We’re revisiting our How to Thrive series co-hosted with positive psychotherapist Marie McLeod for Mental Health Month. This series first went to air in late 2021 - almost 12 months ago - while How to Thrive, the documentary, was still in production. It is now out in the world and showing in cinemas all over the country.
"When we feel a moment of hope, pride, love, serenity, gratitude, inspiration... we actually open up and quite literally. We broaden our peripheral vision and expand our brain."
In the 6th episode of our new weekly podcast series "How To Thrive," co-hosts Marie and Ellen explore the fifth "beam" of the BEACON model: Optimism.
To recap, the first four beams are: Belonging, Engagement, Accountability, and Compassion. They are discussed in detail in the past 4 episodes of season 11. In each episode, Marie and Ellen talk about the science behind each beam and key you in on how each of these can help you thrive as they share practical applications and real-life experiences.
In this exquisitely optimistic episode, Ellen and Marie talk about:
How emotions impact our brain and therefore our behaviour
Are some people more wired towards optimism than others?
How we can rewire our brains for a more positive disposition
How our brain is hardwired to broaden, build, and perform better with positive emotions
The neurological benefits of optimism and why is it important to notice the moments that give us a jolt of joy
Practical tips to increase your positive vs negative emotions ratio
Your quest for this week: Create a "joy jar" by putting in a list of things that can help uplift your mood. You can enlist the help of your family, friends, or co-workers in this quest. The more ideas there are, the more opportunities there are to experience and share positive moments.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Marie's website - needtoseesomeone.com and resources here.
Charles Richard Snyder's Hope Theory
Dr. Barbara Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions
Seligman's PERMA+ Model - a foundational model in positive psychology
Jimmy Rees' Meanwhile in Australia
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REVISITING How to Thrive: Optimism and Creating Jolts of Joy