In Martin Seligman’s seminal book, Flourish, he concludes with what I like to see as his sigh of the soul. He talks of when he was at the first World Congress of the IPPA in 2009 and James Pawelski posed this question: “What vision can we articulate that is as grand and inspiring as John Kennedy’s of putting a man on the moon? What is our moon shot? What is the long mission of positive psychology?” (see Flourish, p. 238)

He then talks about how some of the most brilliant positive psychologists have come up with ways to measure human flourishing and suggests that our moonshot goal will be to not only measure flourishing, but to engender more of it.

He then states: “By the year 2051, 51 percent of the people of the world will be flourishing.” (see Flourish, p. 240). He calls this goal PERMA 51.

Half the World Flourishing: Breaking it Down

This truly is a moonshot goal. Just think of it for a minute. This book was published in 2011. Here we are at the end of 2016. That gives us less than 35 years to accomplish this task. Let’s break it down further.

In 2011, the world’s population had just hit the 7 billion mark. As of August 2016 the world’s population was estimated at 7.4 billion. By the year 2050 the UN states that the median estimates see the world’s population to reach 9.725 billion. (this article from Wikipedia) Add the average increase of about 286 million per year and you have the number 10.011 billion people. Divide that by 34.25 and we get 292 million people per year who need to be measurably flourishing.

That’s 24.3 million per month.

811,924 per day.

33,830 per hour.

563 per minute

How Many Are Flourishing Now?

If population growth projections prove to be true, approximately nine more people need to be measurably flourishing every available second from this moment until the year 2051! That’s a lot of people! The good thing is that these numbers assume that no one in the world is flourishing currently and this is simply not the case.

Researchers at Penn’s Positive Psychology Center have been trying to come up with this number. An interesting body of research is emerging from Lyle Ungar, Andy Schwartz and Johannes Eichstaedt called the World Well Being Project aims to measure the world’s well-being in near real-time. They have started by categorizing over 150 million tweets and over 300,000 Facebook statuses. Each of the words in the status are PERMA-coded for overall well-being or the lack thereof. To follow this fascinating research, visit the World Well Being Project. I hope to see more good come out of this research that will help us to see where the world stands with regards to overall well-being and how far we have to go.

So How Will We Do It?

Martin Seligman lists all the ways he sees it happening in Flourish. He mentions psychologists in one-on-one coaching or therapy sessions. He mentions teachers who implement well-being into education. He mentions teaching resilience in the army: better soldiers become better citizens. He mentions positive business where success won’t just be about profit, but also about better relationships and meaning. He says that government needs to be a part of the movement so that decisions are made not only to increase GDP, but also the well-being of the governed. Finally he says that it will be aided “perhaps crucially–by positive computing.”

I have spoken with other prominent positive psychologists about PERMA 51. Barry Schwartz thought benefit corporations (B corps) were on the rise which will greatly affect positive business. Michelle Gielan seems to believe that it will come by transforming journalism to be solutions-based rather than constantly negative. I asked Ed Diener if PERMA 51 was possible and though he didn’t say how, he said he was very optimistic that it was.

Chewbacca Masks and PERMA? Well-being needs to go viral

I found myself sitting across a table from Marty Seligman in November 2015. He was staring at me with a look of “why don’t I recognize your face?” I was a last-minute guest to a presentation on the neuroscience of aesthetics and the arts. I also sat across from Angela Duckworth and to the right of James Pawelski. After the presentation, I had the pleasure of catching Marty in the hall on his way out. I introduced myself and told him that I wanted to use the power of social media to broadcast positive psychology to the world. I told him that I believed that we needed to take full advantage of the power of social media influencers (individuals and businesses) to evangelize positive psychology. He listened intently, though I could tell he was in a hurry. After I told him my ideas, the first words that came out of his mouth were “PERMA 51.” I felt validated, yet unresolved.

On May 19, 2016, Candace Payne put on a Chewbacca mask in her car and got 161 million people to laugh with her. That’s the kind of virility we need to get PERMA into the minds of people. We need PERMA to go viral on social media, not just once, but constantly. It needs to start setting trends. It needs to be in the air. A zeitgeist of PERMA needs to be spreading year after year on all the social media giants. I believe PERMA needs to be infused by individual therapists, educators, businesses, military and government like Seligman says. I also believe that each one of these is in some way driven by technology and technology is driven by social trends.

And this too will help PERMA cross the borders. Can social media help us to change behavior in significant ways? Ask Julius Yego, the Kenyan Olympic silver medalist who learned to throw javelin by watching YouTube videos.

If you read this blog, you already have the vision and you are a part of it. Not only do I believe that PERMA 51 is possible, but I see it as a part of my mission in life. In future posts I will write more about how social media influencers can infuse PERMA into their content strategies in ways that will boost engagement. My hope is that we can all work together in all our various orbits to make PERMA 51 a reality. Do you think it’s possible? I’d love to hear your response in the comments below.

About the Author: Andy Proctor is the number one positive psychology broadcaster on Periscope and has taught thousands of live students about the science of happiness and human flourishing. After he graduated from BYU, he was published in the journal Mindfulness for his work on the first standardized Implicit Association Test (IAT). He worked with Stanford researchers to create this tool and it has been used by over 15 universities worldwide. He is the author of Live Your Mission, a book that helps you find more meaning through discovery of your unique life purpose. His personal website: www.andrewscotproctor.com

‘We are the Positive Psychology People’

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I wouldn’t normally describe myself as a particularly vocal person on the subject of politics but I think like many other people at the moment, I am still reeling from the decision to leave the European Union (EU). I was especially shocked at the strength of my reaction to the news of Brexit and towards my fellow compatriots – and even some of the ‘senior’ members of my own family – for voting to leave.

But I would like to think that studying Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) has taught me to ‘self-regulate’ more quickly and to recognise the importance of dealing with this situation and these emotions as speedily and positively as we can. Whichever way we voted, action is essential if we are to prevent a potentially very divisive split in relationships with family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and communities.

The power of fear and negativity can bring out the worst in all of us. The Archbishop of Canterbury has already spoken out on “an out-welling of poison and hatred” that has occurred since the Brexit result, with racial attacks increasing dramatically. Whilst I applaud the attempt to make clear that Britain is not a nation of racists, I don’t think the ‘wear a safety pin’ to display this perspective is enough: it is in our everyday attitudes and actions that the truth will be made evident.

Core values of the British ‘character’

This division could damage the very heart of our British ‘strength of character’ with core values such as fairness, tolerance and humanity. But it’s not only the public who need to use our strengths to recover and rebuild our character, it’s the politicians too. Arguably they are the ones who have heavily influenced the fear and division across the country and the whole of the UK, with attitudes and actions thus far since the Brexit result that do not make me feel proud to be British.

Perhaps the greatest strengths needed by both politicians and the public today in post-Brexit Britain are honesty and integrity; speaking the truth in a genuine way and with sincerity not pretence, taking responsibility for one’s feeling and reactions. Our politicians need to focus on the strengths of leadership and teamwork to rebuild our economic and psychological resources. We all need judgement to fairly examine issues from all sides and to be able to change our minds in the light of new evidence and courage to accomplish our goals in the face of opposition, external or internal. In exercising perspective and wisdom we can help each other to make sense of what has happened and how we can move forward together as a united not a divided kingdom.

Temperance and humanity, not extremism

We also need the strength of temperance to protect against extreme behaviours and reactions, including prudence – not making choices or saying things that we might regret – and to exercise forgiveness not vengeance. Our humanity embraces the strengths of love, kindness and social intelligence that help us to understand others and form positive relationships which are so important to our psychological and physical health and wellbeing

If we can rebuild even some of these strengths, perhaps post-Brexit Britain could be the start of something better – more hopeful – but the choice and the responsibility is down to all of us, not just the few.

About the author: Maggie Bevington has many years of experience working in conventional and alternative medicine before adding Positive Psychology (MAPP 2014) to her work at Positive Health Plus. She now designs and delivers Upward Spirals workshops and courses which combine Positive Psychology, mindfulness training and Foundations in Health  www.upwardspirals.org.uk

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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I recently had the opportunity to visit the town where I grew up. I haven’t lived there in decades, yet, I visited two weekends in a row. One weekend was reconnecting with the past—my high school reunion. The following weekend was spent sharing my present—leading an improv workshop at the Grand Rapids Improv Festival and being interviewed on a local morning show. Funny thing…and believe it or not, I was somewhat shy in high school. I didn’t take a single acting class or ever performed on stage in high school. Yet, decades later, I appear on TV and teach an improv workshop in my hometown.

Attending my high school reunion brought unexpected connections and friendships. New and renewed friendships. Classmates I was friends with before are now in my life again. We shared laughter and stories of old and new.

It felt like I never left-sort of

Having been away from Grand Rapids, Michigan through the years left me with a constant longing for home. Being uprooted after my freshman year of college and embarking on an adventure to Raleigh, North Carolina with my mom and dad, this youngest of six was forced to make a home wherever she was.

Moving from a Midwestern town to a Southern town was a culture shock for this once 18-year-old. I was told I talk funny by people from all over the Southern United States. For those of you not aware, just like there are different Midwest accents—from Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota—there are various Southern accents—from the mountains to the beach of North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

Although my Southern friends and I had a few communication “mishaps,” we always laughed and poked fun at our language differences. Not to mention the different colloquialisms. I was feeling at home with my new friends.

Just as I was starting to feel like I could plant roots in Raleigh, my parents uprooted once again. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during the summer after my sophomore year of college. After having her mastectomy, she and my dad moved back up to the Midwest exactly one year after the three of us moved to Raleigh. From then on I was on my own.

Constant journey toward home

I realized that throughout my life, I continued to listen to my inner voice, my intuition, and follow my passion and my joys. Multiple times I have had to push myself beyond my own boundaries and limitations. Sometimes by my choice and sometimes because of circumstances beyond my control. As I pushed myself through new experiences, one feeling remained the same…my desire to connect with others, to have a sense of family, and to belong.

My Heart is Where My Home Is

No matter how long and hard I look outside of myself and beyond my inner circle for connection, I am reminded by my loved ones that I am loved, I do belong, and that we are family.

As I reflect this holiday season, I bask in the feeling of knowing that I am home.

About the author: —Julie Ostrow is the First-Ever American Laughing Champion and Humor, Laughter, and Improv Coach. She coaches groups and corporations how to use humor, laughter, and improv techniques to improve communication, connection, and creativity. www.GoFindTheFunny.com

‘We are the Positive Psychology People’

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But then they go on to do something that I think totally defeats the purpose. They critically analyze the news, but in what’s been called “motivated reasoning”, process the new information through the filter of their preexisting worldview. Which means that it often leads to what their teacher calls a drunk’s bar conversation, where they adamantly defend their positions and become all the more certain of their views.

What Children Learn is Important

At the breakfast table one day though, one of the twins was reading the story of a refugee family, one of many that they had read over the past few weeks. But when she looked up, something had changed within her. “Mommy!” she cried in alarm, “this family was just like us – they worked in good jobs, their children went to good schools. Their daughter did ballet, their two sons played soccer and basketball. And look what happened to them…” as she trailed off in disbelief. Somehow, the fact that most of the people were living normal lives before the crisis had evaded her for so long. And somehow this was all she needed to feel genuine empathy for them.

It’s true that critical reasoning without empathy simply leads to cynicism and disconnect. To be moved by the world, and to be motivated to help, we need to step out of our own bubbles and walk in the shoes of others, albeit metaphorically. Judging from my daughter’s reaction, I figure one of the best ways of doing so is to see commonalities with ourselves and others.

Luckily, as humanity, what we have in common extends way deeper than the superficial differences of race, religion and nationality. We cry in pain and react in fear. We strive for more and hope for a better future. We love with passion and find strength through our relationships. And we all yearn for meaning, the most human of all aspirations.

Planting the Seed for Future Growth

When we appreciate this common humanity, we move one step closer to the Dalai Lama’s vision of universal compassion. It’s not an easy feat, as Daniel Goleman rightly points out. But if we were to plant the seeds of compassion today, through experiences, practices and perspectives, we can live in the hope that they will flower one day and bring much needed change in the lives of future generations.

About the Author: Homaira Kabir is a positive psychology coach, a cognitive behavioral therapist and a writer who specializes in the area of self-worth. She helps women break free from the grip of low self-confidence through scientifically backed strategies, programs and courses, so that they show up fully in their relationships and rise to their full potential at work and in life. You can read more about her at www.homairakabir.com

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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Are you aware of the fact that women and men de-stress in entirely different ways? Now this is one piece of important information. Research shows that women tend to release stress through doing chores while chatting to others. They enjoy brewing coffee or tidying up while talking to each other about a zillion of emotional issues.

This was quite easy to accomplish in traditional settings of living in extended families or tribal societies in natural surroundings where women spend a lot of time in the company of other women and shared some burdens of housekeeping.

In today’s post modern societies with their large numbers of single households or married couples without children, de-stressing that works for both partners seems to be a massive  challenge.

Most people know that many men de-stress by going into the famous cave. A state of mindlessness is the preferred mode. Perhaps this is a state women could benefit from understanding and cultivating within themselves.

The Importance of the Empty Box

A stressed man is not exactly well equipped to deal with a stressed out woman who wants to chatter a stream of words into his ears while she moves many items around. This is likely to become unsettling for the standard stressed man and can easily aggravate him.

Mark Gougon brilliantly brings this message across in his “Tale of two brains”. He cracks people up with his poignant truths. His term of that particular part of men’s brains says it all: “The Nothing Box”.

Men can be completely braindead for hours, he says. And this particular box in their brains is their favorite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huy-oOiDMLE).

In stark contrast “womens brain’s are made up of a big ball of wire and everything is connected to everything”. Like the internet superhighway and driven by the energy of emotion. ”

Their minds never stop”, says Gougon. And nothing irritates them more than seeing a man in his Nothing Box. Now such a situation is obviously not conducive for effective stress reduction in both partners.

What can men and women learn from their stress responses?

Books on the differences between men and women, such as the Mars and Venus series, have become very popular. And many know already that men and women are so very different from each other. However, how many of us took all this information that has  emerged during the past decade seriously enough to aim for a change of communication styles?

To take an honest look at how we generally communicate as men and women takes courage. What will emerge is not exactly a rosy picture. Such an examination is particularly relevant when reducing stress is an essential goal.

One of the essential feminine strengths is nurturing. And it seems that in order to get in touch with the feminine side within, getting out of the noisy realm of the mind is pertinent. It simply nurtures the soul when we think and do less of anything – such as sitting in silence, listening to uplifting music, taking a bubble bath, going for a walk or attending a yoga class.

Laughter is another awesome way to go beyond the mind. You can’t possibly think about anything while you are really laughing your head off.

However, it doesn’t really matter what we do to reconnect to what some people have called “the bliss field”: this ultimately inexplicable inner realm of peace and joy. What matters is the conscious choice to do it, again and again.

Nurturing inner peace & communicating with kindness are essential

Cultivating more states of inner peace and silent joy then seems particularly worthy to learn more about for women who suffer from their relentlessly spinning minds and also make others around them suffer from it.

Instead of stone walling from within the cave, many more men could quite easily calm their stressed partners down by acknowledging their presence through learning how to gently say a few kind words or even sentences. Sounds very easy, doesn’t it?

It seems clear to me that we could in fact quite easily fundamentally improve men-women relations when more of us would learn some of these essential lessons ingrained in our genders from each other.

Just imagine how different this world would look like if we were more conscious about our reaction patterns to stress. Imagine most of us would learn simple and effective ways to reduce stress and communicate more gently with each other.

About the author: Ute Devika Meinel is Life Coach, certified trainer of the HeartMath Institute and teacher of Laughter Yoga who facilitates workshops internationally. She was born to German parents in India and lives in Egypt.

www.Devikacoaching.com

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Polly Vernon recently wrote an upbeat article about 2015 fads she has openly embraced – Pilates, Uber, summer cocktails, sobriety, Instagram and Almond milk to name a few! As a style journalist, trends are kind of her bread and butter.

I reflected on my own indulgence in the ‘latest craze’.  Reading anything to do with my role, listening  to Engage for Success podcasts, attending Happiness seminars and making new connections at Culture Meet-Ups all hold great appeal. The concepts of pre-approving ideas, celebrating failures and transparent salaries draw me to explore them more deeply and practically. I rejoiced in International Happiness Day with my team this year and I’m currently exploring the synergy between Culture and Brand.

Well-Being at work

No surprises then how animated I get about mental and physical well-being at work!  When I found the nef research on the Five Ways to Wellbeing, I knew my next intervention lay right there….

“The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a set of evidence-based actions which promote people’s wellbeing. They are: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice,Keep Learning and Give. These activities are simple things individuals can do in their everyday lives.”

Mental Health in the UK is currently in the spotlight, spearheaded by famous names such as Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry, but the spectrum of mental health issues tend to be poorly understood by the general population. As a result, stigma and a lack of support prevail, often worsening the issues.  But what if we could do something preventative? Something easy to build into our everyday lives?.  Wouldn’t it be great if more employers realised that employees everywhere are under increasing pressure to deliver more with less, at home and at work?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they embraced their responsibility to look after their people.  And can you imagine how brilliant it could be if they actually did something about it?!

Practical Well-Being

The Five Ways to Well Being provide a really simple framework, making it easier to implement small changes with the power to positively effect our ability to cope with the strain of modern life.  Keen to practice what I preach, I’m currently planning a Well-being week at ANDigital which will help our team members be more mindful of the five principles.

I know ANDigital are not the first organisation to host a Well-being Week but neither will we be the last.  Well Being is just one of the Hot Topics I’m continually researching.  Does this mean it’s here today, gone tomorrow and in 2016 I’ll be cringing about how absurd an initiative my well-being at work programme was? Of course not!!  I can’t conceive of a time when physical and mental well-being would ever be irrelevant to our work performance and satisfaction.

So Polly Vernon may not be Planking or drinking Brit Spritz into 2016, but I am firmly committed to keeping Well-being on the agenda.

About the author: Debbie Martin is a self-confessed Happiness Geek!

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There is not a class that goes by that I do not see a tremendous amount of growth in the general population of the students who fill my higher education Positive Psychology cyber classroom each semester. Research vastly supports the benefits of learning factors associated with Positive Psychology in the indications there is a growth in self, with others, and out to the world1. But what does that look like? Well, week seven of ten, into the thick of the material, I posed the opportunity for the class to respond to:

Question:

As part of building esteem you could implement these into any environment in many ways (talking circles, story time, discussions, relation improvement sessions…). Look at the list below and propose an environment (population), a strategy and what you might see as an outcome. How would it be beneficial to the population, corporations or the world in general? Pick one of the following and list the ways you can do this and how the list would be beneficial.                       

                       10 things you can do to make yourself laugh
                       10 things you can do to make someone else laugh
                       10 ways to help another person
                       10 things you can do for yourself that don’t consist of buying something.

After seven weeks of learning Positive Psychology, this is how on student, Lovena Mahelona, responded:

1. Listening – listening goes a long way no matter who you’re listening to and where the consult is taking place. As tasking as it may be, listening to an angered friend, family, child, or co-worker, you have the opportunity to help the individual process information by providing them with feedback and options they might not have considered.

2. Helping hand – If my schedule permits I offer to help someone move, cook for a party, volunteer for garage sales, etc.

3. Planning family gatherings – families love to get together and rendering such an event can be tasking. However, once the family is together it is always a happy occasion.

4. Feeding the hungry – everyone needs help from time to time whether your homeless or in a home but struggling financially. I not only buy food for the homeless (I don’t give money), I also help out with a bag of rice or case of saimin for families who are struggling to survive. I’ll tell you a funny story; back in the day when I was working at Jack in the Box, a homeless man came in and begged for a burger or fries, he stated he hadn’t eaten anything for a couple of days. We are not supposed to give away food especially those that are expired because if someone got food poising they could sue the company. Mr. Homeless came right when I was supposed to toss to spoilage five jumbo jacks and the manager wasn’t around.  I gave him one and asked him to leave as I could get fired and he did. Mr. Homeless decided to come back while I was taking things out to the dumpster and my manager was at the front counter. He told her, “the nice lady gave me this burger because I’m really hungry but it has onions, I’m allergic to onions”. The manager took the burger and asked him to leave. I almost lost my job that day. Needless to say, never again did do it.

5. Donating unused clothes and household items – Our church holds garage sales to help fund certain holiday events. I always use that opportunity to clean out my closets and unused household items.

6. Training – when someone goes through a life event that I may have gone through and asks for advice, I tell them my experience and how I got through. This is not to talk about myself but explaining how I managed that situation could help them to generate ideas. I also train all my children with life choices and I don’t give them the answers and demand they do things my way. I give them the tools to make their own choices and I leave them with the consequences of those decisions.

7. Say something nice or paying a compliment– giving compliments makes people smile. I get shy when I’m given a compliment but I like how I feel after receiving one. At work there’s a program called ‘sharing the mango.’ If someone does something nice for you or helps you with a task, you complete the ‘share the mango’ form. On the form you list who the mango is to be presented to and write a comment and the individual is presented with a fake mango. The form I accounted for and the person with the most mangos’ quarterly receives a gift card that is presented by the V.P. Each time someone from another department provides me aide, I send them a mango. This helps to build my network at work and expands my contacts from each department of those who assist me.

8. Seeking out mentoring – at work I look for ways to grow and learn new processes and functions. This is done outside of my normal job functions. It pleases me to know that most individuals I seek out to mentor me, are more than happy to share their knowledge and experiences with me. I believe I’m helping them feel confident and needed in their job roles.

9. Letting people cut in front of me in traffic. When there is traffic, people are not always forgiving in letting someone cut in. If you recall in week two I confided about how I manage myself on the road. After that post I had to reconsider my ‘road etiquette.’  I am happy to say, when vehicles have the blinker on, I allow them to get in front of me and flames no longer comes out of my ears! The people I let in are thankful; they do the thank you wave after they get in. It may seem like something small but I see how much this gesture is appreciated.

10. Taking care of the elderly – Volunteering to help the elderly; family or at a nursing home of strangers. Being present really brightens their days and they are so elated to share their life’s stories and talk about their families. This bring good memories to their day, some of them forget they are in confinement.

Reflection

All the points I shared are expression of kindness I give that, in my experience, brings so much joy and happiness to people. Although it may be for one hour a day, one bag of clothing, or one musubi and a bottle of water, it has been my experience that in these moments I tend to become happier and more appreciative than of those who I am providing for.

These mindsets can be within us if we chose to develop and nurture them. Sometimes, it takes being a little more mindful, a little more grateful, a little more attentive to life and how we connect in ways, to see what makes us happier by how we go out into the world and live our life. Learning Positive Psychology is not just about ‘learning’ and getting a grade, it is about connecting the learning to living a flourishing life.
1 Soots, L. (2015). The educator’s portrayal of learning transformations in a positive psychology adult learning course room: A qualitative study (Doctoral dissertation) Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. 3700863)

About the Author: Lovena Mahelona is a dynamic student at Chaminade University. Her education goals are to attain a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Her passion for life and learning compels her to make the most of everything and each day.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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