Dear Friends,
This month we talked about awe. What could possibly be more awe inspiring than the birth of a child? So this week we are spotlighting a photo taken by Mandy Seligman of her newborn grandson being held by his dad. The baby is so new that dad still has his hospital id band on:
When attended to, awe is just one of the many positive emotions that can trigger an upward spiral of joy and happiness. We wanted to share a quote from Dan Tomasulo’s book “Learned Hopefulness: The Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression,” which beautifully explains the idea of a positive spiral and how we can trigger it:
When you make an effort to do something positive, reflect on your gratitude, catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, or imagine a better future, you are stopping the downward phase and giving the upward spiral a chance to start. The important thing is to realize that this is a choice you have. Every moment offers you the ability to shift your thoughts away from negativity. Once you can do this, the upward spiral of connecting to others and having more positive emotions begins.
Learned Hopefulness, 62-63
We also wanted to share with you the Global Happy Café meeting on Monday 1st November online zoom meeting at 7pm GMT to hear their guest speaker, Ruth Davey from Look Again, telling us about the benefits of mindful photography on people’s mental health, wellbeing and resilience. Read more about it on the Global Happy Cafe website.
In other news, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has a new exhibit entitled The World is Smarter Than You Are which showcases legendary photographer, Richard Benson’s, endless curiosity in the world. Turns out that cultivating our curiosity for the world is hugely beneficial to our own happiness and well-being:
Richard Benson: The World Is Smarter Than You Are
Through January 23, 2022
So there you have it – awe, positive spirals, mindful photography and cultivating curiosity.
Keep sending us your happy photos!
The Team here at SeeingHappy
