Photography as therapy It has long been recognised that the arts have potential healing and therapeutic effects. For many years I have used photography as personal therapy to help myself through some dark times in my life, when my camera, my dogs and walks were the...
The blame game It’s jarring to watch a breakdown on a big screen. The emotional struggle of Beach Boy Brian Wilson is realistically portrayed in the new movie, “Love and Mercy,” which comes on the heels of the hyper-real “Amy” story. As you watch helplessly, you grasp...
Love What good is the science of psychology if we can’t put it into practice? Once upon a time, we couldn’t cure a common cold… now, it’s common knowledge. Why? Because we love humanity enough to have created entire fields dedicated to improving the quality of life...
What is GRIT? GRIT, in psychology terms, is a personality trait that can be described as perseverance and passion for long term goals. A “Gritty” person is very motivated to achieving these long term goals and often visualises an end-state that, coupled with powerful...
The strength of courage Strengths is far and away my most favourite topic in positive psychology and is something that for over a decade now, I have passionately researched and applied in my life. Whenever I take a strengths survey, whether it be the VIA Character...
Clarity is … knowing Clarity is knowing when you need something, and when to give it away. There are plenty of things that I want. I’ve come to realize, that there’s not much that I need. I have a way to serve others without being overtly altruistic....
Not enjoying physical activity? My sister, Josee, recently started running and over the summer during a particularly hilly trail run asked, does this ever get better? Meaning, will I ever like this? I laughed at the time but thinking on it now, I realized that not...
We have the opportunity to clearly see the path that’s darkened by our current fortune. Sounds a bit dramatic, I know. But life, for some of us, is rather dramatic. As we age, our opportunity doors begin to close. As we settle into an awareness of ourselves, finding...
A choice Please don’t think you are about to read how wonderfully rosy the world is and we should all just put on a happy face and dance through the streets; although street dancing does sound appealing. There are times when I would much rather pull the covers up over...
My oldest left for university last year. Although the mother hen in me feared that I would be nostalgic for long gone times and spend my nights shedding tears in silence, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well I actually coped. However, as time wore on, I began to...