I was in London at Heathrow Airport when I learned that my flight back to Newark, New Jersey was canceled. More than that, they explained that Newark and all the surrounding airports in the New York City area had been closed because of Hurricane Irene, and that there was no possibility of getting a trans-Atlantic flight for a couple of days.
Bummer.
To make matters worse, the hotels in London were filled because of an annual carnival in the city. There were no rooms.
Double bummer.
The airport staff was stressed because, well, weary travelers were stressed, which made for some unpleasant encounters. A woman was spewing at the counter in front of me.
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Somehow I suspected this article was going to end with spoiled food… lol. I live in NJ and our power has been out for an entire week from this storm. Just got it back today. Hope you didn’t flood and had no worse damage than spoiled food!
What the … Come down here in the islands and tell people they hurricanes are a positive experience that can make them happy. Ever see crying children picking thu rubble. Takes years of sellin fruit to get a decent shack together, then bam! gone. Survival is better than happy
Thanks for an interesting post. I do find that when I am in the midst of trauma/tragedy I become highly tuned to the moment; mindful, I’d guess you’d say. And I appreciate every good thing in my life, no matter how small it may be. It’s how I get through whatever needs to be gotten through. As you say……Hope.
Thanks for this article. I’m a graduate student in Ed Psy. Would you share the links to research you referenced? (Researchers have noticed that people who possess (or can cultivate) an optimistic and resilient thinking style deal with misfortune in a way that not only helps them recover, but also allows them to grow from the experience.)Thanks, Louise Mullins
Hi, Louise,
The link to Jonathan’s book is a very good start. Marty Seligman’s new book, Flourish, is an excellent up-to-date description of the current research and trends in positive psychology.
Since it sounds like you will be working with children you may also want to check out the UPenn recency program. http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/prpsum.htm
Hope this helps!
Hi, I really like your posts, and I bought your book because you so often reflect what I think. I like the thinking that you used to help yourself deal with the frustration that the woman couldn’t deal with. I find that the strongest people I know deal with adversity as an opportunity. For me, often it’s a chance to talk with others, to commiserate and to see if there is anyway to help. Going to a London Carnival hasn’t been in the cards for me
I do think, however, after the crisis is navigated, there is often a letdown, something like your spoiled food. Maybe some minor PTSD. The pictures on the news are truly overwhelming. Anyway, thank you for your post.
Perhaps working to get through an emergency – and succeeding based on your skills is very rewarding, more immediately rewarding than most of our daily activities. But if the situation is overwhelming, and there is no successful resolution – or you end up feeling powerless, that can lead to apathy and depression. Roughing it a few days without power, or being flexible enough to recognize opportunity in the guise of an inconvenience[London] can be rewarding; being stranded in New Orleans without clean water or food, and the realization you were at the mercy of the elements, was misery. and I guess not being able to tell the difference is -well, like the woman with the meltdown.
I am going through a hard time in my life, failed A-levels, parent break up etc. I really found what you said so helpful, i suppose you can say it opened my outlook. Getting depressed, giving up, getting mad, does nothing, nothing at all and often leads to a vicious circle. It doesnt get you anywhere, just like the angry woman in your story.Theres no real point to this post ha, i’d just thought i’d let you know, by posting this, you helped a random stranger
Thanks