Positive Psychology Interview

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Happy Monday Everyone!

I am excited to share my interview with The Drive Magazine on positive psychology and stress resilience. Inspired by my TEDx Talk: Thriving Under Pressure.

The 3 C’s of Positive Psycholog

My favourite part of this photo is the story behind it.

When the magazine was arranging the photo shoot, they asked where my favourite place to recharge was in Windsor (Ontario, Canada). I shared that it was a top of Blue Heron Hill overlooking Lake Heron and Lake St. Clair. So you can just imagine the photographer hiking his equipment up the hill, with me tagging along in my wedge high sandals!

But the reward was worth it..
All you can see is blue for days. My favourite colour and place. 💙🍃

I hope this interview encourages you to keep shooting for the stars and believing in your dreams.

Ultimately reminding you that the power within you will always be greater than the challenges around you.

Click on The Drive Magazine to read the full interview.

42 thoughts on “Positive Psychology Interview”

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  1. Fascinating article. Challenge, control, commitment makes a whole lot of sense.

    Purely by coincidence, I have stumbled across your blog a few hours after I posted on happiness and meaning on my own blog What a nice turn of events!

    Thank you for such an interesting read.

    Reply

    1. Paul, I appreciate you taking the time to read the article. I look forward to reading your article too!

      In the meanwhile, I “challenge” you to apply the 3 C’s the next time you’re faced with a sense of threat, danger, or fear (otherwise known as stress) and allow yourself to go from the basement of your brain (the amygdala and limbic system) back up to the penthouse (the cerebral cortex and prefrontal lobe).

      And when you do — please share how it made the difference in shifting you from panic to peace, and from weakness to strength.

      Reply

      1. I will certainly remember to do that, but it might be a while before I experience much stress.

        I once took a quiz for a corporation that was supposed to indicate how well I coped with stress. My results were so unusual — a perfect score, so to speak — that I was summoned to meet with a vice-president who wanted to meet me just for that reason.

        All I could tell him was I used to fight fires — after which not much stresses me anymore. I think it’s possible I’ve applied the three Cs concept — or something similar — intuitively for years.

        Reply

        1. Paul, you are an anomaly of the best kind!

          And you are so correct when you say that it’s your work experience fighting fires that explains your current non-reaction to stress.

          You have “perspective”.

          Unless someone’s dying — there truly is no threat or emergency!

          Combined with your life experience, you are living proof of posttraumatic growth and resilience.

          Reply

  2. First I have to congratulate you on the recognition! WOW! You so deserve it.

    Then I have to tell you how much I appreciate your incredible ability to explain things. You have given structure to some things I knew, and you’ve also helped me understand how I knew them. Your advice that “we pause, take a moment, and create some breathing space” is so vital to dealing with stress!

    I just love this interview. Thanks for passing it along, and sharing your wisdom.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much! For taking the time to read and for your generous feedback!

      So interesting how you noticed the “structure” part of the message. I often tell my students that I need to lay down the foundation of the lesson first, and then, and only then, can our creativity and learning fly!

      Wishing you a wonderful, sun filled Friday!

      Reply

  3. Congratulations on the wonderful article!

    I really liked how you explained going from the basement of our brain to the penthouse, to be able to think logically.

    I need to remember that… pause, take a deep breath, and get to the penthouse part, to reevaluate and not make a quick decision that I’ll regret.

    So happy for you!!!

    Reply

  5. Terrific interview and information, and so timely. I was just discussing amygdala hijacking with others a few days ago, and how studies show that positive enforcement exercises can take the right amygdala back, reducing its activity and influence.

    Thanks for sharing the three Cs.

    Reply

    1. So cool that you were recently discussing how to offset the negative effects of an amygdala hijack. Such a small area of our brain that can have tremendous consequences. Both positive & negative.

      Did you know that uncontrollable giggles and laughter are also the result of amygdala hijacking. Bring on the LOL!

      — I talk about the the amygdala hijack 5 min 40 sec into my TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czXG8odb7pY If you haven’t seen it already, I think you’ll find it helpful.

      Thanks again your encouraging words.
      Your comments are always motivating!

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the link. So much excellent information in this talk. It would have been helpful in my youth. I learned some of it on my own. When I confronted challenges that didn’t work out as expected, I learned to adjust. Flexibility became a key aspect of my approach to meeting challenges and addressing the outcomes. Instead of seeking blame, I sought new routes, or processed root-cause analysis to see what went wrong and what was within my control to fix.

        It is fascinating to look back on moments
        and understand what triggered my amygdala, and why. I developed an attitude called snip, snip. I imagine strings tying me to whatever it is – a phone call, a text, an incident, a memory that set off the amygdala – and pull it out and tell myself, snip, snip, let it go, and imagine myself cutting that string with scissors. I sometimes mime doing the cutting.

        Some of them have stronger, or denser strings, of course. Very few disappear with one snipping.

        I also learned the deep breath technique (along with raising my arms over my head to increase my testosterone levels to enhance my confidence, learned from another TEDx Talk). I didn’t know why the deep breath worked until later, but I felt the difference in me, and then learned to reach for that difference.

        I like your outlook about the bigger picture, what is called the window of five in quality management. You look beyond the immediate person you’re dealing with, to who they’ll be dealing with, and so on, five deep, to gain greater understanding and empathy. With the window of five in QM, it was to improve supplier/vendor relationships and communications, but I saw no reason to adopt and adapt it for other needs.

        Sorry so lengthy, once again. I’ve spent a lifetime learning these things, and your talks and posts help me validate the paths and choices I’ve made. In a way, it’s a second window on myself.

        Thanks again. Cheers

        Reply

  9. The picture is beautiful and the article is wonderful. I particularly liked ” wake up and realize that the emotional experiences, and our reactions to them, are the most rewarding part of every situation, good or bad”

    Reply

    1. I’m laughing big time as I read your comment.
      Blogger comments should have a voice recorder!
      Andrew, you are perceptive and oh so right.
      Blue for days.. 💙💙
      No matter the weather. ⛅️

      Reply

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