by Tracy Bevan | February, 2026 | Tracy Bevan
As we go through big life transitions – and we all do – it can seem like the very foundations of our identity are shaken. Especially when a few changes come at once – and they do! Leaving education, parenthood, empty nesting, redundancy, divorce, menopause, bereavement… these experiences can all leave you pondering the big questions: Who am I now? What should I do next? What matters to me? When our old story no longer fits us, or we are no longer willing to bend ourselves to fit it, it might feel disorientating rather than liberating at first. Uncertainty and unfamiliarity are uncomfortable! Most of us don’t like big change like this, but they offer a catalyst for transformational growth if we are brave enough to step out of the bubble of who we thought we were. When things are unknown and the way ahead is unclear, we can use this jolt as an opportunity to pause and look within. It’s there that we can find the answers to help us with our next steps. We Are Made of Stories Narrative therapy can be a helpful starting point to sort through some of this confusion. It’s a simple concept that can have a deep impact: we make sense of our lives through stories. We look for meaning in what happens to us and around us. These stories shape how we see ourselves and what we believe we are capable of. They create the ‘instruction manual’ for how we respond to life’s adversities. Growing up, certain narratives can become dominant until they feel like facts rather than interpretations. They aren’t...
by Tracy Bevan | November, 2025 | Tracy Bevan
Authenticity, like many important concepts, often gets oversimplified. Our desire for quick, easy solutions has given it a bit of a bad rep, but being authentic doesn’t mean you have to be yourself at all costs. Being authentic is about knowing who you are, what’s important to you and what you stand for. Then, choosing how you show up in the world. The important word here is ‘choice’. As Walt Whitman pointed out, we contain multitudes. We are complex, and we can decide what to bring to the fore on particular occasions. What Is Authenticity? We get to know our authentic self by, discovering our values understanding what gives us meaning, and recognising who we are when we are being our best selves. Authenticity helps us understand why we behave in certain ways and why we believe the things we do. It isn’t ego. Ego is more about what we project, the façade, not the reality of who we are. It can be difficult to distinguish the two, though. Sometimes what we call our authentic self is just another distortion. One we aren’t yet self-aware enough to recognise! Keeping a clear and consistent sense of self is especially hard when we are young. We are still working things out. There might be conflicts between our authentic self and our culture, family, schools or workplaces. We may not be aware of this conflict only of the discomfort it causes us. Authenticity Is Multi Layered Who we are and how we fit in the world isn’t always clear-cut. We are many things to many people. How we behave adjusts as we...
by Tracy Bevan | September, 2025 | Tracy Bevan
We talk a lot about strengths in positive psychology coaching. This is because they offer a fantastic doorway into greater self-awareness, allowing a deeper understanding of who we are and what we want to be known for. They also help us recognise what motivates us, which is really useful when you have goals you want to achieve. When I talk to a client about their strengths and how behaving in ways that puts those strengths to use makes them feel, we often get a few lightbulb moments. They notice a ‘thread’ weaving through their lives. Things they’d put down to random impulses. Things that drive their interests. They may be able to trace that thread back to happy early experiences or activities with a family member or an inspiring teacher. What are Strengths? In essence, they are our positive characteristics, the behaviours we find natural and satisfying. There are 24 of them in the VIA positive psychology scheme. Peterson and Seligman’s (2004) 24 Character Strengths Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Bravery, Creativity, Curiosity, Fairness, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Honesty, Hope, Humility, Humour, Judgement, Kindness, Leadership, Love, Love of Learning, Persistence, Perspective, Prudence, Self-Regulation, Social Intelligence, Spirituality, Teamwork and Zest. The link to take the free test and uncover your strengths is in the references below. We can practice any strength and improve those skills, but the ones that come to us more naturally are key to our wellbeing. This is because positive psychology isn’t about fixing what clients see as ‘broken’, instead the aim is to shift the focus to things they do well. It is a strength based approach; discovering...
by Tracy Bevan | July, 2025 | Tracy Bevan
How can positive psychology help with confidence, isn’t it just about being happy? Wrong! Positive psychology is much more than a ‘happyology’. It is about focusing on the good in yourself, in the work you do and in the community around you. It is the scientific study of what makes life worth living, focusing on our strengths, values, and wellbeing. The key study areas in positive psychology all support confidence: – Self-Awareness – helps us notice our skills and the good in ourselves and others, – Strengths – helps us better understand ourselves and our best qualities, – Values – supports our understanding of what is important to us, – Positive Emotions – focuses attention on the positive and helps correct cognitive biases, – Motivation – building a growth mindset through action and practice, – Self-compassion – because you aren’t going to get it right first time! Positive psychology will support you to build your confidence in so many ways. It gives you an optimistic but realistic view on who you are, and nurtures a trust in yourself and your abilities. What is confidence and why is it important? Confidence is key to our mental wellbeing, increasing our resilience, supporting goal attainment and building better relationships. It isn’t about being successful, happy or good. Those things come and go. It is about trusting in your abilities. When you ‘have your own back’, you are more willing to give something a go because the risk isn’t as great should things not go exactly to plan. We will be kind to ourselves, making us more willing to try again, and so,...
by Tracy Bevan | May, 2025 | Tracy Bevan
You can listen to the audio version of this article if you prefer When positive psychology first arrived on the scene its mission statement was to help the average person move beyond ‘getting by’ and support them to actually flourish. But 25 years later, if my work as a Positive Psychology Coach is anything to go by, more and more people are seeking out positive psychology as a solution to their ongoing low (and not so low) levels of mental distress. Anxiety and stress are increasingly common conditions with 40 % of the population experiencing medium or high levels of anxiety. Experiences of stress are even higher, with 74% of people feeling so stressed they were overwhelmed or unable to cope. And that figure is greater in younger people. It seems the ‘average person’ needs support with managing these conditions. Positive psychology can, and should be, taking up this challenge. It provides people with evidence-based strategies that support them to regain balance and rebuild their resilience. What is Stress? We all experience stress to some degree and how we manage that can make a big difference to our overall wellbeing. Occasional stress is natural and useful as a motivator. But what happens if stress continues for too long? Or when our mind and body don’t ‘get the message’ that the stressful event has passed? When a stressor pushes us into fight or flight mode the body diverts blood from less urgent functions in order to pump more around the body. Hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released. We jump into survival mode and activities like...
by Tracy Bevan | March, 2025 | Tracy Bevan
You can listen to the audio version if you prefer How Does Being Kind Benefit You? We generally think of kindness as something we offer to other people but there is growing evidence to show that, in fact, there are benefits to you as well. Being kind has a positive impact on the ‘giver’ too. Even witnessing acts of kindness can have a positive impact. How is that? The Science of Kindness Dr David Hamilton is an expert in kindness. His research shows that offering acts of kindness can trigger the release of oxytocin within us. Oxytocin has a number of health benefits such as reducing blood pressure and cortisol1 as well as giving us a sense of connection and affiliation to people around us. These findings are supported by further research2. Other beneficial chemicals such as dopamine, endorphins and serotonin can also be triggered when we are kind. These affect us positively in different ways; dopamine gives us feelings of reward and motivation, serotonin helps us with mood and emotions and endorphins give us a rush of pleasure and act as a natural pain killer. All these mechanisms boost our desire to do good acts which is great because we know kindness strengthens important relationships, helps us to build new relationships and also gives us a sense of belonging. Kindness As a Strength In positive psychology, Kindness is one of 24 Character Strengths identified by Seligman and Peterson3. As a Strength, it is defined as being ‘caring, compassionate, nurturing, friendly and altruistic’. Acts of Kindness may involve helping others or offering gifts, kind words or affection...
