Staying Motivated During Challenging Times — The Drive Magazine

On November 17, 2021December 26, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Hope, Motivation, Optimism, Positivity, Reflection Question, Resilience, The Drive Magazine31 Comments

Today’s story begins in the middle of a spin class. The point in time where you feel like giving up the most.

Because the middle is always the hardest. Whether it be the middle of a semester, the middle of a week, or the middle of a pandemic.

It was thirty minutes into class, and we had finished a tough uphill climb. I wanted to celebrate how far we had come, so I began clapping and cheering.

Despite my excitement, my instructor gave me a curious look and said: “Why are you clapping Andrea? We are far from being done.”

She was right. We still had a significant amount of time left in our workout. But I wasn’t clapping because we were finished. I was clapping because we had hit the wall and survived. I was clapping to energize.

Cheering in the Middle

A cheering strategy that I often use in my own classroom. Students are geared up at the start of the semester and pumped up at the end. It’s in the middle that their commitment starts to falter.

This is when I clap wholeheartedly simply because students show up to class. Both in person and online. A fun gesture underscoring how much I value their commitment to education. And they love it!

Small Gestures Energize

This year I am reminded how small gestures energize big time. Be it a high five. A wide smile. A kind word. Or calling a student by name.

Because beginnings have their own ticker parades. And endings take care of themselves.

It’s in the middle of a challenge where we need positive energy the most.

Applying these principles in your life

Celebrate small wins throughout the day. Keep track with post it notes.
Create a playlist of songs that remind you of pivotal wins and achievements.
Take frequent dance breaks in unexpected places.
Clap and cheer when family members arrive home from work.
Don’t be afraid to stand out. You may be the pick me up a stranger needs to keep going and not give up.

Original Source 
The Drive Magazine

Your Turn

How do you stay motivated during challenging times?
What keeps you going when you hit “the wall”?

Endurance multiplies when shared

Helpful Resource
We Need Stress to Grow

Empowering Conversations About Change

On October 3, 2021December 23, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Change and Transformation, Coping Strategies, Emotional Awareness, Health Psychology, Mental Health Education, Mindfulness, Motivation, Positive Psychology, Psychology Class, Reflection Question, Resilience, Stress Hardiness, Video17 Comments

Health Psychology Class

During this week’s psychology class we talked about the parts of our lives that remain the same during rapid change.

See students’ answers below —

The Sun Still Rises
Coffee Tastes Delicious
Trees Greet You on Your Walk
Favourite Movie Still Delights
Bed is Comfie at the End of the Day
Street You Live on Hasn’t Changed
Love for Family and Friends Endures

CHANGE > ANCHOR > ADAPT > TRANSFORM

Your Turn

Make a list of what remains consistent in times of rapid change and use it as a grounding technique at the start and end of each day.

In doing so, you anchor and ground yourself in a sense of knowing and trust in built-in strengths, comforts, and joy.

Video from Psychology Class: 
Click Here

“Flying starts from the ground up. The more grounded you are, the higher you fly.”

What helps you adapt to change?

On May 20, 2021September 22, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Change and Transformation, Coping Strategies, Leadership, Personal Growth, Positive Psychology, Reflection Question50 Comments

What helps you adapt to rapid, unpredictable, unexpected change?

I asked this question of student leaders at a province wide conference pre 2020. See their answers on the chalkboard below —

My Answer

GO SMALLER

One day at a time.

One hour at a time.

One class at a time.

Microseconds sometimes..

Your Turn

How do you keep moving forward?

What helps you adapt to change?

Interview: 5 Ways to Embrace Change

What has COVID-19 awakened in you?

On April 1, 2021September 22, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Gratitude, Mental Health Education, Reflection Question, Resilience, Strengths Assessment, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video52 Comments

Repost from One Year Ago

How is everyone doing?

How are you coping with our universal global event?

How has your perception of yourself and the world evolved?

How has COVID-19 transformed you?

What is the higher purpose in all of this?

I Am Waking Up

After socially distancing and working full-time from home as a psychology professor (now online), I had never felt more appreciative and grateful for all the simple joys in my life.

In this video created for Windsor Updates I share how our family is thriving instead of merely surviving the COVID-19 crisis.

Including counting our blessings like never before.

Community Resilience

In the next video I share pandemic resilience techniques with our local Windsor Essex community.

An interactive virtual experience hosted by F45 fitness studio owner Samantha Piercell:

Your Turn

What has COVID-19 awakened in you?

Compare Your Answer to One Year Ago

 Video of Post: Click Here

Love is a Language – What’s Yours?

On February 14, 2021September 22, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Awareness, Happiness, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Motivation, Personal Growth, Psychology Class, Reflection Question, Social Psychology, Teaching

How do you express your love?

Take Quiz

The 5 Love Languages Quiz for Singles: Click Here
The 5 Love Languages Quiz for Couples: Click Here
Paper Version of Quiz — Tap on Photo Below

Love and Social Psychology

One of the reasons I love teaching psychology is that it gives me the opportunity to share why we do what we do. Including in romance!

The more we understand ourselves, the more compassionate we will be about ourselves and others.

Self Awareness and Social Awareness go hand in hand.

So given today is Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be a good time to resurrect a 2019 social psychology lecture on the 5 love languages.

In this particular psychology class, we talked about: 1) what we value in a relationship, 2) our preferred love language, and 3) possible reasons for romantic successes and failures.

Discussed more fully in the two videos below.

The Theories of Love (Part 1)

In the first video I discuss the psychological theories and related life experiences that lay the foundation for a social psychology class on love and attraction (Chapter 14 in my psychology textbook).

The Reality of Love (Part 2)

In the second video I reflect upon the lessons learned in psychology class and how to apply these love lessons in real life.

Topics covered on video and in class:

While dating, be on the lookout for concrete factual evidence of what is important to you. Both in person and online.
For example, how does “love for family” show up in your potential partner’s actions.
Also, if your relationship values include loyalty, spending time outdoors, and making mental health a priority. Is this something the person you are dating also values and lives by?
It is also important to look beyond the surface and pay attention to nonverbal cues, communication, and behaviour.
Do their words match their behaviour? For example, your date claims to be a great listener while spending the entire night checking their phone.

When people show you who they are, believe them.
Maya Angelou

Self-Reflection Questions

1. What do you value most?

trustworthiness
kindness
compassion
intelligence
sense of humour
physical attractiveness
attentiveness

2. How do you communicate love?

Listening
Encouraging
Helping
Love Notes
Surprise Gifts
Quality Time
Affection

Love Quiz → Click Here
Love Video 1 → Click Here
Love Video 2 → Click Here

What advice would you give your younger self?

On January 20, 2021November 17, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Hope, Leadership, Optimism, Peace, Reflection Question, Training and Development37 Comments

Live Zoom Conference

At a recent leadership conference, student leaders from St. Clair College’s Student Representative Council SRC had the opportunity to ask questions live during the final portion of the virtual training event.

Ask Dr. D

The student leaders raised the reflection bar high during this discussion period.

One Question Stood Out The Most

Specifically:

What Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?

In the video below, I share my answer.

“It All Works Out“

Even during COVID-19.

For the pandemic has not changed my optimistic perspective on life and learning.

If anything, COVID-19 has underscored my belief in posttraumatic growth and resilience.

For everybody.

Growth is the only evidence of life.
John Henry Newman

Video of Post: Click Here

2020 Life Lessons: Be Strong Enough To Be Gentle

On December 29, 2020September 22, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Awareness, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Peace, Personal Growth, Psychology, Reflection Question65 Comments

Lockdowns have us spending a lot of extra time with the ones we love.

Especially during the holidays.

And if you’re anything like our household, it requires a whole new level of relationship skills.

A deeper level of empathy and compassion for the pressures of the people we are living with.

Helpful Tips: Psychology Today

What worked before, doesn’t necessarily work now.

And if it does, it takes more patience, more compassion, more love.

For ourselves and others.

Emotionally Intelligent COVID Conversations

How does this show up in our home?

Emotional Intelligence: Resources

One approach that has helped tremendously is how I ask to have my needs met.

Not what I say but how I say it.

Same message.

Different Approach.

A new level of gentleness.

Power versus Force

Kindness versus Conviction

The beauty of this 2020 life lesson is that when I am strong enough to be gentle: I am heard.

What life lessons has 2020 taught you?

Watch 2 min Video of Post: Click Here

Freedom is realizing you have a choice

On August 11, 2020October 26, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Freedom, Empowerment, Happiness, Health, Mental Health, Reflection Question, Self Actualization, Stress Relief and Release, Video85 Comments

Freedom doesn’t come from holding on.

Freedom comes from letting go.

Again and again and again.

Too often we are hard on ourselves for having to release the same thought, emotion, person, or situation over and over again.

When in fact this is how life goes.

Letting go and surrendering are an ongoing process. And as necessary for our mental health as eating is for our physical health.

We must eat three times a day. And sometimes we have to surrender (thirty) three times a day.

And that’s ok. That’s how life flows..

F R E E D O M
Reflection Question
If you only had ONE YEAR to live:
What would you STOP doing?
THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Video of Blog Post: Click Here

Situational Anxiety Interview

On August 1, 2020October 11, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Coping Strategies, Health Psychology, Interview, Mental Health, Mental Health Education, Personal Growth, Positive Psychology, Reflection Question, Video24 Comments

Mental Health Matters Interview

Situational Anxiety

Dr. Katherin Garland
Host of Mental Health Matters
This week, I speak with one of my dearest blogging friends, Dr. D!
We discuss all things anxiety. She explains the difference between anxiety disorder and situational anxiety.
Dr. Dinardo provides 3 strategies to help us cope with situational anxiety, especially because it may be heightened during the pandemic and times of racial unrest.

1. Video Format of Interview

Watch on YouTube.

2. Podcast Format of Interview

Available on SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts.

Reflection Questions

What did you learn about situational versus clinical anxiety from our interview?
Can you relate to the personal example of heightened situational anxiety shared by Dr. Garland? How so?
Have you experienced increased situational anxiety since COVID-19? In what areas of your life?
What techniques help you cope with unexpected stressors and challenges?
Do you see failure as a positive or a negative? Why?
How does fear, trepidation, and worry manifest physically in your body?
What would you tell your younger self about stress and anxiety?

Watch Anxiety Video: Click Here

Acceptance: Your Peace Depends on It

On April 28, 2020October 10, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Gratitude, Happiness, Hope, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Peace, Reflection Question, Video10 Comments

Shift your focus.

Change your life.

Acceptance and peace go hand in hand.

Consciously accept the good and the bad that exists in your life.

The rain and the sunlight.

The shadow and the light.

Accepting what is does not lower the bar.

Quite the opposite.

Acceptance shines a spotlight on your inner strengths and endurance – independent of outer circumstances.

Strengths that were fostered in the eye of the storm. ☔️

Courage. Creativity. Wisdom. Perseverance. Faith.

This very moment in time.

And it’s that good feeling that motivates you to strive for more of what’s right for you. Instead of fighting against what’s wrong for you.

HOW DO I MAKE THE SHIFT?

Begin by accepting what is.

Moment by precious moment.

Your happiness depends on it.

Applying this Post in Everyday Life

The 3 to 1 positivity to negativity ratio is one way of applying this post in your everyday life.

Specifically, each time you criticize an area of your life (or something about yourself personally), write down three positive aspects about the very thing you condemned. Hence, the 3 to 1 positivity ratio.

For example, each time you get down on yourself for not working during the COVID-19 pandemic, write down three benefits of sheltering in place. (E.g., more time for fitness, the space to try out new hobbies, meaningful conversations with family members). This daily practice helps to dampen the adverse impact of negativity bias, a type of cognitive distortion, common to all of us.

Likewise, stop comparing your lowlights to other people’s highlights. You never know what’s happening behind the scenes in another person’s life. Good or bad. FOMO is “a story” fabricated in the mind based on snippets of observable behaviour (video below).

Reflection Questions

How has COVID-19 eased (or increased) the pressure you put on yourself and the people around you?
What does acceptance “feel” like physically in your body versus fighting “what is”?
What have you surrendered lately? Let go?

You Can’t Add More to Your Life Without First Letting Go

Peer Pressure: What happened when I quit drinking?

On April 17, 2020April 25, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Change and Transformation, Coping Strategies, Health Psychology, Motivation, Personal Growth, Psychology Class, Reflection Question, Student Engagement, Teaching, Video15 Comments

Getting ready for my online summer courses which requires a lot of new psychology videos.

Including video discussions on health, wellness, and personal empowerment.

Similar to in person college classes, the goal is to stimulate active discussions and open communication.

For example:

Discussion Topic

What happened when I quit drinking?

Watch this short video on my own experience with peer pressure, alcohol, and behaviour change and answer the questions below.

Reflection Questions

How has peer pressure influenced your life decisions?
Have you experienced unexpected push back from friends and relatives when you made a significant health change? If so, how did you handle it?
In what ways have your peers and community sabotaged your health and wellness choices?
In what ways have your peers and community supported your health and wellness choices?
What strategies help you stay committed to positive lifestyle decisions?

Empowering

Conversations ⇔ Change

I also encourage use of this video and reflection questions as an opportunity to talk openly with friends and family about the powerful impact of social influence on substance use. Open conversations empower youth to think for themselves and in turn, reduces their susceptibility to coercion.

Watch Psychology Video → Click Here

Let Your North Star Guide You

On April 7, 2020April 29, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Affirmation, community, Happiness, Hope, Mantra, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Peace, Positivity, Reflection Question18 Comments

My Wish For You Today

May you find peace in your home.

And calm in your heart.

No matter the storm.

Psychology Thought for the Day

The goal isn’t to get rid of all our negative thoughts and emotions.

The goal is to change our response to them.

To accept them without judgement.

To transcend them when the time is right.

e·qua·nim·i·ty

Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. “She accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity”.

This video may help:

Let Your North Star Guide You

How do you rise above? 💫

Watch Video of Post → Click Here

Windsor Updates Spotlight

On March 27, 2020June 25, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Gratitude, Reflection Question, Resilience, Strengths Assessment, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video

Community Spotlight

Today I would like to shine a light on a local entrepreneur named Alex Binaei, the creative mind behind Windsor Updates and the video highlighted in this post.

Adversity → Creativity

Alex’s video for Windsor Updates is one of the best examples of how crisis and adversity create innovation and ingenuity. In both our community and in ourselves.

♥ Pass It On ♥

Windsor Updates

This video is a compilation of news, announcements, and local community members discussing the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic taking place in Windsor-Essex Ontario and around the world. Including offers of support, advice, and information.

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”

Research on Social Support & Psychological Health

Being surrounded by people who are supportive helps individuals see themselves as capable of handling stress and adversity. Research has also shown that having strong social support in times of crisis can help reduce the consequences of trauma-induced disorders including PTSD.

Original Source: Click Here

Dr. Andrea Dinardo Windsor Updates Resilience Video

Dr. Andrea Dinardo Windsor Updates COVID-19 Compilation Video

Thank you Windsor Updates for including me in this vital project. Your ingenuity and generosity gives me strength and hope! ♥

What has COVID-19 awakened in you?

On March 25, 2020April 8, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Gratitude, Mental Health Education, Reflection Question, Resilience, Strengths Assessment, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video71 Comments

How is everyone doing?

How are you coping with our universal global event?

How has your perception of yourself and the world evolved?

How has COVID-19 transformed you?

What is the higher purpose in all of this?

I Am Waking Up

After socially distancing and working full-time from home as a psychology professor (now online), I had never felt more appreciative and grateful for all the simple joys in my life.

In this video created for Windsor Updates I share how our family is thriving instead of merely surviving the COVID-19 crisis.

Including counting our blessings like never before.

Community Resilience

In the next video I share pandemic resilience techniques with our local Windsor Essex community.

An interactive virtual experience hosted by F45 fitness studio owner Samantha Piercell:

Your Turn

What has COVID-19 awakened in you?

Video of Post: Click Here

The Power of Breathing Space: You are Safe

On March 12, 2020October 15, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, courage, Health Psychology, Hope, Inspiration, Leadership, Mantra, Mindfulness, Optimism, Peace, Reflection Question, Resilience, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video66 Comments

Every time we take a long deep breath, we are telling our bodies that we are safe.

Each breath connecting
our mind, body, and heart.

Bringing us back to present time.

Dr. Andrea Dinardo Breathing Space

Breathing Techniques To Try

Follow Your Breath Become aware of each inhalation and exhalation. Focus on the sensations you feel as air passes through your nose and throat. When you feel your thoughts drift, gently redirect your attention back to your breath.

Stand Up Straight Posture is especially important for breathing. Being upright enhances the rhythmic movement between the diaphragm and ribs. Hold yourself straight. Shoulders back. Feel the power of your breath.

Think Reassuring Thoughts While Breathing With each breath, think soothing thoughts (“I am inhaling calm”). With each exhalation, imagine that you are expelling your fears and worries (“I am exhaling worry”).

Abdominal Breathing Breathe through your stomach. Start by inflating your belly by inhaling, as if to fill it with air, then swell your chest; as you exhale, first “empty” your stomach, then your chest.

Balanced Breathing At the end of each inhalation, pause briefly while slowly counting “1, 2, 3”. Hold the air in. Then slowly exhale counting “1, 2, 3”.

Source: Scientific American

Reflection Questions

What brings you peace during uncertainty?

What gives you strength?

Breathing Video → Click Here

Emotional Freedom Technique for Social Anxiety & Imaginary Audience

On March 4, 2020December 25, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Freedom, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Reflection Question, Resources, Stress Relief and Release, Video26 Comments

Have you ever felt like you’re being watched?

Judged and scrutinized.

Like all eyes are on you and every potential error you make?

Everyone experiences this phenomenon from time to time, especially when trying out something for the first time.

Think back to the first time you gave a dinner party, swung a golf club, wrote a college exam, or posted your first blog online.

Social Anxiety and Heightened Experiences

Individuals with social anxiety experience this sense of being watched (and thought about) significantly more than the average person.

Independent of skills and expertise.

Why is this the case?

The Imaginary Audience

One potential explanation is a psychological phenomenon called imaginary audience experienced frequently in adolescence.

A concept first introduced by social psychologists David Elkind and Erik Erikson in the 1960’s.

Think back to how easily embarrassed you were as a teenager.

If you wore the “wrong shirt” to school, it felt like everyone was gossiping about you and your entire social life would end as a result.

Resulting in perpetual self-consciousness, distorted views of how others saw you, causing in a tendency to conform for fear of sticking out.

Limiting your freedom to express outside the norm for fear of collective banishment and reprisal.

What does the research say?

Using the Imaginary Audience Scale as a Measure of Social Anxiety in Young Adults

Two studies explored imaginary audience phenomenon among college students.

Imaginary audience behavior was found to be related to measures of social anxiety, self perception, and personality.

Furthermore, imaginary audience scores were more strongly related to anxiety than abstract reasoning.

These results suggest that imaginary audience experiences that persist into early adulthood have more to do with social anxiety than with cognitive development.

Original Source: Click Here

Simple Things on Repeat

The next time you imagine you are being watched, talked about, or judged by others, remember that imaginary audience IS AN ILLUSION heightened by social media, physiology (eg., lack of sleep), and overthinking.

When in truth, people are so focused on themselves (and their phones), that there is a 99% chance that no one cares what you are up to or how you are performing.

This is a very good thing!

Today’s Freedom Mantra

CARPE DIEM

Live like nobody’s watching. Love like nobody’s watching. Succeed like nobody’s watching. Fail like nobody’s watching. Write like nobody’s watching!

Video of Post ⇒ Click Here

Delaying Gratification Doubles The Reward

On December 3, 2019December 8, 2019 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Happiness, Health, Personal Growth, Reflection Question, Video15 Comments

Is it worth the wait?

Reflection Questions

1. Do you consider yourself a patient person, an impatient person, or an impulsive person? Give situational examples for each.

For example: You may be more patient at work, but not at home. You may be able to control your impulses when it comes to food, but not when it comes to yelling at your spouse or children.

delay now later

2. Identify a time in your life where delayed gratification led to a superior outcome over immediate gratification.

For example: Saving money for a house versus buying impulse purchases on Cyber Monday. Working 2 jobs to pay for college tuition versus going out with friends every weekend night. Working out to strengthen your mental and physical health versus watching tv all day.

gratification

3. Which factors determine your ability to be patient in challenging situations?

For example: faith, trust, comfort, financial security, long-term vision, full stomach, good night’s sleep.

patience

Inspiration for this Post

The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a study on delayed gratification in 1972 led by psychologist Walter Mischel, a professor at Stanford University.^[1]

In this study, a child was offered a choice between one small but immediate reward, or two small rewards if they waited for period of time. During this time, the researcher left the room for about 15 minutes and then returned.

The reward was either a marshmallow or pretzel stick, depending on the child’s preference. In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes, as measured by SAT scores,^[2] educational attainment,^[3] body mass index (BMI),^[4] and other life measures.

Original Source: Click Here

Don’t forget to share your insights & reflections in the comments below!

Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.png

Video of Blog Post → Click Here

FOMO ANXIETY Simple Tips for Feeling Better

On August 30, 2019September 2, 2019 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Awareness, Gratitude, Happiness, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Peace, Reflection Question, Video27 Comments

This post is for anyone experiencing FOMO. Particularly on a long weekend holiday!

Psychology Insight:

Holidays heighten social anxiety of every kind.

FOMO especially.

Consider these questions as you explore what’s going on below the surface.

1. Do you remember the first time you experienced FOMO?

2. How did you cope with the anxiety of missing out?

3. What if anything would you be willing to give up in your life in exchange for the fantasy of someone else’s life or experience?

4. What about your life do you cherish above all else?

Please share in the comments below, including your own strategies for handling FOMO. I’d love to know!

Savour this moment.

Free Yourself 🦋

On August 24, 2019July 14, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn courage, Emotional Freedom, Empowerment, Happiness, Health, Inspiration, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Peace, Reflection Question, Stress Relief and Release, Video60 Comments

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE

1. What would you stop doing if you only had one year to live?

2. What would you start doing if you only had one year to live?

3. What do you need to let go of to feel a sense of happiness, well-being, and peace?

4. What and who do you no longer want to be obligated to?

5. What joy do you wish you had more time for?

CONTEMPLATION TIME

Take a long deep breath and meditate on your answers. You’ll be surprised at what your soul has to say.

YOU GET ONE LIFE.

Make it yours.

Happiness: What deters it? What contributes to it?

On July 11, 2019August 6, 2019 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Happiness, Mindfulness, Personal Growth, Psychology Class, purpose, Reflection Question, Video26 Comments

The Happiness Class

One of my favourite things to do as a professor is to stay after class and talk to students. They look at the world in a very unique way. Motivating me to think about psychology at a whole different level.

Especially when it comes to FOMO and happiness:

FOMO is an acronym for fear of missing out, which is a feeling of anxiety that manifests itself in various ways, from a brief pang of envy to more intense feelings of self-doubt or inadequacy. Source: Macmillan Dictionary

Student Insights

In the video below I share the insightful questions my psychology students asked about social comparison and happiness today. Each question underscoring the famous quote:

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Happiness, FOMO, and Social Comparison

FOMO and “measuring happiness” against each other’s’s lowlight reel (difficult times) and highlight reel (celebratory times) was also an active discussion on social media

Screen shot below from instagram in response to happiness video

I would love your insights too!

How would you answer the questions posed by my students:

What are 2 deterrents to happiness?
What are 2 contributors to happiness?
How is your happiness influenced by other people’s highlights and lowlights?
- Social comparison and happiness was the crux of today’s class discussion and accompanying video.
What simple changes can you make today to enhance your happiness?

Optimism Bootcamp - Click Here

5 Love Languages: Social Psychology Class

On March 22, 2019February 14, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Awareness, Happiness, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Psychology Class, Reflection Question, Resources, Video35 Comments

Social Psychology Class

Part 1: Before Class Preparations

Part 2: After Class Reflections

Your Turn

What’s your love language?

What do you value in relationships?

Empathic Listening: How Can I Support You?

On January 16, 2019June 1, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Awareness, Empowerment, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Psychology, Reflection Question, Video

How do you respond when a close friend shares a problem with you?

Are you a fixer or a listener?

If you’re anything like me, my first instinct is to fix the problem.

To try and save loved ones from adversity.

To rescue them.

To make them instantly feel better.

I suggest we do the opposite.

Instead of rushing in, we take a step back.

Ask them what they need.

Give their pain room to breathe.

In doing so, we validate the person and their experience.

Helping them stay true to who they are.

It’s ok to not be ok.

What comes – also goes.

Welcome it all.

Video of this post ⤴️

Come join my YouTube Channel too! 🎥🍿

WHY change NOW?

On August 18, 2018July 16, 2020 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Change and Transformation, Motivation, Personal Growth, Psychology, Reflection Question63 Comments

The first question I ask clients wanting to make a change is “Why Now?”

For there is no doubt that they (and you and I) have been wanting to transform an aspect of our lives for a very long time.

But the intrinsic motivation just isn’t quite there. The kind of motivation that is essential for lasting change.

Unfortunately too many people wait for something bad to happen in their lives before making positive changes.

This is a universal truth.

91840835-206F-4436-95F8-5936B06A15EC

How do we “change” how we change?

We take two steps back before moving one step forward.

We pause. We slow down. We notice.

We open our eyes to all the possibilities.

We write our dreams down.

We take photos of what inspires us to bloom.

We ask for honest feedback from people we trust.

We acknowledge what gets in the way of our potential. Big and small.

We compile all the reasons why our best lives shouldn’t wait another day.

And we have fun doing it! Positivity has power too. 🦋

Why change now?

Watch My CBC-TV Interview:
5 Ways to Embrace Change

Reading People: Lesson #1 Self Awareness

On July 22, 2018February 14, 2021 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Emotional Awareness, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Motivation, Personal Growth, Reflection Question, Teaching, Video50 Comments

“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long, long way.”

F133652F-5AFA-44D4-9217-45222D54B14F

Intrapersonal Intelligence ⇔ Interpersonal Intelligence

The first lesson in reading people, using the principles of emotional intelligence, is to understand yourself more deeply.

What motivates you. What excites you. What angers you. What lifts you up!

As self-awareness is essential for both personal and relationship success.

If you can’t comprehend your own emotions and motivations, how will you ever understand the behaviour of others?

Understanding Yourself ⇔ Understanding Others

Self-awareness as a daily practice.

Notice how your emotions ebb and flow throughout the day.

One way of doing this is to schedule time at the end or beginning of your day for quiet contemplation and self-reflection.

Find your favourite place to relax and unwind. Perhaps in the garden or in a cozy chair by the window. Or on a walk by the trees.

Alternatively, enjoy a 2 minute “Self Check In” at the top of each hour.

Pause. Reflect. Breathe Deeply.

**Journal. Meditate. Create.**

What you will find is the more consistently you pay attention to your own drives and desires, the better you will understand the emotions and motivations of others.