VISUALIZATION Helps Memory, Creativity, and...Holiday Cheer :-)

VISUALIZATION is a powerful tool we  all use.  In work or school we are told to visualize data, information, concepts, and strategies to better understand, cope, set goals and motivate.

Here is a link and image of "A Periodic Table of Visualization" - click on each element and an image of that type of visualization will appear - very cool! 

[NOTE: CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERACTIVE Periodic Table of Visualization, the table - below is merely a representation].

From http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html

These elements of visualization can help with:

• memory
• concept formation (and retention)
• comprehension
• story writing and critiquing
• goal setting
• frame of mind/mood

Because it is the season for holiday cheer and for many, finding that cheer can be difficult, The Wall Street Journal had an article this weekend about how visualizing can help us find holiday cheer. But before getting to that article, I am curious...

How do YOU find holiday Cheer?

In the past, we were advised to "think positive" by many including Norman Vincent Peale who in his book "The Power of Positive Thinking" suggested that we make a deliberate effort to speak hopefully. Studies suggest, however, that optimistic affirmations designed to lift one's mood, often achieve the opposite effect.

art by Alex Nabaum from The Wall Street Journal

In this weekend's Wall Street Journal (The Power of Negative Thinking essayist, Oliver Burkeman suggests that there is an alternative approach to help us find that sometimes ellusive (holiday) cheer:

"...both ancient philosophy and modern psychology suggest that darker thoughts can make us happier."

According to Burkeman, Albert Ellis (a New York psychotherapist) rediscovered this key insight of the Stoic philosophers of ancient Geece and Rome: "the best way to address an uncertain future is to focus not on the best-case scenario but on the worst."

Stoics called this worst-case scenario therapy "the premeditation of evils" and they believed that doing this would remove the anxiety "THE FUTURE" relayed. According to Burkeman, modern psychologist Julie Norem estimates that about one-third of Americans instinctively use this strategy which she terms "defensive pessimism."

Burkeman further posits that,

"The ultimate value of the 'negative path' may not be its role in facilitating upbeat emotions or even success. It is simply realism. The future really is uncertain, after all, and things really do go wrong as well as right. We are too often motivated by craving to put an end to the inevitable surprises in our lives."

While I believe the 'negative path' may be helpful in planning and organizing, it is not necessarily effective for me in building 'cheer'.

For me the cheer comes from being grateful for all the gifts I have. It comes from setting realistic goals, having a loving family, and from contributing to my community at large.  Don't underestimate the power of giving.


HOW DO YOU FIND HOLIDAY CHEER?  Please leave you visualizations and coping suggestions in the comments.

In the meantime, thank you for your visit. Have a JOYFUL holiday and all the very best!