One of the greatest myths is that by just being positive, or cheerful, we can somehow erase our problems.What I'm more interested in is the simpler question of: how do we go on?
In recent years, whilst wading through a few muddy valleys of my own, I've become increasingly interested in how we get by. There are reams of podcasts, columns and talks about happiness — about what makes us happy, and keeps us happy. But in many ways that is a circular conversation, often aiming at a state we rarely achieve simply by pursuing it.
What I've been particularly interested in exploring in recent years is the sustaining power of awe, commonly defined byAwe can be experienced in forests, oceans, music halls, art museums, football stadiums, protests, listening to street buskers and witnessing particularly kind, generous or courageous acts .
The first group was asked to take a selfie in every walk they did. In the first images, their faces loomed large. In the final photos, their faces occupied a smaller fraction of the frames, as they were trying to capture not just themselves, but what they were seeing behind them — a tree with flame-coloured leaves, a sky turning golden, a bird strutting or preening. It was, in short, training their brains to turn outwards.
Over the next few weeks and months, I'll be talking to people about how they get by, how they endure, in this column, called Staying Upright. If there's an interesting story in your community, or you know someone whose story is untold and whose strength has astonished you, please email me
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