Positive Psychology Ireland

09/09/2025

Self Care is NOT a luxury, it’s a fundamental. For some, better nutrition, nor sleep and exercise may be key, for others some quiet time or positive interaction with others, or even recalling things that made you smile or feel close to others. Find what works for you .

Many leaders tell themselves: “It’s so busy, I can’t afford to…(spend 7 hours sleeping, or stop to get lunch, or keep up my hobbies).” This framing, which casts investments in personal resilience as contrary to the best interests of an organization, is doing both you and your organization ...

31/08/2025

31/08/2025

Change begins with changing your story- the story you tell yourself. I don’t think I can say this often enough !

The right statements can be powerful tools.

29/08/2025

Practical strategy for a racing mind- or some slow breathing as I described earlier this week.

Combining imagery and language to calm an overactive brain.

29/08/2025

I love the honesty here from Richard Branson!

29/08/2025

This is one of the best type of scientific studies : it follows a 1200+ group of people for nine years- technically, a large sample, longitudinal study. I had not heard the term “psychological anti-inflammatories” before - I use the term stress buffer to describe the effect of variables like social support and sense of purpose on health and longevity, well established in other “gold bar” research .

Purpose, control, and social support can be difference-makers.

29/08/2025

I am always pleased to find additional scientific evidence for the kind of interventions I use with course participants and private clients. This study shows that focus on growth has measurable effects on our physical and mental health. The researchers stressed that their work shifted mind sets, rather than induced blind positive thinking. The intervention took place AFTER the crisis so the implications for therapy and self help strategies are encouraging.

A new study finds that people who reflected on how they grew from the COVID-19 pandemic showed less depression and inflammation.

27/08/2025

There you go!

Breathwork and Music Trigger Psychedelic-Like Bliss in the Brain

A study examining breathwork with music found it reliably produces profound, psychedelic-like states of consciousness in participants.

Brain imaging showed unique blood flow patterns: reductions in sensory areas but increased activity in emotion-processing regions.

These shifts correlated with self-reported blissful states and decreased negative emotion, echoing classic descriptions of "oceanic boundlessness."

The results highlight breathwork’s potential as a powerful non-pharmacological tool for emotional healing.

31/05/2025

Changing what you click on can become a first step in changing what your mind feeds on. What we click on doesn't just reflect what we’re interested in—it shapes what we become interested in. If we aren’t mindful, our digital lives—and by extension, our emotional lives—can become an echo chamber of fear, anger, or despair without us even realizing it.
So start lightening up what you click on this weekend-or better still go outdoors, or do some activities that really absorb you.