What is meant for you — is coming for you
E X P A N S I O N
happens in the space in between
Trust & Believe
You got this!
Video: Fostering A Growth Mindset 🍃
Tag: Inspiration
My philosophy of teaching.
I have one intention in mind when I walk into a classroom:
How can I warm up the room? 🔥
“Enthusiasm is contagious.”
In this short video I share the thoughts that go through my mind as I walk into a classroom and meet my psychology students for the first time. I also discuss the specifics of how I connect with and encourage students each new day.
What goes through your mind when you walk into a room?
Visit my YouTube Channel for more fun and uplifting videos.
Optimism Bootcamp for Health & Happiness.
Hope Lights The Way
Nathalie Begin author of the Gutsy Feeling Blog invited me to give a positive psychology workshop called Optimism Bootcamp at a Symposium for Crohn’s & Colitis Canada.
The audience was filled a very special group of people. Individuals that have been battling the chronic condition of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) their whole lives.
Click Here to join the workshop
What’s IBD?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) describes a group of conditions, the two main forms of which are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD also includes indeterminate colitis.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are diseases that inflame the lining of the GI (gastrointestinal) tract and disrupt your body’s ability to digest food, absorb nutrition, and eliminate waste in a healthy manner.
Health Warriors
Individuals with chronic health problems such as IBD often feel a sense of helplessness and disempowerment over their bodies.
Which is why teaching concrete strategies for focusing on what’s within one’s control (beliefs and attitudes; deep breathing; present moment awareness) and letting go of what’s not (waiting times; IBD diagnosis; doctor availability) is so important.
Believing you can is half the battle.
Optimism Research
Research in health psychology shows that optimism and having hope in one’s future has a significant impact on whether patients follow through on medical advice.
Optimism has also been found to improve the overall quality of life, well-being, and happiness of cancer patients.
Click Here for Research on Health, Hope, and Optimism
“Hope changes everything. It transforms pessimism into optimism. It changes winter into summer, darkness into dawn, descent into ascent, barrenness into creativity, agony into joy.” Daisaku Ikeda
Optimism Can Be Learned
The good news is that optimism is a skill that can be learned!
- Optimism / pessimism are not fixed personality traits that someone is lucky (or unlucky) enough to be born with.
- Optimism / pessimism are states (not traits) that are malleable and open to change.
- Optimism / pessimism are attributional styles that can be taught and reinforced over time.
Additional insight on how our minds work
Excerpt from Optimism Article:
Using Attribution Theory, I can tell a lot about someone by the way they interpret the events that happen in their lives, particularly the explanatory style they use in analyzing setbacks versus successes.
The pessimist perceives failures as personal, permanent, and pervasive, and thus has difficulty moving beyond setbacks. They often get lost in a recurrent loop of negativity.
In contrast, optimists see setbacks as universal. to everyone, temporary in time, and limited to one or two areas of their lives.
Click Here to Watch Optimism Video Workshop
Hope you enjoy the workshop and have fun doing the interactive exercises!
Dr. D 💖☀️
Words of Encouragement.
The first thing that goes when we are faced with a stressor of any kind is the memory of all we have overcome in years gone by.
Let this be your daily, weekly, hourly reminder of how wildly capable you are.
Truly. Incredibly. Capable.
We might not be a genius at everything. But we are most definitely a genius at something.
And if you ever need more than this note to remind you of your strengths, let me know in the comments below.
And I will shine a light on the luminescence that surrounds you.
Fun Activity
What words resonate with you?
What jumps off the page?
These are your strengths.✨
Psychology on YouTube: Helping people live a better life.
Psychology for Everyone
My number one intention for becoming a psychologist and psychology professor has always been to help people live a better life, no matter their life circumstances.
And since there are only so many hours in a day, I’m always looking for new ways to reach and teach as many people as I can. All at once, if possible.
Which is why I created a Psychology Tips Playlist on my YouTube Channel that I contribute to weekly.
101 psychology videos for you to enjoy! ⤵️
Psychology Tips: Video Playlist
Fun Learning Opportunity
The purpose of my Psychology YouTube Channel is to share the key lessons of my 3 hour psychology lectures in 3 to 5 minutes.
- Giving people far and wide access to virtual classes, especially those who don’t have the money or means to an undergraduate education.
I know how busy everyone is. And I love a good challenge!
I also include videos of psychology workshops and keynote speeches.
- Be sure to visit my psychology playlist weekly for new videos!
- Better yet: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
Wishing you a day filled with love & learning! 📕💙
Thriving Teams. Thriving Leaders.
LESSONS LEARNED
In the post below, I share lessons learned at a recent thriving student leadership teams workshop.
It was a true team effort! With the team-building and leadership exercises equally led by the student leaders and myself.
Please join in and explore the reflection questions, interactive activities, and workshop videos with the teams in your life.
Together Everyone Achieves More!
WHAT HELPS TEAMS FLOURISH & THRIVE?
1. Compassion and Empathy
“It takes both sides to build a bridge.”
Perspective taking exercise.
Discussion Questions:
1. Identify a problem you have faced as a student leader.
2. Determine what’s “below the surface” that could potentially be the source of the problem.
3. Explore the problem from the perspective of the student.
4. Describe the problem and potential solution using both the leader’s and the student’s perspectives.
5. Summarize the lessons and potential opportunities of the original problem. Eg. What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about the student?“Together We Rise.”
2. Conscious Goal Setting
“Goals with Soul.”
Personal and Team goal setting exercise.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are your goals as student leader for the school year?
2. What are your goals as team member for the school year?
3. What are your greatest assets for the team?
4. What areas do you need assistance from the team?“Teamwork makes the dream work.”
3. Shared Vision
“Your life is your message to the world.”
“What’s Your North Star?” team building exercise.
Discussion Questions:
1. What’s Your Purpose?
2. What Lights Your Way?
3. What Bonds and Unites Your Team?“What’s Your Why?”
Everyday Leadership
- I encourage you to try our Thriving Teams Thriving Leaders Exercises in your own life.
- Whether it be your family team, your friendship team, your neighbourhood team, your church team, or your sports team.
- Teams are everywhere!
Assistance from UWSA Team
The videos in this post were filmed with the generous help of student leaders during my THRIVING TEAMS presentation at the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance (UWSA) Summer Board Retreat.
What an incredible group of leaders they are!
Helpful Resources
- TEDx Talk: Thriving Under Pressure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czXG8odb7pY - University of Windsor Students’ Alliance (UWSA) website
http://www.uwsa.ca
“Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.”
Visualization Exercise: Look for the signs
Signs pointing us in the direction of our dreams are everywhere.
Everywhere!
But we have to look UP to see it.
OPEN our minds to BELIEVE it.
Daily Visualization Exercise
The next time you see a 40 km, 50 km, or even 100 km sign — take it as an opportunity to visualize where (and who) you want to be at that age.
Additionally, use each “sign” as instant reflection time for contemplating: 1) what you need to do more of and 2) what you need to let go of to get there.
We only get one life.
Let’s imagine the best one possible!
What signs have you noticed lately?
Optimism Bootcamp – Click Here
Your emotions have a message for you.
Create space for feelings to flow.
Emotions are neither good or bad.
Only labeling makes it so.
Don’t run from challenging emotions.
Instead, lean in and ask:
“What are you trying to tell me?”
Witness. Observe. Learn.
The best part is how small fear appears close up!
We must go in — to get through.
Helpful Article with Strategies
Click Here: Lean into loneliness
How we talk to ourselves matters.
How we talk to ourselves matters tremendously.
Particularly in the eye of the storm.
Having a “go to” mantra in times of stress helps.
Especially in the uncomfortable (agonizing) moments between stress and strength.
Video of Blog Post ⇒ Click Here
A mantra that has helped me over the years is imagining myself:
g r o w i n g + e x p a n d i n g
during the dark times.
Chanting “I am expanding” as the rain falls.
Today I wish the same for you.
May you see the blessing in every storm.
Expanding you.
Preparing you.
For the next level of your destiny.🎈
Helpful Tips: Optimism Bootcamp
What brings you joy?
What brings you joy on a Saturday morning, Friday night, or Tuesday afternoon?
From my experience, it’s never the time, the day, or the month that brings good vibes. It’s how we feel on the inside. So why wait another minute for happy hour. Create the life you want wherever you are. 😊😊
Related Post: Happiness in Present Time
My husband and I met 17 years ago today on June 1, 2002. And I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate our happy hours together than with this little blog post. May your month of June overflow with love and joy too!
