Category: Thriving

Stay Open to the Possibilities

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Hope, Intrinsic Motivation, Optimism, personality, Psychology Class, Thriving27 Comments

Embrace Uncertainty

09EF7680-9069-46B2-9A4C-C33BA43E0EFD

One of my favourite ways to energize before teaching psychology classes at St. Clair College is to summarize a theory in practical and concrete ways in the parking lot.

Literally! 🚘 

I filmed this video 5 minutes before I was about to teach a lecture on personality and positive psychology in my liberal arts class.

Just a few weeks before all St. Clair College classes went fully online due to COVID-19.

In the video above, I talk about the connection between openness and happiness. Openness to experience is one of the Big 5 Personality traits – see figure below.

BE7D3CCF-E84E-40FC-ACC4-750203683AD5

Why Openness?

The more open, adventurous, and flexible we are in our thinking (and being), the more likely we are to perceive ambiguity as a pathway to something new and exciting.

A whole new road, yet to be discovered.

openness

Today’s Psychology Lesson

We never know what’s waiting on the other side of COVID uncertainty.

So let’s stay open to the possibilities. 

Trust and believe in our shared journey. 

Even if we can’t see the outcome. 

Together in faith, anything is possible!

img_0514

Video of Post ⇒ Click Here

LIVE Psychology Coaching & Education Session with Team F45

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Coping Strategies, Health Psychology, Optimism, Personal Growth, Resilience, technology, Thriving, Training and Development, Video24 Comments

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to share how I have been keeping hope alive in my heart and soul during COVID-19. Specifically, by expanding my reach with new virtual experiences. 

lets try something new

A New Experience

  • GOAL: Stay Connected to each other in new and novel ways.
  • HOW: Interactive LIVE “Q & A” conversations on the internet.
  • MEDIUM: ZOOM, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE.

Inaugural Moment To Share

This Spring I experienced my first “live” recorded internet conversation.

brain and heart interactions concept best teamwork

A fun adventure where I share both my home (I literally take you on a video tour) and the routines that keep me smiling – despite the universal crisis we are all experiencing simultaneously.

Watch → F45 LIVE Interview

with Dr. Andrea Dinardo & Samantha Piercell

In the past, online interactions were “an extra” to everyday conversation.

Now they are a necessity for both business and our way of life. An important and crucial way to stay connected to each other and to our hopes and dreams for the future.

Hope and Change

“Adapt or Die” may sound harsh.

But adaptation is truly what’s being asked of us in every area of our lives right now.

transformation

So I figure I might as well jump right in!

Because I would rather ride the wave, than have the wave ride me. 🌊

Resilience Tip

Try Something New Today!

change-adapting-quote2

Watch F45 LIVE Interview 
→ Click Here

Windsor Updates Spotlight

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Gratitude, Reflection Question, Resilience, Strengths Assessment, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video

C1E58D8D-E67B-4586-9ABC-6EB57715240E

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.”

39903D97-4C1E-412F-92DB-B1AC58BC047B

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

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 By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, Gratitude, Reflection Question, Resilience, Strengths Assessment, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video70 Comments

How is everyone doing?

How are you coping with our shared worldwide experience?

How has your perception of yourself and the world evolved?

How has COVID-19 transformed you?

42764908-316D-4C7F-AC7E-97AEF6B38A5C

I Am Waking Up

After socially distancing for several days, 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.

Walking on campus. Smiling in the hallways. Laughing with students. Chatting in the parking lot. Coffee at Starbucks. High Fives At The Gym. Wandering Freely Through Bookstores. Movies at Silver City. Buttery popcorn. Ice cold pop. A Gathering in The Park.

Love List

So much goodness that I often took for granted in the course of an ordinary day.

Every adversity, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

What is the higher lesson in all of this?

In the video above created for a community resilience project — I share all the ways my husband John and I are thriving (instead of merely surviving) the COVID-19 crisis. Including counting our blessings like never before.

Community Resilience Dr. Andrea Dinardo.

Community Resilience

Now is the opportunity to come together as a resilient community. From the basement of our fears to the penthouse of our faith. Rising in unison. Together in strength and love.

Your Thoughts

What has COVID-19 crisis awakened in you?

How has your inner and outer life evolved?

How have you thrived and grown?

Stay Well My Friends! 🌍 🦋 

“Like the butterfly, I have the hope, the strength, and the faith to believe that in time, we will emerge from our cocoon transformed.

Video of Post ⇒ Click Here 

The Power of Breathing Space: You are Safe

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn community, courage, Health Psychology, Hope, Inspiration, leadership, Mantra, Mindfulness, Optimism, Peace, Reflection Question, Resilience, Stress Hardiness, Thriving, Video60 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.

sky

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.

forest

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”).

earth

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.

Breathing Quotes - Dr. Andrea Dinardo

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

3 C’s of Thriving Under Pressure

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Hope, Inspiration, leadership, motivation, Purpose and Meaning, Resilience, Strengths, Student Motivation, Student Success, Thriving, Video

84D08313-CAFD-4DC9-BD50-1385633E3E51

A map for transforming stress into strength

Dr. Andrea Dinardo THRIVING UNDER PRESSURE

In my TEDx Talk and in the leadership videos below, I discuss how to THRIVE under pressure using 3 stress resilience tools:

1. Commitment

Envisioning a higher purpose above and beyond the immediate stressor.

2. Control

Focusing on the things you can change and letting go of the things you can’t.

3. Challenge

Reframing stressful challenges as opportunities for growth.

Thriving Under Pressure

My TEDx Talk includes all 3 C’s of Thriving Under Pressure: challenge, control, commitment.

Almost at 10,000 views, thanks to you!

Inspiration for TEDx Talk + Psychology Blog

I created my psychology blog and TEDx Talk (both called “Thriving Under Pressure”) in response to rising levels of student stress and anxiety.

The goal is to help students (and you) develop positive coping techniques in fun, interactive, and uplifting ways.

Dr. Andrea DINARDO
By first focusing on what is right, before examining what is wrong, people are motivated to move beyond, and in some cases, be transformed by their challenges and adversities.

Focus on what’s within your control in life & leadership.

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn empowerment, Hope, leadership, motivation, psychology, Strengths, Student Success, Thriving, Training and Development, Video23 Comments

99521FF1-A07A-466B-B12D-B305D1F744B2

When things go wrong, what do you focus on first?

The world outside you

or

the world within you?

The following is a video and activity overview from Part 2 of the 2020 SRC Leadership Development Workshop. Click Here for Part 1.

Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.

Be The Change

I believe that (self) control is the foundation of effective leadership because in order to lead others, you must first learn to lead yourself.

  • This concept is based on the Internal versus External Locus of Control developed by psychologist Dr. Julian Rotter.
  • CONTROL is also the second “C” in the Thriving Under Pressure Model discussed in my TEDx Talk.

Leadership Skills Development 

CONTROL – Part 1

In the initial control exercise, participants met in groups to reflect and share their answers to the following questions:

FAC654D6-7DB4-4C42-9F29-BAF2C603B840

CONTROL – Part 2

Next, participants applied the C-P-R Model of Sustainable Mental Health Habits to their own experiences as both students and student leaders.

  • This activity helped them focus on the areas of their life, including mental health habits and stress management practices, that is within versus outside their sphere of control.
  • Click Here for the original CPR Blog Post and Video

C. P. R.

CATCH.   PAUSE.   REPAIR.

in action

B64C74DD-0139-47F4-BAD3-9B43445BF777

1. Student leaders first identified their triggers. Including emotional, cognitive, situational, and physical stressors. CATCH

2. Then they practiced taking a time-out (long deep breath) during high pressure moments. PAUSE

3. Finally, they shared both self-care (fitness, sleep, nutrition) and professional resources (counselling) that help them replenish unmet psychological and physical needs (as outlined on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs). REPAIR

820C6818-C859-4E46-95E6-FE06C0963D51

 Control Video ⇒ Click Here
TEDx Talk ⇒ Click Here

How will you lead your life today?

Strength Based Leadership: ReThink Challenges

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn empowerment, Hope, leadership, motivation, psychology, Strengths, Student Success, Thriving, Training and Development, Video5 Comments

E9A043AD-1DAA-454B-946F-96B5E457443F

On January 11, 2020, I had the opportunity to work with the student leadership team at St. Clair College in Windsor Ontario.

MISSION AND VISION

The goal was to strengthen the bonds between team members and harness the power of their mission for the 12,500 students on campus.

F0CFB3FD-1299-4142-9A5C-8BD6CEFA7C60.jpeg
Student Representative Council (SRC) Leadership Team

We talked about the many ways challenges can be transformed into opportunities.

And how pressure can be used in a positive way to motivate us to the next level of our lives.

CHALLENGE is the first “C” in the “Stress to Strength” model from my Thriving Under Pressure TEDx Talk. Photo below.

D5342082-0481-4884-8A23-21B5AFA8650B

Psychology of Leadership 

In the video from the leadership workshop I give an overview of the ABC Model of Cognitive Psychology and the Flow Model of Optimal Performance.

We also discussed why resilience is not so much about what happened, but our thoughts about what happened.

Listen in for more:

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

More videos and learning moments from the leadership event to come. Stay Tuned! Dr. D 📚❤️

Special thanks to UWSA VP of Advocacy Arop Plaek Deng for being the photographer and videographer at the SRC Leadership Event 📸 
Challenge Video ⇒ Click Here
TEDx Talk ⇒ Click Here

Mindful Moments in California

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Happiness, health, Hope, Mindfulness, nature, Peace, Relaxation, Thriving, Video, Zen

820A7614-367C-46C1-9177-0589D71B8EB8
We’re on a trip to California for our December birthdays and wedding anniversary and I couldn’t imagine a more mindful place to be.

15932ADB-E0EC-4367-9EBC-A67A5542C1AA.jpeg

Nature everywhere we look.

Luminous moonlight.

B7A728A9-34C9-4A60-84A0-B19063DD24C3

Dancing campfire.

Fresh ocean air.

29C8F504-7A14-4F02-BCE1-64DB5B87ED36

Water as far as the eye can see.

Sunshine in every nook.

55F1EE2C-EE29-4758-915D-5050760195BC
100 year old fig trees.

Just outside our hotel room door.

E7E89315-154F-4A8B-8B10-01DE6123826A

Mountains in the distance.

Waiting to be climbed.

2AF46A87-4556-498A-90C8-6B7504E3A915

Above all, I am most grateful to wake up each day and share my life with John, my students, and everyone reading this post.

December birthday blessings of the highest kind.🎄💚

Video of Blog Post ⇒ Click Here

CPR: Sustainable Mental Health Habits

On By Dr. Andrea DinardoIn Change and Transformation, community, Coping Strategies, Emotional Awareness, Health Psychology, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Peace, Resilience, Self-Care, Stress, Teaching, Thriving, Video32 Comments

Dr. Andrea Dinardo MENTAL HEALTH HABITS

sus·tain·a·bil·i·ty
/səˌstānəˈbilədē/
  1. the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

CPR is a framework for Sustainable Mental Health Habits

CPR includes three simple steps as outlined in the video below :

1. Catch

Catch yourself in the midst (or before) before a stress response escalates by becoming more aware of what triggers you.

2. Pause

Pause and take a 60 second time out when you feel the physical sensations of stress begin to escalate.

3. Repair

Repair the root source of the heightened stress response which is often physiological in nature. Possible unmet needs include: sleep, food, fresh air, exercise.

DrAndreaDinardo.com QUOTE

Supporting Student Mental Health

Requested by

The CPR Presentation  was developed for the St. Clair College Student Sustainability Group as part of their initiative for supporting the health and wellbeing of college staff, faculty, and students.

New Opportunity

This was the first time I’ve been approached to make a video for a third party. And it was so much fun!

December 9, 2019 Update

This post went “live” at St. Clair College at noon today.

KIARA CLEMENT SRC President C.P.R. Writing Journal

KIARA CLEMENT

SRC President and CPR Journal Reflections Author

KIARA CLEMENT SRC President.

Click Here for St. Clair College 
Mental Health Resources