“However long the night, the dawn will break.” ~African Proverb
We spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about the future. Our hopes for creating a better future for ourselves and our loved ones goes a long way towards our sense of quality of life. When the future is uncertain as it is in the world today it can be extremely difficult to hold on to our hopes for the future. It is all too easy to fall into the idea that our happiness, our enjoyment is dependent upon forces outside of ourselves – dependent upon our families, dependent upon our incomes, dependent upon our geographical location or the circumstances of our health. Meanwhile, scientists are finding what our ancestors knew: enjoyment comes from within the individual. The elements of enjoyment are created or destroyed by our own attitude, not by our circumstances. Focussing upon circumstances over which we have no control leads to feelings of helplessness, and helplessness is horrible feeling. The human brain is much happier when it has some sense of control over life. When you cannot control the big stuff you have to focus upon controlling what you do have control of. Athletes call it controlling the controllables. Even during tough times we do have control of how we experience our daily lives. Taking control of our daily life, hobbies, volunteer activities, sports, games, art, music and physical activities. Enjoyable activities that enhance the quality of life can be structured in ways that enhance our enjoyment and contribute to creating meaning in our lives in the moment. If we can take control of the little stuff we can be in much stronger position to deal with the big stuff.
Positivepsychology.com is an online community of therapists, psychologists, counselors, coaches, teachers and practitioners. A science-based online resource packed full of courses, techniques, tools, and tips to help you put positive psychology into practice every day. The therapists at positivepschology.com have put together a list of the top fifteen TED talks on the subject of positive psychology. Discover what some of the most influential, well-known experts have to share on topics like grit, wellbeing, and gratitude, check out these best-of-the-best videos.
Read more and watch the videos
Check Out these Ted talks
- Martin Seligman: The New Era of Positive Psychology
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the Secret to Happiness
- Dan Gilbert: The Surprising Science of Happiness
- Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work
- Carol Dweck: The Power of Believing That You Can Improve
- Angela Duckworth: The Key to Success? Grit
- Lea Waters: Warning – Being Positive is not for the Faint-Hearted!
- Robyn Stratton-Berkessel: Playful Inquiry — Try This Anywhere
- Barry Schwartz: The Paradox of Choice
- 10.Tali Sharot: The Optimism Bias
- Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index
- 12.Philip Zimbardo: The Psychology of Time
- 13.Chip Conley: Measuring What Makes Life Worthwhile
- 14.Daniel Goleman: Why Aren’t We More Compassionate?
- 15.David Steindl-Rast: Want To Be Happy? Be Grateful
- 16.A Take-Home Message
Watch the Videos
Additional Reading
What to Do When The Future Feels Hopeless (The Atlantic)
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/09/what-do-when-future-feels-hopeless/616448/
10 Things to Do If You’re Feeling Hopeless About Your Future (Life Hack)
https://www.lifehack.org/833089/feeling-hopeless
Still Struggling?
What is SAMHSA’s National Helpline?
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.
Also visit the online treatment locators.