What is, and isn't positive psychology? How can educators and parents use it as a tool? And how can positive psychology help students prepare for change? Amba Brown, positive psychology author of the positive transitioning book series, 'Finding Your Path', answers 7 basic questions to help us understand these questions. 1. How would you define positive psychology? While 'Traditional Psychology' focuses on our weaknesses, 'Positive Psychology' focuses on our strengths. Positiv

Applying to university or college can be a stressful process. There are thousands of courses available, but it can be very difficult to know which one is best. Your head might be full of questions like: what is going to be best for my future? What do I enjoy? How difficult will this subject be? Can I afford it and is it going to be worth it? Finding your purpose Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioural Science in Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Econo

Life is full of disappointments. They start off small – missing out on a friend’s birthday party because you are grounded, losing the sports day race, or realizing your science experiment didn’t turn out as planned. But as life unfolds, disappointments tend to have bigger repercussions, for example, failing an exam, not getting into your top college choice, or being dumped by your sweetheart. Being able to cope with disappointment means we are resilient to life’s stresses; we

​Some people were not brought up in an environment conducive for them to cultivate a healthy focus for their life. I am one of those people. I grew up in an abusive environment both in and out of foster care, which slowly cultivated a physiological state of fear that later consumed my mind, ultimately provoking me to survive in life, not thrive. Quite the notable difference in mindsets, wouldn’t you say? When our environment provides for traumatic experiences, our brain’s cir

In Australia today, schools have developed various transition programs, policies, and practices to promote a positive transition to high school. This article was produced as a resource for parents, carers, and children to ensure they are equally involved in promoting well being at home during the transition to secondary school. When back-to-school means starting high school, there are a few more essentials to add to the checklist. Along with the usual school supplies and unif

I always love an article promoting happiness backed by research. Here's the latest advice from Today... It’s the time of year when the craziness starts back up again — with renewed intensity. Back to school, new projects at work and an inbox that went from relatively quiet to overflowing. As a working mother of two, the stress and craziness has made the bliss I felt while on vacation this summer seem like a distant memory. The real problem is that during hectic times, we ofte

With school shootings, bullying and teen depression reaching a crescendo, thousands of educators from around the world are meeting in Fort Worth this week at the World Positive Education Accelerator June 25–28 to deal with the growing number of kids struggling to cope with school, their peers or society in general. "Essentially we're meeting in Fort Worth and redesigning what 21st-century global education looks like," says Sir Anthony Seldon, president of The International Po

Research explains how they don’t just feel good but are good for us. Until recently, empirical psychology focused predominantly on the role that emotions like fear, sadness, and disgust play in our lives. Since these emotions are reactions to negative aspects of our environment they are often referred to as “negative emotions.” These emotions are incredibly important, and each plays a protective role in our lives. For example, fear alerts us to danger and causes us to flee; s

Wellness is more that just diet and exercise, it’s also about your state of mind. It’s about how you engage your environment; how you deal with situations, especially negative ones. Positivity is a massive part of the wellness journey and is essential to your well-being. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, theorizes that while 60 per cent of happiness is determined by our genetics and environment, the remaining 40 per cent is up to us. In his 2004 Ted Talk, Se

When we’re going through a hard time, our outlook can be the vehicle to a better place. This concept of learned optimism relies on the idea that we can teach ourselves to overcome negative thoughts; psychology research shows that those who participate in a learned optimism program experience less depression, anxiety and improved health and wellness. Ready to give it a try? Basics of optimism The first steps toward developing a sense of learned optimism are to start viewing ba

“What’s happening in the world today?” How many times have you heard this in 2017? It’s a question we throw around a little too frequently, implying the world is falling apart. It’s not surprising given the news we’re constantly exposed to via the various channels – as a result of the infamous media strategy “fear sells”. Yet, we should be mindful of our words and thoughts and consider if things are really getting worse? Johan Norberg (2016) challenges the recent mainstream n

Hand in hand, the three do stand!Our primal desire to be in open space, to stand with the trees or sit in the sand can be satisfied when we go bush. We connect with mother earth and our brother and sister when we unite around the camp fire. Human beings being in the bush encourages mindfulness, grounding and freshness. We share, care and engage with our environment and the people in it. Respect and gratitude can permeate and fill our wellbeing foundations, enabling us to be i

Picture a middle school student who we’ll call Ethan. He entered third grade today with a scowl on his face. He squirms and fidgets in his chair, unable to focus. When his teacher asks him about last night’s homework, he bristles with annoyance and says he didn’t do the assignment. It’s not clear why Ethan appears angry, and chances are Ethan may be a little unsure himself. Great teachers and parents have always known that a student’s emotions can derail the educational proce

“What do you want to do after school?” More than a decade later and this simple question still makes my stomach turn. I remember the feelings of confusion and frustration. Internalising my indecision to mean that there was something wrong with me. Not to mention my misinformed belief that everyone else had their future figured out. But while all graduates in today’s Western Society celebrate the completion of school, the big question “what’s next?” lingers above them. This pe

If you're having one of those weeks where you're looking for a burst of energy, these 10 quotes are a must-read. 1. Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford 2. Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle. - Napoleon Hill 3. Imagine with all your mind. Believe with all your heart. Achieve with all your might. 4. The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. - Walt Disney 5. A little progress each day adds up