by Nicola Morgan | November, 2021 | Book Review, Nicola Morgan
Welcome to the new series of Positive Psychology Book Club! Each month I will review a fairly recent work of modern contemporary fiction through a positive psychology lens – announcing the book we are reading and giving you a month to read it in advance. However, as this one has turned up unannounced not having told you of these plots and plans afoot, here is how this will work. As this is Month One, I have chosen a book that a lot of people will have read and if not read – seen one of the many adaptations. For the uninitiated, I do provide a brief outline. Every month I will suggest a work of modern fiction to read and at the end of that month, we consider it from a positive psychology perspective. ‘One sheds one’s sickness in books – repeats and presents again one’s emotions, to be the master of them’ – DH Lawrence (The Letters of DH Lawrence) The overlap between reading fiction and PP Yes, we are talking ‘emotional mastery’! That kind of psychological dexterity – to know and recognise our own emotions and to gain understanding and insight of them rather than be led by them entirely. To be mindful and to exercise self-compassion. These are some of the many aims of Positive Psychology. There are, however, more layers to this exercise than that as further we consider some of the major concepts in PP and how these relate to the novel; what it could mean to you in terms of hope, strengths, meaning, or even just the positive emotions of enjoying the process....
by Nicola Morgan | April, 2021 | Nicola Morgan, Writing
Why Can’t I write my Book? Developing a Writer’s Mindset It is not often that writers lack ideas or technical ability to ‘write the damn book’. Often the reasons are psychological and can be greatly assisted by putting some effort into creating your very own Writer-Friendly Mind. Who needs this? It is not only those writers driven with a desire to write a novel that they have burning inside of them who are struggling with their books – or those who, having achieved the success of publication are now under pressure to do it again. It can be the new writers or commercial or academic writers. If someone wants to be known as an expert in their field; the ‘go to’ person, everyone’s favourite on LinkedIn – then it helps to have written a book “ah, yes, I mention this in my book”. The room gasps. All eyes turn to look at her. She’s written a book! Your Writing Mind This is where it can help to consider the idea of mindset and what you can do about it. You may have heard of the theory of mindsets (Dweck, 2006) which focused on the possibility of growth through learning and struggle. This well-researched concept sees people as malleable – which is further supported by research evidencing that our brains remain plastic ‘neuroplasticity’ and that we continue to develop and grow and can put in place practices to assist this process. What does all this mean for you and your book? In his brilliant book, the Science of Storytelling, Will Storr begins “We know how this ends. You’re going to...
by Nicola Morgan | February, 2021 | COVID Life, Nicola Morgan
It is fair to say that most of us were not expecting a worldwide pandemic to strike or to go through lockdowns, tiers and constant speculations – nor to be catching up with alarming statistics everyday, speaking of infection rates, death rates and admission rates. It has created a background noise of social anxiety topped with personal anxieties about our jobs, businesses and finances. No, we were not expecting a worldwide pandemic. We can be sure that good times are on their way; for although we have seen the darkness, we have also seen the light of resilience and hope shining through. So many businesses have had the rug pulled from beneath their feet. One such category is Sports Coaches. Used to seeing their clients face to face and being able to monitor close progress, they suddenly found themselves unable to coach in the way that they have been doing – many for their whole careers. I talked to two sports coaches about how they have adapted. This required some real resilience; perspective-taking, exploring possibilities and commitment to a change with an uncertain timescale. I have also considered a wide range of other businesses and projects and this is what I have observed around me about those who have continued to thrive in a precarious environment Major unwelcome change comes along as a threat to your livelihood and your way of life – Absorb the shock; Start to be creative about what other opportunities might be available to you to create something different – Breathe in the possibilities; Consider what is going to be best for you and those...
by Nicola Morgan | December, 2020 | Nicola Morgan, Writing
Sarah sits alone at her desk, it is dark outside and her desk lamp seems to make the glare of her failure even greater; the suffering of a writer is a lonely, painful, unspoken one. Often plagued by self-doubt, highly skilled at procrastination and with very tight shoulders to boot, she gets up and paces around the room. The last coffee did not provide inspiration as she had hoped but merely induced feelings of anxiety. ‘I am never going to be able to do this. I’m no good at this. Who am I kidding, I am a terrible writer’ are the words she uses to articulate her response to the emotions and sensations she is feeling. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Here is the good news You do not need to try and rid yourself of those ‘negative’ emotions. Struggle is a natural part of life and each of those negative thoughts probably has a positive partner. Sarah doubts her work because she cares about it. She procrastinates because she is afraid – again showing that this is important to her, so much so it is frightening. So, what do we do with this perpetual struggle then? Imagine you are in a boat sailing towards your perfect life on an island where everything that you want is there – all of your goals, all that you most long for. Now, on that boat are some demons, they will not hurt you but they are very very frightening. As you sail towards the island, as soon as you get near, the demons appear – terrifying you and...
by Nicola Morgan | September, 2018 | Education, Nicola Morgan
In the early days of positive psychology, there was a ‘neck up’ approach; how to be happy, how to live well, how to be ‘positive’. One of the ground-breaking pioneers in promoting a more holistic approach was Kate Heffron (Heffron, 2013) who started to consider the importance of the body in optimal functioning. This article is about food and ways in which it can help us flourish or live well. I must confess a personal interest in the subject matter here – I am a foodie. By that I mean, I am passionate about food. On my last count, I owned 76 books on the subject. I like growing food, cooking food, shopping for food, eating food, photographing food, sharing food with others and going out for food. I think you might have got the idea here. Food for Good Health – it’s important but doesn’t need to be complicated The importance of food in health is increasingly the subject of public discussion. A study published in the Lancet in 2015 advocated the recognition of diet and nutrition as central determinants of mental and physical health. Essentially, our bodies need to work properly for us to function well and what we feed our bodies will be of primary importance – it is more significant, more fundamental than other measures such as journal writing or other similar measures when it comes to our optimal functioning. (Heffron, 2013), Good nutrition can significantly reduce the risk of a wide range of illnesses. Sugar has been identified as one of the bad guys in the quest for a healthy mind and body. While...
by Nicola Morgan | August, 2018 | Nicola Morgan, Relationships
“They **** you up, your mum and dad. They don’t mean to but they do” – Philip Larkin, This Be the Verse I have two teenage daughters aged 13 and 16; when I tell people this, I am often met with a sharp intake of breath – oooo, teenagers, that’s a difficult age! Potentially it could be and I make no claim to have all the answers or be able to guarantee navigation through the teenage years but they can also be loads of fun. There are certainly some skills from the work of positive psychologists that can be learned that can give you a reasonable chance of a happy and successful relationship. Empathy and understanding of teenage development Firstly, it can be helpful to understand some of the differences between teenagers and adults. For example, research has shown that teenagers need more sleep (but at different times) from adults, they have a greater urge to take risks, a far more acute sense of embarrassment, a stronger reliance on their peers and friendship group and a great deal of pressure and stress from different sources to those that adults would consider stressful. These differences, it seems, often relate to the development of the brain and have only come to light since the ability to look into the working human brain using MRI technology has developed. (Morgan, 2013) (Blakemore, 2012) This understanding may not only help your sense of empathy but perhaps enhance your curiosity to listen mindfully and communicate compassionately. Mindful listening In the best-selling book ‘How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will talk’ (Faber...
