Category: Seniors

Dr Sue Ferguson As well-known psychologist Martin Seligman says, “I’m trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to do.” These building blocks of wellbeing are described by the acronym ‘PERMA’, and they help us flourish. These are an important aspect of wellbeing, but they also contribute to our resources and resilience and thus our future wellbeing. P is for Positive emotions (happiness, optimism, gratitude, amusement, awe and joy). So, try to think positively about your situation, or list 3 good things that have happened...

Dr Sue Ferguson Usually when we think of coping, we think of efforts to deal with stressful situations we are in the midst of (reactive coping). Proactive coping, on the other hand, involves identifying and dealing with stressful situations that are likely to happen in the future. This includes building our resilience and resources, making plans, and changing our thoughts and behaviour in order to deal with the situation in advance and thus reduce its impact. As we get older, we get better at using proactive coping. Among Australian older adults, higher proactive coping is associated with higher personal...