As a Positive Psychologist, I know that facilitating and supporting healthy relationships is key to well-being, so how have I managed that in lockdown?
Photo credit: Morning Brew.
I am acknowledging my feelings - positive and negative - and how they impact on my ability to tackle my ‘To Do List’.
I rage against the decisions made that seem to be about protecting the economy, not based on science.
I rage over the death count, the lives permanently affected by illness, grief and the financial impact.
I rage that *all* the gigs I had in my diary are cancelled.
And as a Positive Psychologist, I acknowledge these negative emotions, and the lack of work for me. The lack of work that gives me meaning and purpose and aligns to my core values.
Photo credit: arts.gov
So I focus on what I CAN do, what I AM good at, and how I can help, in a different way to ‘business as usual’.
Returning to Peterson’s ‘other people matter’, what can I do locally? I have several friends who are elderly or shielding, so I shop for them. We have a physically-distant conversation when I drop-off, so we build and nurture our social connection.
I can use other ways to share what I know about building well-being and finding authentic happiness. I write articles, newsletters, blog posts and share on social media.
As a trustee of Home for Good, a charity supporting looked after and previously looked after children, I can share their resources for families that are disproportionately negatively affected by lock-down.
I can host Zoom chats for my network; one-to-one or ‘tea-break’ chats.
Photo credit: Tim Mossholder
I can be kind to myself and acknowledge that some days, I don’t ‘achieve’ much.
And that’s OK.
Because one of the main things that I learned as I studied for my Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology, is that all emotions are valid, and we all respond to things differently. What can be a very traumatic event for one person, might not impact at all on another.
But as a Positive Psychologist, I can help resource people to build their well-being so that we can understand the keys to building authentic happiness, so that negative events have less of an impact and we can be more resilient in the face of adversity.
Other people matter: everything is cool when you’re part of a gang.
About Jane: Jane is a Positive Psychology Practitioner, based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
She is a Director of Autonomous Ideas Limited an associate for Worth-It CIC, a member of Strengthen, and part of the collaborative team at Essex Family Law. She is also a trustee for Home for Good, Suffolk, and an Adopter Voice Champion for Adoption UK.
Jane is also co-founder and co-organiser of the Positive Psychology Summit:UK.
She is a Fellow of the Positive Psychology Guild, and Autonomous Ideas Ltd, and the Positive Psychology Summit:UK are organisational members.