1. Academic Excellence

The program is offered by Buckinghamshire New University, renowned for its Centre for Positive Psychology and international reputation. With expert lecturers, visiting experts, and practitioners, the course provides academic excellence in the field of spirituality, ecology, and mental health.

2. Take a Transformative Journey

The program presents a unique opportunity for you to embark on a transformative journey that will profoundly reshape your perspective on life, the world, and most importantly, yourself.  By exploring spirituality and adopting practical approaches to living a healthy and fulfilling life, you will not only experience personal growth but also gain a sense of empowerment that will enable you to thrive in all aspects of your life.

3. Make a Meaningful Difference

The program strongly encourages active participation in community projects or initiatives, empowering you to make a meaningful difference. By applying the knowledge and skills gained, you have the opportunity to actively contribute to positive change in your community or even on a global scale. Whether it’s initiating your own projects or joining existing ones, you can leverage your newfound understanding and abilities to create a positive impact in the world around you.

4. Find New Career Opportunities

The program opens up diverse career opportunities for individuals from various professional backgrounds. It provides avenues for career advancement and prospects in fields such as complementary and alternative medicine, healthcare, education, counselling, coaching, leadership, social work, journalism, and more. The interdisciplinary nature of the program makes it applicable and beneficial across a wide range of industries. Whether you are seeking to advance in your current field or explore new career paths, this program equips you with valuable skills and knowledge that are relevant in today’s diverse job market.

5. Create Your Pathway to a PhD

Graduates will have the option to pursue a PhD, delving deeper into the field of positive psychology and contributing to its knowledge base. This advanced degree opens doors to academic and research-oriented careers, fostering personal and professional growth.

6. Benefit from Global Reach and Resources

The program is designed to accommodate students from around the world, ensuring that you can engage in meaningful learning experiences regardless of your geographical location. A wealth of resources are provided to support your learning journey, with a focus on inclusivity and accessibility. You will have access to recommended resources such as books, journals, websites, media, and podcasts that are relevant to the program’s curriculum. Additionally, there will be a monthly program of live online lectures by visiting experts, allowing you to gain insights from leading voices in the field. Recorded lectures, online seminars, and hybrid workshops ensure you can actively participate and engage no matter where you are located.

7. Join a Supportive Learning Community

As a participant in the program, you will become an integral part of a supportive community comprising of dedicated teachers, practitioners, and like-minded individuals who are all connected to the esteemed Centre for Positive Psychology. This community fosters a safe and reflective space for learning and growth, creating the opportunity to connect with passionate individuals who share your commitment to personal and collective growth.

8. Benefit from the Practical Applications

You will learn practical approaches to living a healthy and fulfilling life and how to integrate them into your daily routine.  These practices are designed to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself, connect with a sense of purpose and meaning, and foster a greater sense of inner peace and harmony. Furthermore, beyond personal well-being, it encompasses a broader perspective that recognizes the interconnectedness of all living beings and the natural world. By nurturing this sense of interconnectedness, you can develop a deeper appreciation for the environment and a greater commitment to sustainable living and ecological harmony.

9. Engage With the Community

The program encourages active participation in community projects or initiatives, enabling you to make a meaningful difference by applying your knowledge, skills, and values for positive change. Through this involvement, you can make a meaningful difference in creating a more compassionate, sustainable, and interconnected society and contribute to positive change on both local and global scales.

10. Embark on a Pioneering Experience

As a member of the first cohort, you will be at the forefront of this innovative program, playing an integral role in shaping its development and direction. You will have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback and contribute to the refinement of the curriculum and learning experience.

These are just 10 of the reasons why enrolling on an MA in Spirituality, Ecology & Mental Health at Buckinghamshire New University might have a profound influence on your life and the life of others. I am looking forward to my journey on this new and exciting course and I’m looking forward to meeting fellow students.

Read more about Lesley Lyle and her other articles HERE

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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Most of us will have seen the coverage of the COP 27 summit on climate change in November 2022. Our news feeds are full of reports of extreme weather events and the impact they are having on the planet, nature and people. This crisis threatens the whole of humanity and at times is overwhelming. As awareness of the seriousness of the problem the planet is facing permeates our consciousness, climate anxiety or eco-anxiety is a rising problem affecting the mental health of many people (Frumkin 2022). I will outline the ways in which this is both similar and different to other types of anxiety and discuss PP interventions that might be helpful in ameliorating the impact.

Climate anxiety

Anxiety is a normal emotion experienced in the face of challenge and uncertain outcomes. Indeed we need a certain amount of anxiety to perform at our best. The word is also used to refer to aspects of the clinical state of mental illness which can result when our normal threat response processes go wrong.

In evolutionary terms, when we faced a physical threat, such as being eaten by a predator, those whose bodies responded with an effective “flight or fight” (FF) response were more likely to survive and reproduce. So this process became embedded in human neurophysiological functioning through natural selection. The FF response sends blood to the arms and legs and away from the gut, increases heart and respiration rates and floods you with adrenaline to prepare you to run/ fight. In modern life, most of the threats we face are not physical but social, and our cognitive abilities mean we are able to repeatedly predict and perceive threats that may not exist.

Our response to these types of threats does not require a physical reaction, but our body doesn’t know that and it is easy for us to get stuck constantly activating and failing to discharge the impact of these bodily changes, which has a long-term damaging impact on our body and health. Additionally, the impact of the anxiety response on the body, which can manifest as hyperventilation, palpitations, feeling hot and sweaty, lightheadedness, nausea etc can feel very unpleasant. If we then focus our attention on this new “threat” (“Am I having a heart attack?”), we then amplify our threat response and can end up with full-blown anxiety symptoms such as panic disorder. Our natural attempts to suppress and avoid unpleasant feelings further compound the situation and can narrow our life leading to issues such as agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A further evolutionary neurophysiological process also comes into play if a threat is seen as inescapable. This is known as the freeze or more accurately flop and drop response. If flight or fight doesn’t work to free us from threat, we tend to become paralysed and play dead (as this gives the best chance of survival).

If our modern “social” or other overwhelming threat such as climate change persists this response can promote a sense of helpless paralysis. This is a huge simplification of our response to threat (For more information see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6HkipQcfA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_iZOIn3itE) but I hope it illustrates the point I am trying to make. Most anxiety disorders relate to a threat that is social. Social belonging is also important for survival and in evolutionary terms rejection from the group often did result in death or injury, which is one reason we are so sensitive to it. In modern society not getting any likes on your social media post, although not nice, does not represent an imminent threat to life and limb.

An adaptive response?

The difference between regular anxiety problems and climate anxiety is that the threat to humanity is physical and real if we continue to destroy our planet. Another evolutionary factor comes in here. We are primed to give priority to short-term rather than long-term consequences as, if you die now, you don’t need to worry about tomorrow. Hence my use of the word imminent above. Ignoring and avoiding the unpleasant feelings associated with confronting the impact of climate change helps us feel better in the short term, reinforcing that strategy (as with not going outside in agoraphobia) but fails to address the long-term problem.

However, those who are attempting to confront the reality of climate change often become overwhelmed and feel helpless in the face of such large-scale difficulty, especially when most of the world has its head in the sand. This can lead to clinical levels of eco-anxiety and/or depression, with paralysis of mental and physical energy and action via the processes described above. This does not bode well for humanity if it happens in the people we need to be the change makers if we are to survive as a species.

In summary, the symptoms associated with climate or eco-anxiety may be similar to conventional anxiety. However, the traditional approaches to treating anxiety such as challenging the accuracy of our thoughts and responses to threats, reframing them, and learning relaxation techniques, may not be appropriate in eco-anxiety because eco-anxiety is an adaptive response to a genuine threat which is a necessary call to action. Whilst we need a certain amount of eco-anxiety to spur us to act to change our behaviour, excessive eco-anxiety is unhelpful and can lead to mental ill health and paralysis of action.

How can PP help?

Clinical anxiety should, of course, always be fully assessed and treated by a mental health professional. However, PP has a number of strategies that can help address milder climate anxiety. These ideas have been crystallised by the inspirational work of Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone (2022) on Active Hope. Informed by this approach,  my experience of PP and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and in consultation with my colleague, PP Practitioner and Climate Activist, Alice Graves, I offer the following suggestions.

1. Witness and honour the pain of the world. Confront the reality we are facing rather than denying the pain. ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) expansion techniques can be used to foster willingness to sit with the difficult emotions associated with our self-destruction. Compassion skills can support this process. Recognise that pain is the flip side of the things you care about (values). Harness the messages and energy of negative emotions such as anger to help you move to action (see below).
2. Connect with yourself, others, the world and your values. Recognise the radical systemic interconnectedness of the wellbeing of our whole world and our embeddedness within this network across place and time. Understand your values. Think about how your values might relate to the idea of being a “good ancestor”. What would you like your descendants to say about how you showed up and what you stood for at this point in history (whatever the outcome)? Foster connection and love with other people and groups who share your concerns as a balance to pain, isolation and helplessness. We are actually all in this together. Systemic thinking suggests sustainability occurs when local systems each negotiate their self-interest with the greater system. Thus, we need to stop waiting for a purely top-down solution to the climate crisis but work at local levels and watch the ripples expand. This does not negate the responsibility of governments and businesses to take action, but acknowledges the value of both top-down and bottom-up approaches to addressing the issues and helps us take responsibility and engage in solution-oriented behaviour.
3. Foster a sense of gratitude and awe for the beauty of our natural world through immersive mindful savouring activities. Boosting positive emotions helps promote broadened, more creative thinking which we need to solve the challenges we face, but also further helps us build resilience, connect with our values and remember what we are striving for and why. It is a beautiful world, we are an intimate part of it and it is worth saving.
4. Take hopeful action to move forward. Envisage a hopeful future and adopt a growth mindset. What would it look like if a miracle happened and the tide turned on climate change? If you knew you couldn’t fail, what pathways might you take to make this happen? What is the first step on this road? Taking action, however small, helps build hope, and the act of living authentically in line with our values provides the motivation for further action. Connecting your actions with others amplifies the impact and helps you build resilience and find resources to overcome obstacles to change.

Much more detail on the strategies outlined above can be found through the following websites, many of which offer online courses to support people in dealing with eco-anxiety.

• https://workthatreconnects.org/
• https://www.activehope.info/
• https://earthself.org/resources/

If you are a coach working with these issues https://www.climatecoachingalliance.org/ is a wonderful network. If you are working to effect change at an organisational level https://www.lawyersfornetzero.com/ is a useful contact.

Conclusion

Climate anxiety is both something we need and something we must manage to facilitate the change our world needs to survive the climate crisis. PP has a potentially influential role to play in this process. In addition to the resources mentioned above, my colleague Alice Graves and I will be offering in-person and virtual workshops from 2023, incorporating training in the techniques described above. If you want to know more visit our LinkedIn page Climate Anxiety Management.

References

Frumkin, H.  (2022) Hope, health and the climate crisis. The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 5, 100115, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2022.100115

Macy, J. & Johnstone, C. (2022) Active Hope: How to face the mess we’re in with unexpected resilience and creative power. New World Library

Read more about Sarah Monk and her other articles HERE

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Contact with nature has long been thought to have positive impacts on well-being. In recent years this effect has been researched systematically. I hope to give you a brief overview of what has been found, discuss the mechanisms that might underpin these effects and talk about how you might use these findings to support your own path to flourishing.

What do we mean by “nature”?

Like many issues in Positive Psychology (PP), the first question is how to define what we mean by nature. If you are going to research the impact of something you need to understand what you are actually talking about. This is complicated by the fact that what is considered “natural” may change over time, place and the perspective of the individual.

We know our world is changing and many of our natural ecosystems are being impacted by human infrastructures. Being “in nature” could mean anything from a full-on wilderness experience, exposure to countryside/ forest/ water bodies, being in urban green spaces, through to having a window to look out of, pictures of natural scenes or even virtual reality immersion.

Therefore, research looking at the impact of natural environments on people has tended to use comparative approaches across an urban-natural gradient. In general, the more natural condition involves an area featuring living systems including plants and (non-human) animals and typically tends to be quieter and have a larger field of view than the comparative urban environment (Bratman et al. 2012). Exposure time is also a factor, how can you compare a two-week mountain hiking experience with an hour-long walk in the park once a week for five years? Further, does it matter if you are interacting with the natural environment in some active way or just observing? So the research process is not straightforward but what has it found?

The impact of natural environments

There is a general consensus that exposure to natural environments is good for people. Studies have shown that contact with green space is associated with improved cognitive performance, social behaviour, reduced negative and increased positive affect, positive physiological benefits, lower mental ill health and stress and improved creativity. These effects may also be seen in laboratory studies which utilise images of nature rather than physical interaction, although the evidence to date is less clear on virtual reality immersion. In addition, people who report a greater sense of connectedness with nature show higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being (Bratman et al. 2012, Fabjanski & Brymer 2017, Frost et al. 2022, Lim et al. 2020, Pritchard et al 2020).

How might this work?

How might contact with nature promote well-being? Again it depends exactly how you are defining nature. If we look at this through the lens of the PERMAH model, which describes the key elements found to underpin flourishing, the mechanisms could look something like this:

P: Positive emotions: looking at a beautiful landscape or even a photo could promote positive feelings of joy, interest, awe, amusement, gratitude and many more and encourage savouring and connection with positive memories. These positive emotions engage a broadened mindset which helps us build resources for future resilience and improved well-being. Of course, if you are on the lookout for poisonous snakes or pestered by insects your nature experience might not have the same effect.

E: Engagement: Contact with the natural world may promote quiet time, mindfulness, presence, reflection and perspective. Alternatively, if you are doing something active, like skiing in the mountains you may experience a complete flow state. Again depending on your individual situation, you could experience loneliness and isolation.

R: Relationships: Getting out in nature can be a part of social contact as in talking to neighbours on an allotment, saying hello to others walking their dog or being part of an organised activity group like a hiking club or adventure team building expedition.

M: Meaning: Connectedness to nature can help us become aware that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and facilitate a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives which are associated with greater well-being.

A: Achievement: Being outside is often about doing something goal related, from climbing Everest to raise money for a meaningful charity, to simply cutting the grass to make the garden look better. Achieving things generally makes us feel good (unless we focus on what is still to be done like the weeding!)

H: Health: We know that mind and body are inextricably connected. Connection with nature often involves physical activity and exposure to vitamin D in daylight both of which help maintain physical health.

Specific theories on the value of nature

There are a number of additional theories which build on the ideas above specifically in relation to nature and well-being. The first three in particular draw on an evolutionary perspective which suggests that humans are not fully adapted for life in urban environments.

The Biophilia Hypothesis suggests our primordial instincts predispose us to respond positively to natural environments as these resonate unconsciously with our assessment of favourable survival opportunities. This leads to;
The Stress Reduction Theory purports that natural landscapes counteract the psychophysiological impact of stress (like an undoing effect).

The Attention Restoration Theory (ART) suggests that exposure to nature restores the brain’s attentional capacities which are depleted by the concentration demands of urban environments and modern lifestyles. Evidence for this is equivocal.

The Philosophical (Stoic/Buddhist) Perspective or Individual preference and meaning-based approach, suggests that nature enhances well-being via contact with Open Source Intelligence (OSI). This is a way of “knowing” related to mindfulness which promotes a changed perspective on the sense of self. The self is viewed as part of the holistic cosmos and the process of evolution through time fostering a sense of connection and an integrated whole. This leads to enhanced meaning and purpose and eudaimonic well-being.

Conclusion

It can be seen that many of these theories draw out elements discussed above in relation to the PERMAH model. You can ask yourself how your connections with nature might be developed or extended to help you bolster the pillars of well-being in the PERMAH model or see if any of the theories discussed resonate with your experience and can be built on. For example, how often do you interact with nature and in what ways? Can you extend this in terms of a range of interaction, frequency or duration? What do you think would help you? Would walking with a friend be useful or do you think making time to savour the birdsong when outside would benefit you? Perhaps you feel motivated to campaign for a natural habitat that you care about, thus engaging purpose?

It is also important to consider our individual context in understanding how we might use contact with nature to support our personal well-being. What is practically possible in your situation and what resonates with your personal preferences? You could look at trying wild swimming instead of pool-based activity; if you are housebound you could possibly spend more time looking at the bird table outside your window or if your life is non-stop busy perhaps have a photo of your favourite natural place as your phone screensaver and try to connect with the feeling of “being there” once a day.

There are many possible ways we can all incorporate nature into our lives to boost our well-being. Try different approaches, mix them up regularly and see what works for you. For me, looking at the ocean or a starry sky always helps me feel at once small and insignificant and simultaneously connected to the universe and in touch with feelings of awe and transcendence which grounds me and helps put my problems in perspective. I hope this blog may help you find something useful in nature to nurture you.

References
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J.P., & Daily, G.C. (2012). The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1249, 118-136.

Fabjanski, M. & Brymer, E. (2017). Enhancing health and wellbeing through immersion in nature: A conceptual perspective combining the Stoic and Buddhist traditions. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1573.

Frost, S., Kannis-Dymand, L., Schaffer, V., Millear, P., Allen, A., Stallman, H., Mason, J., Wood, A. & Atkinson-Nolte, J. (2022). Virtual immersion in nature and psychological well-being: A systematic literature review. J. of Environmental Psychology, 80, 101765.

Lim, P., Dillon, D. & Chew, P. (2020). A guide to nature immersion: Psychological and physiological benefits. In. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 17, 5989.

Pritchard, A., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D & McEwan, K. (2020) The relationship between nature connectedness and eudaimonic well-being: A meta-analysis.  Journal of Happiness Studies, 21,1145-1167.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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This left me wondering whether it is possible for gardening to both a flow state and a mindful state and if so, can these two states exist simultaneously or are they mutually exclusive? Flow involves being completely immersed in an activity and nothing else seems to matter so that you lose self-awareness. Whereas mindfulness involves maintaining self-awareness, it requires being fully present and aware of thoughts, feelings, surroundings and body sensations.

Also, a flow state occurs when the task you are doing provides a certain level of challenge and you have the skills needed to match the challenge. I find gardening offers a level of challenge that keeps me absorbed. When I am gardening or even just out in the garden my mind is curious and engaged. I walk around and look at the plants and reflect on the progress they are making. I’m looking out for new shoots, assessing the pruning that needs to be done, wondering whether the plant would fare better in a different position and when would be the best time to move it. I become very absorbed in the garden and lose self-awareness.

However, Kim says that when she is in the garden she stops and notices things like the plants, butterflies and birds and she feels very present. This experience of stopping and noticing sounds similar to my experience of noticing plants and reflecting on their progress, but there the similarity ends because my attention is taken by the garden and I lose self-awareness which Kim is fully present.

Research from the University of Missouri, Columbia that separates out the absorption element of flow and the control element may help to explain this debate. Absorption refers to being so fully engaged in a task that your actions are effortless and you lose self-awareness. Whereas control refers to the match between challenge and skills. The researchers found that with regard to the absorption element of flow, when participants were instructed to practice mindfulness before playing Tetris, this negatively correlated with the participants’ feelings of being absorbed in the game. However, it did not affect their perception of control within the game. This suggests that flow, or a least the control aspect of flow, can exist simultaneously with mindfulness, but it is less likely that the absorption element can.

So what does this mean for Kim and me? It means that we are both fortunate to experience the positive benefits that come from being in these altered states. We both experience more positive emotions following gardening whether we have been in a flow state or a mindful state.

What is your experience of gardening, does it induce a flow state, a mindful state or something else? Let me know.

Reference
Sheldon, K.M., Prentice, M. and Halusic, M. (2014). The Experiential Incompatibility
of Mindfulness and Flow Absorption. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 3,276-283.

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Appreciation of Beauty

Whilst at the gardens I thought how beautifully they incorporated many of the main principles and tools of positive psychology.  It is very hard not to use the strength of ‘appreciation of beauty’ as you look across the lake towards the Temple of Flora, or when you stand beneath the towering trees. It is hard not to slow down and enjoy savouring details such as the sun reflecting on the water or the scent from late flowering rhododendrons.

Wonder

The thing that struck me more than normal was wonder at the planning and patience that has gone into designing and maintaining this beautiful garden. The original designers and gardeners had a strong vision to enhance nature’s natural beauty. However, they would not have lived long enough to see the plants fully mature, yet they designed the garden knowing that it would develop and continue to give pleasure to benefit future generations.

Random Acts of Kindness

This led me to think about the things we do in our lives and how I can take a leaf out the gardener’s book and make sure that many of my actions have positive benefits for others, such as random acts of kindness. Just like the garden designed for future generations, these acts are often done for people we do not know and they have a ripple effect of positive emotions spreading out to the wider community.

Wonder (again)

While at Stourhead, I wondered what it would be like for the original designers and gardeners to return today. During their lifetime, they would not have seen the full magnificence of the mature trees. What would they make of the way the garden has been maintained? Which trees would they recognise? Which viewpoints are as they originally planned and which have changed? Would they be pleased with the alterations?

Flow

Another positive psychology principle that was evoked while at the gardens was a sense of flow. I could imagine the designers working together, discussing what plants should go where and how a certain view should be framed. The challenge of making the garden awe inspiring would have tested the designer’s capabilities enabling them to enter the flow state. The gardeners would also have experienced flow as they immersed themselves in digging and planting, losing themselves in the moment.

For All

Today we are all able to benefit from this wonderful garden or somewhere similar. Wherever you are in the world, go out into nature, into a park or garden and reflect on the imagination, planning and patience that created that space.

I’d love to hear of the gardens and outdoor spaces that inspire you. Leave a note below.

About the author: Bryony Shaw

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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Working between a small town in Suffolk and the city of London, it is fair to say I often find myself swept into the caffeine fuelled, fast paced, largely westernised, hash tagged bubble of life. Despite working in the field of mental health, recently I have found it all too easy to ignore the need for the pin that needs to regularly enter our lives, pop that bubble, bring us back down to earth and remember what is truly important. For me, that pin came in the form of some home truths from a dear friend and a trip to Cornwall.

In Newquay this year, I was given the opportunity to take part in a “beach clean-up”. A volunteer activity ran by an environmental group ( “Save our Seas”) that aims to collect litter from our beaches and coast lines in a bid to save the environment. The action for happiness organisation lists ‘giving’, ‘relating to others’, ‘learning’ and ‘becoming part of something bigger’ as four of the ten keys to happier living. The beach clean-up encompassed these four keys perfectly, so I did not hesitate in signing up. Plus I was completely swayed by the images presented to us of sea turtles trapped in food packaging and seals with raw skin abrasions from beer bottles. I and my two friends headed down to Fistral beach on the Cornish coast at dusk. We were kitted out in reflective vests and hard top hats, armed with our litter pickers and thatched bags. We were part of a group of forty likeminded litter pickers which in itself created a sense of belonging and familiarity that just isn’t obtained by a double tap on Instagram.

I find days where I have watched the sunrise to be carried out with increased attention to detail and gratitude. Watching the sun rise above the sea created a self-awareness in myself, in my body, posture and mind that I had been oblivious to for months. I found myself to be motivated, calm and thankful for the day ahead. A stark difference from my usual mornings of guzzling an Americano and swapping my trainers for heels after I have successfully ran from the station to the office door.

My friends and I began exploring caves, rock pools and pathways to collect plastic, glass and foreign objects from the beach. It was almost like some sort of treasure hunt. We were so proud of the fishing nets, glass bottles and micro-plastics we removed from the beach. We spoke of sea turtles swimming back to their mothers and seals swimming freely in an organic blue ocean, free from pollution and harmful substances and objects. We were laughing and interacting with strangers who shared the same interests, we were whispering in caves that allowed our voices to echo. The innocence of what we were engaging in felt authentic, playful and rewarding. We purposely left our phones at home, but found ourselves feeling more connected to others and the world around us than we had in a long time.

Being Kind

Stefan Einhorn (2005) once wrote that being kind is the most important factor in achieving success and satisfaction in life. Without objective statistics to back this claim, it could be easy for one to write such quote off flimsy or ignorant to the crux in how difficult life can be. However, positive psychology researchers have conducted studies that have in fact proved kindness leads to increased happiness. Lyubomirsky (2001) noted practising acts of kindness as one of the nine steps to happiness and improved wellbeing within an individual. When I think about kindness, I tend to picture the altruistic human behaviours we often demonstrate between ourselves. The ones that, dare I say I witness less of, on the eight thirty morning tube into Paddignton as elbows and running heels prioritise only the need of the self than I did picking up my vegetables from a farm shop in Newquay as the shop assistant offered to help me with my bags. I picture doors being held open for strangers, food being given to the homeless and seats being given up on the bus for children and the elderly. Until my recent trip to Newquay I had never considered the effect being kind to the environment could have.

Playing a small part in the “save our seas” campaign I felt proud, fulfilled and part of a community that wanted to also share this kindness with me. True to the broaden and build theory (Fredrickso,1950) , I had never opened my mind up to consider scale of beauty and wonder found in nature. The fact that all I am, all I have and everything I will ever need can be found in the environment. By taking part in the beach clean-up I felt as though I was saying thank you. I also felt connected to ancestors that came before technology and survived purely on what the natural earth had to offer. I would recommend popping the fast paced westernised bubble that so many of us live in regularly, and by giving back to what serves us most. Our natural environments.

About the author: Amy graduated the University of Essex last year and is currently a second year MAPP student. Her dissertation on kindness and wellbeing is due to be published later this year.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

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Being outdoors is not only fun, it is also good for the brain, body and soul. Every minute spent in nature offers a boost to our mental and physical well-being. Research shows that what you experience in your environment not only changes your mood, but also how your nervous, endocrine and immune systems works as well. Viewing scenes of nature reduces anger, fear and stress and it will have a positive effect on your mood and overall mental health. It even reduces blood pressure and muscle tension.

Just being in nature, listening to the sounds of the wind russling through the leaves, listening to the birds, all singing different songs, from the chitty chatty little swallows to the powerful, harsh call of the magpie. It is then that, time after time, I realize that being in awe for nature, is the most powerful way to connect with your authentic inner self. When I do this, my mind calms down and my senses are more alert.

Being in nature is food for my brain. After a busy day it helps me to reset my brain and restore itself. There is proof that being in nature helps improve our cognitive function and our creative thinking skills. This is because being in nature helps reduce levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone.

What if you are stressed and have no time for a walk. Well, just looking at nature from your office window can also help reduce your stress levels. I tend to do this while enjoying a nice cup of tea, Just a few minutes, mindfully enjoying the taste of the tea in combination with seeing trees or the blue sky with beautiful clouds can calm me down.

Micro moments of connection

I remember one day, during summer, a friend of mine was swimming in a swimming pool and suddenly, just a couple of feet away there was a little frog in the swimming pool.

My friend just stood still in the pool and watched. The little frog seemed to sense that my friend’s presence was no threat and from there, it seemed that some kind of communication line was established. My friend observed the frog and the frog observed my friend. My friend made a move and waited. The frog made a move and waited. It was like a dance, for a moment is was like they were having a conversation.

Those are the moments that you realize that we are all connected and that our existence is bound to each other. Our goal is the same, to survive, to live and to procreate.

Connecting with natures makes us healthier and happier people.

Cherish what we have

And that is why it is so important to cherish that relationship with nature and the universe. That is why we should take more and better care of it.

As we consume and hurt our planet, the creatures we hurt the most are ourselves. We are part of nature, and nature is part of us. Nature isn’t just a nice thing to have. I it fundamental for our health, wellbeing and happiness.

Let’s connect more with nature and be grateful for it. And even more importantly, let’s take better care of it. Let us cherish and protect our environment and wild places.  It is our responsibility to ensure it will stay as beautiful as it is for our children, grandchildren and many generations to come.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

De kracht van de natuur

Terwijl we allemaal ons drukke leven leiden, vergeten we vaak hoe goed het voor ons kan zijn om tijd in de natuur door te brengen. Is er iets mooiers dan de natuur?

Buiten zijn is niet alleen leuk, het is ook goed voor het brein, lichaam en ziel. Elke minuut die we doorbrengen in de natuur biedt een boost aan ons mentale en fysieke welzijn. Onderzoek toont aan dat wat je ervaart in je omgeving niet alleen je gemoedstoestand verandert, maar ook hoe je nerveuze, endocriene en immuunsysteem werkt. Het bekijken van scènes van de natuur vermindert woede, angst en stress en het heeft een positief effect op je gemoedstoestand en algemene mentale gezondheid. Het vermindert zelfs de bloeddruk en spierspanning.

Gewoon in de natuur zijn, luisteren naar de geluiden van de wind die door de bladeren ruist, luisteren naar de vogels die allemaal verschillende liedjes zingen, van de kwetterende kleine zwaluwen tot de krachtige, harde roep van de ekster. Het is dan dat ik, keer op keer, besef dat midden in de natuur zijn de meest krachtige manier is om contact te maken met je authentieke innerlijke zelf. Wanneer ik dit doe, kalmeert mijn geest en zijn mijn zintuigen alerter.

In de natuur zijn, is als voedsel voor mijn brein. Na een drukke dag helpt het me om mijn brein te resetten en zichzelf te herstellen. Onderzoek toont aan dat het in de natuur zijn onze cognitieve functie en onze creatieve denkvaardigheden te verbetert. Dit komt omdat het niveaus van cortisol, een stresshormoon, verlaagt.

Wat als je gestrest bent en geen tijd hebt voor een wandeling?  Welnu, alleen al vanuit je raam naar de natuur kijken kan ook helpen om je stressniveaus te verminderen. Ik doe dit meestal onder het genot van een lekker kopje thee, even aandachtig genieten van de smaak van de thee in combinatie met het zien van bomen, bloemen of de blauwe lucht met prachtige wolken. En het heeft altijd een kalmerend effect op mij.

Micro-momenten van verbinding

Ik herinner me een dag in de zomer, liggend aan het zwembad, terwijl mijn vriendin aan het zwemmen was. Plotseling, op slechts een paar meter afstand, kwam er daar een kleine kikker in het zwembad.

Mijn vriendin stond gewoon stil in het zwembad en keek toe. De kleine kikker leek te voelen dat de aanwezigheid van mijn vriendin geen bedreiging vormde en van daaruit leek het erop dat er een soort communicatielijn was ingesteld. Mijn vriendin keed naar de kikker en de kikker keek naar mijn vriending. Mijn vriendin deed een kleine beweging en wachtte af. De kikker maakte een kleien beweging en wachtte ook af. . Het was alsof ze aan het dansen waren. Heel even leek het alsof ze een gesprek hadden.

Dat zijn de momenten waarop je beseft dat we allemaal met elkaar verbonden zijn en dat ons bestaan ​​aan elkaar verbonden is. Ons doel is hetzelfde, we willen overleven, leven en we willen ons voortplanten.

Verbinden met de natuur maakt ons gezondere en gelukkiger mensen.

Koester wat we hebben

En daarom is het zo belangrijk om die relatie met de natuur en het universum te koesteren. Dat is waarom we er meer en beter voor moeten zorgen.

Terwijl we onze planeet consumeren en beschadigen, zijn we eigenlijk onszelf aan het beschadigen. We maken deel uit van de natuur en de natuur maakt deel uit van ons. De natuur is niet alleen maar fijn om te hebben. Ze is fundamenteel voor onze gezondheid, welzijn en geluk.

Laten we meer contact maken met de natuur en er dankbaar voor zijn. En nog belangrijker, laten we er beter voor zorgen. Laten we onze omgeving en de weininge wilde natuur die er nog is koesteren en beschermen. Het is onze verantwoordelijkheid ervoor te zorgen dat het zo mooi blijft als het is voor onze kinderen, kleinkinderen en vele toekomstige generaties.

The post The power of nature appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

We are so connected to the seasons and this season, spring is one full of hope, expectation and promise.

Dual benefits of spring – Now

The positive benefits of spring effect us in two complimentary ways. Firstly we benefit from the increased light, we have more hours of daylight and that daylight is of a different quality, providing us with vitamin D supporting the health of our bones and also lifting our mood. We are also able to use our time differently now that it is getting lighter. We are able to go out for a walk in the evening, and if we are fortunate enough to have one, we can go into our garden to reconnect with nature. In fact I find one of the most satisfying and exhilarating things about spring is watching the daily changes that occur in nature. These can be plants that push their way out of the ground or the vibrant new leaves that start to unfurl on trees. We can take time to notice and savour these as part of our day. Maybe on the journey to work, maybe in a break, maybe as we stare out of a window. There are so many opportunities to do this and research has shown that being exposed to nature has many positive benefits including decreasing stress, improving our mood and increasing our levels of concentration.

Dual benefits of spring – Future

The second reason spring makes us feel good is the way it fills us with anticipation of what will happen over the coming months. Unconsciously, the warmth of the sun brings us reminders of the summer ahead; the increased opportunities for social connection, the long hours spent outside, maybe spent with friends or family, the additional ways that we can exercise and relax. This anticipation can lead to increased optimism which in turn positively impacts upon the way we interact with the world in the present moment, creating a virtuous circle.

Savouring

We can notice the joys of spring without searching for them, they are all around us in the new light, sounds and smells. Think of the first few times you smell newly mown grass each year, it’s so evocative, so fresh and full of anticipation of what the warmer weather will bring. And these thoughts come unconsciously and only partly formed. However, what if we decided to search, to slow down and actively notice and savour these changes around us, then we’d have the potential to receive an even greater sense of connection with nature and with others.

This spring try it out and let me know how it made you feel.

About the author: To find out more about Bryony Shaw MAPP, please click here.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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Nature also teaches me much about how to live my life. Which is not surprising – after all, you and I are nature. We have much more in common with the trees than we do with technology. And so, I look towards plants, animals, the weather and even the whole universe to guide me in my life.

Here are my top 5 life lessons from nature

1. Balance brings beauty

Eco-systems thrive when there is a balance of all species living in symbiosis. Our physical health is maintained by homeostasis – our body’s natural tendency to seek equilibrium within. Thunderstorms help maintain the balance of electrical charges between Earth and the atmosphere. Unstable atoms will give off particles until they become balanced.

Everything seeks balance. So, why not me?

Too much give and not enough take leaves me depleted. Too much excitement and not enough calm gets draining. We know that indulging in too much unhealthy food doesn’t do much for our physical health and crash diets rarely do what they promise either.
Balance in mind and body is what brings true wellbeing.

2. This too shall pass

Nothing stays the same. Nothing lasts forever. The leaves on a tree grow and then they fall. The torrential rain soon turns to clear skies. Spring always follows winter and winter cannot be avoided.

Such is the same for my life. Things inside me – thoughts and emotions, things outside of me – situations, people, problems, successes; it all passes.

Sometimes, it can feel like sad times will last forever. I cling on to happy times and never want them to go away. But, this is a futile fight against reality. The reality is that life and everything in it is transient. Accepting this allows an undertone of peace in daily life.

3. Results without rush

The seed does not become a tree overnight but, it will become a tree none-the-less. It simply needs nurture, patience and daily growth. There is no rush and you cannot make it grow any faster than it takes.

When so many things are available to me faster and faster due to technology, I forget that my own mind, body and soul is not made of the same stuff as technology. I am like the seed.

My nature requires time to grow, to flourish, to reach its potential. The seed is already planted within me and it contains the building blocks that are needed, but I cannot force it to grow in line with my impatience. I must give it time.

4. Adapt to surroundings

Nature’s ability to adapt is profound. How animals and plants adapt to different surroundings is evident everywhere we look. Nature doesn’t try to change the environment in order to suit it, it changes itself to suit the surroundings. Nature seems to know what it can and can’t control. What it can control, is itself.
The same is true in my life. The only thing I can really control is myself. My choices, my perspective, my behaviours. Therein is my true power to not only survive, but to thrive.

The environment in which I live is always changing, sometimes it suits me and sometimes it doesn’t. My only option is to adapt.

5. Nature always wins

Have you seen tree roots and plants growing through concrete? What about those old, abandoned, train tracks or buildings covered in plants? Nature always wins. You can hold it down for a while, but it comes back.

Nature has an inherent strength that prevails against all odds. Therefore, I have that inherent strength too. If I follow steps 1-4 above: seek balance, don’t cling to things, have patience and adapt to the environment, I too can overcome obstacles. I too, can win.

What are your life lessons from nature?

About the author: To find out more about Pinky Jangra, click here.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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Trees and recovery rate

Ulrich found a significant difference in the recovery rates of the two groups. Those patients who had a view of the trees made a swifter recovery than those who had a view of the wall, they took less moderate and strong pain killers, they were discharged earlier, had less postoperative complications and had more positive notes added to their medical records such as “moving well” and “in good spirits.”

Are there health benefits of nature?

What does this say about the health benefits of nature? Is it possible that merely being exposed to a natural scene such as trees can aid recovery in this way, and if so how? The answer may be found in Ulrich’s stress reduction theory that argues that humans have evolved to respond positively to non-threatening natural stimuli. This produces a positive emotional response and reduces stress and anxiety. A reduction in stress is associated with improved functioning of the immune system which in turn aids recovery.

Use more nature in healthcare?

Can we, should we build more nature into our hospitals and care homes? The architects of many old Victorian hospitals understood the health benefits of nature and incorporated it into the design of hospitals and sanatoriums. Now this understanding is coming to the fore again and in her review of the therapeutic value of natural environments, Claire Hickman, a landscape and medical historian, charts the ‘birth, survival and revival’ of hospital gardens. Hospital gardens have a vital role to play in the health of patients, staff and even visitors. They provide a place where a sense of control is re-established, where stress is reduced and where positive social interactions take place. Patients and their visitors can leave the sterile ward and regain a sense of normality. Staff can recharge in the gardens. This is becoming an increasingly urgent need as staff in the medical professions often report high levels of stress and burn out. Everyone can benefit from the restorative power of nature at a time when they need it most.

References:
Hickman, C. (2012). Therapeutic Landscapes. Green Places, 37-40.

Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224, 420–421.

Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11, 201–230.

About the author: Read more about Bryony Shaw, MAPP.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

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