Optimism in Practice: Mindfulness Strategies for Healthcare Professionals

Optimism in Practice: Mindfulness Strategies for Healthcare Professionals Posted By:
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In life and leadership, I have been giving a lot of thought about how to propagate optimism. Optimism is not so much about turning a blind eye to problems or to discount their impact. Instead, it presents an opportunity to face a series of challenges with curiosity using the tools we have and, of importance, releasing the weight of negative thinking (which generally is of no added value). This is an attribute that transcends our individual roles as healthcare team members and leaders and is aligned with a growth mindset. It goes without saying, however, that it is not always easy or natural to maintain an optimistic mindset.  

Along this thoughtful journey, I came across some research done on the concept of “savoring” and its potential for generating positive emotions like optimism. Described by Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff in their book, Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience, savoring is actively engaging and relishing in positive experiences. Savoring can be classified into 3 different categories: present, past (reminiscence), and anticipatory (a positive experience you are looking forward to).

Optimism Is Scientific Research
While exploring this idea further, I came across a study by Klibert and colleagues who published their experience of looking at the impact of different savoring strategies on coping resources like positive emotions, following the introduction of a stressor that may negatively affect one’s self-esteem. Researchers structured the savoring interventions around the positive emotion of joy. Of note, the savoring the moment group intervention involved reading lines (thematic of optimism and joy) provided to them from Christian D. Larson’s book, Your Forces and How to Use Them. These participants also were provided specific instructions on how to read and take in the lines from the book. By contrast, the reminiscence group was asked to reflect on a particular moment of joy they experienced in the past, and the anticipatory group was asked to plan a vacation to a desirable place. 

Study participants assigned to the savoring the moment group had higher positive emotion scores compared with the control, reminiscence, and anticipatory groups. The researchers in the study concluded that their work supports the notion that when faced with a stressor that has the potential to negatively affect one’s self-esteem, if individuals can rapidly anchor to positive stimuli in the moment, they will experience positive emotions in the face of that challenge.  

Finding Optimism in Your Day-to-Day
What can we do to bring the spirit of this research into our work as healthcare team members and leaders? As with any study, there are limitations regarding generalizability, but the principle findings here are compelling. Imagine if you could take a momentary pause in the face of a stressful situation and apply the “savoring the moment” technique. Maybe you would do this through repeating a mantra or phrase that resonates with you, or perhaps you purposely look at a meaningful photo or work of art that brings you joy. And as you do this, you identify and lean into the emotions and feelings that come up in the process. If this simple intervention leads to feelings of optimism, then perhaps you will find yourself more centered and poised to navigate the challenges before you.  

In acknowledging that we all have unique prompts for optimism, the savoring technique seems like a practical tool we can use that requires minimal effort. My early experiences with this technique have been fruitful! 

If interested in further exploring on this topic, consider the following publications: 


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