by Kelly Seaward - Ding | October, 2022 | Kelly Seaward, Motherhood
In June 2022, I gave birth to my first child at 42 years of age. The pregnancy was deemed high risk from the start due to my age and I needed to draw on the skills I acquired during my studies on MSc Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP). The medical profession has to alert you to the risks but due to the high-risk category, there was a constant dialogue about the difficulties. I was lucky I had a very compassionate midwife, who helped keep my thoughts positive. During the second trimester, I experienced antenatal anxiety and using the Positive Psychology theory and interventions helped shape the remainder of my pregnancy with that sense of glow and the antenatal anxiety slowly disappeared. If there is one thing anxiety does – it robs you of your joy and I had waited so long to be a mother, I was going to enjoy every minute of the journey. I listened to the medical profession and the risks, but I focused on positive emotions as what I was feeling and what my baby was feeling. It was really important for me to reduce my stress levels and add more relaxation into my life. What Went Well: I used the What Went Well intervention (Seligman, 2011), where you focus on three positive things that happened that day. I wrote in a diary every night before I went to bed. This made me consciously consider the positivity that my day consisted of. This then enhanced positive emotions. Once I had chosen my three things, I would then talk to baby about our day, adding to...
by Kelly Seaward - Ding | March, 2021 | Gratitude, Kelly Seaward
The Power of Gratitude The Pandemic has refocused our lives. The restrictions have created a different way of living, a new perspective and reflection process. For some of us, the treadmill of life has slowed down, for some, it has stopped completely and for some new ways of working. The family dynamics have altered as social distancing and staying within the family home and not mixing is in place. The sense of loss is felt in several areas of life, it can be through the death of loved ones, a loss of the workplace environment as furlough schemes and working from home increases and the loss of physical face to face contact with loved ones as we move to virtual meetups to stay in contact. The loss of identity and lifestyles as life changes. Even though there is an understanding of why this has had to happen, the uncertainty can be overwhelming. The How of Happiness In Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book ‘The How of Happiness’ (2010), she offers lots of activities that you can apply to your life to increase and sustain happiness in your life. It is at times like this during the pandemic when things sometimes feel difficult, that taking some action can help cultivate positive thinking, motivation and a sense of faith. The one I have found powerful at this time is expressing gratitude. I am a secondary school teacher and the changes made to Education have been tough. These changes are essential but working within an industry already known for excessive stress and burnout rates, the pressure has increased and to stop it imploding on...
by Kelly Seaward | February, 2020 | Goals, Kelly Seaward
In the dawn of time, with the ebb and flow of the rhythm of life, the presence of change whispers. This is the first stirrings of a new beginning. This is the face of the New Year and regarding 2020, also a new decade. The word NEW echoes through as one chapter close and another one opens. The importance of a new year is the power it offers in a new beginning. The Power of Goal Setting to Activate Change A couple of years ago I felt like I was going around in a circle. I was in a good place in life, I had lots of successful moments, but the sense of flow seemed static. There was something missing, even though I had all these past successes. When I explored further the reason I landed at this place, was due to completing all my dreams. I had been so focused on them, that in their completion, I had forgotten to make new ones. I stood there thinking: What do I want now? I had become bored with my comfort zone, yet I didn’t really know what was next? This was new for me, as I was the teenager who knew what she wanted when she left school. So began to read everything I could on goal setting. I invested in a goal setting diary, so I could get more clarity where I wanted to be. The goals are broken down into material, financial, emotional, mind-set, home-based, relationship and spiritual goals. The first year it was a slow process, but I still continue this goal setting practice and this...
by Kelly Seaward | October, 2019 | courage, Kelly Seaward, Uncategorized
In the words of Brené Brown in her book Braving the Wilderness, she embraces the wilderness as ‘the quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone’. These words of wisdom which Brown shares throughout this book came into my life at the exact time I found myself in my own wilderness. I believe in divine timing and this really was the case when I delved into this wonderment of the human capacity for courage, vulnerability and empathy. The aspect which is most compelling from the research Brown offers the world is her ability to courageously be honest about the depths of shame and the way it shapes human conditioning. Brown’s concept of shame and how it plays out in different avenues of life, really resonated with me on a soul level. It felt like delving into Pandora’s box were everything is brought to the surface and when you dig that deep, you have to rely on hope to help navigate you out, as once you are on this journey, the deeper you dig into your internal world and begin to understand the conditioning and the patterns, you have to take personal responsibility to move through the wilderness and out into the light. There are no more excuses. If you want to move forward you need to be honest, have the courage and be kind with yourself as you reform your internal world. This research for me gave light to something that is played out in all walks of life and can be seen through all ages of time, but now there is a language, which has been...
by Kelly Seaward | July, 2019 | Kelly Seaward, self-development
As I sit in the last year of my 30s, ready to embrace a new decade and becoming 40, I pondered on my life? What I have achieved? Where I am heading? What things do I need to let go of? Question after question transpires as my analytical nature sets this milestone as an ending and a beginning. Transformation of one decade to another… The biggest thing that occurred to me is lots of transformation happened in my 30s. It felt like a period where shedding things which no longer served my life, my beliefs and my dreams took place. This was helping me find my authentic self. The real me, the true self, which had been underneath a pile of other people’s expectations, society’s bench marks and family patterning. Some done in the power of love and some born out of fear. Either way their creation in my life needed validation, where as in my 20s I would say I was way more accepting of things on face value. This life lens had zoomed in and took a close up of me. By doing this and really getting to know myself better, it helped this lens figure out a way of zooming out but this time create a more balanced lifestyle. The desire to climb the corporate ladder from my 20s and early 30s subsided due to a work-related stress illness which created mild stroke like symptoms in my body. I wouldn’t like to say I took my health for granted before my health declined. I actually believed I was healthy. I ate a healthy diet, I didn’t...
by Kelly Seaward | January, 2019 | Kelly Seaward, Values, Work
In the midst of belief, when you are the only one in the knowing, it can feel like you are wondering in darkness, as everyone you meet doesn’t know your clarity. It is not a form of realisation for everyone to see. It is just a thought, a feeling, a deep sense of knowing that in a future time and space it will all be made clear. Unknown waters In leadership you sometimes have to lead into unknown waters if you want things to continue to grow. Therefore, you need to feel comfortable in what is not yet to be seen and trust the flow of experience to bring you exactly at the right destination as well as guide the people you are leading. In your uncertainty you need to still provide the confidence, faith and trust as you stand in your authenticity. To be a leader you need to learn the balance of when to let things go, which no longer serve a purpose, no matter how long the process has been in place with bringing in changes that are needed to move things forward. It is also knowing that not everyone you meet along your leadership journey will complete the whole journey with you. It is about having integrity and knowing that your leadership has a ripple effect into the world as you interact with each person you meet. This is about shining your light bright so each person you work with increases in their light as they work with you. When you keep your leadership authentic, honest and positive you will always be a blessing in...
