It can be hard to stay positive when you are facing adversity, and it can be even harder to learn how to pull yourself out of a rut and start building positivity into your daily life. This session covers how you can stay optimistic and pick yourself up when you are down no matter how big or small the trials that you face are.

Suzy's biography:

Today’s guest is Dr. Suzy Green. Suzy is a Clinical Psychologist and the Founder of The Positivity Institute, a organisation dedicated to the research and application of the science of optimal human functioning in organisations and schools. She is a leader in Coaching Psychology and Positive Psychology and has published over twenty peer reviewed journal articles. She lectures at University of Sydney and is a fellow at Australia’s Black Dog Institute, and has worked with many large organisations such as ANZ, Fitbit, Nivea, Office works and more.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:

0:00 - Intro
2:20 - How did suzy get started into positivity psychology
4:00 - What is positive psychology
6:08 - Why is it so hard for people to take action to proactively maintain their mental wellbeing
7:55 - What are automatic negative thoughts that stop us from making positive behaviour change? 9:00 - How can you use mindfulness to be aware of the automatic negative thoughts
12:50 - What are prime statements and how does it change your negative mindset to a positive one. 14:55 - how to overcome unhelpful beliefs such as "I am incompetent" and "I am unloveable" and have more of a growth mindset.
17:35 - How to accept and deal with situations that is not in your control.
20:50- What does it mean to be my best possible self and to live by our values
22:20 - When and where to get professional help including EAP support
23:10 - How to stay positive when you are overwhelmed when multiple things are going wrong at the same time.
27:20 - how to learn to ask for help even if you are coping and avoid learned helplessness.
29:10 - what is toxic positivity
32:33 - How to determine which mental health category you are in eg. flourishing, languishing, burnout, clinical depression, etc.
36:30 - Strategies to stay positive and practice self-compassion
38:30 - What are common psychosocial hazards at work.
40:30 - How to deal with constantly changing priorities at work
42:50 - What is the role of EAP to identify the psychosocial risks, assist middle managers, and support employees with mental illness and returning to work
47:00 - What can individuals do to prevent burnout
50:00 - How can one get into the habit of regularly practice mental wellbeing techniques
54:20 - What is Suzy’s one wellbeing practice?

Learn more about Suzy here:

https://thepositivityinstitute.com.au/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-suzy-green-the-positivity-institute/


Helpful resources:

- Clearhead's Finding Purpose Tool
- Stephen Covey’s Circles of Influence
- Dr. Kristin Neff (Self Compassion)
- Clearhead's Blog explaing ISO 45003
- Integrated Approach to Workplace Mental Health
- Social and Emotional Contagion Theory
- The Positivity Institute's Core Values (from Suzy's website)

Learn more about Clearhead here:

https://www.myclearhead.com/