#macrobgeneral

Hey there sweetie,

Hopefully these tips can help:

Recognise the good and bad in your life and examine how you’ve been affected by each. Optimism doesn’t mean you have to feel “happy” all the time. In fact, trying to force feelings of happiness during potentially traumatic experiences can be unhealthy. Instead, attune yourself to the full range of emotions in your life, accepting that the negative as well as positive feelings are a natural part of human experience. Not focusing more on one type of emotion than the other can actually help you become more adaptive and proactive in future unexpected situations. This will increase your ability to be optimistic and resilient in the face of uncertainty 

Focus on being mindful of when these negative emotions occur. A journal could help you do this. Write down when you experience negative feelings or thoughts, then examine their contexts and explore alternative ways of responding to them

Mindfulness is a key component of optimism because it encourages you to focus on acknowledging your emotions in the moment without judging them. Often, negative reactions arise when we try to struggle against our feelings, or when we allow ourselves to become so blinded by our emotions that we forget that we can control how we respond to them. Focusing on your breathing, accepting your body and your feelings, and learning from your emotions rather than denying them can help you become comfortable with yourself, which is important when those negative emotions arise

Look for the positives in your life. It’s important to re-orient your inner monologue to focus on the positive aspects of both you as an individual and the world around you. Although positive thinking is only one of the steps towards becoming a true optimist, the effects of positive thinking for both your body and mind can be significant

Write yourself daily positive affirmations. Writing down short statements can help us believe in the potential of an action we want to accomplish. Jot down a few affirmations that remind you of what you’re trying to change about the way you see the world. Put them in places where you’ll see them every day, such as on your bathroom mirror, the inside of your locker, on your computer, and even taped to your shower wall

Work on improving your perspective in 1 or 2 areas of your life. Pessimism often stems from feelings of helplessness or lack of control. Identify one or two key aspects that you’d like to change in your life and work on improving them. This will help restore your faith in your own power and ability to effect change in your daily life

Spend time on activities that make you smile or laugh. Give yourself permission to laugh. The world is full of humor: immerse yourself in it! Watch TV comedies, attend a stand-up comedy routine, buy a joke book. Everyone has a different sense of humor, but focus on finding things that make you laugh. Go out of your way to make yourself smile at least once a day. Remember, laughter is a natural stress reliever

Surround yourself with friends and family who lighten your mood. Spending time with other people can often be a great way of lessening isolation and loneliness, which can produce feelings of pessimism

Be positive in your actions toward others. Optimism is infectious. Showing positivity and compassion in your interaction with others not only benefits you, it can create a “ripple effect” where others are encouraged to be positive towards even more people

Smile as often as you can :)

Love,

Hey there!

Here’s some of our favourites:

The Office

American Gods

Pushing Daisies

Hannibal

Stranger Things

Mr Robot

Shadowhunters

Black Mirror

Sense8

Daredevil

Riverdale

Fargo

House of Cards

Bates Motel

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Hopefully these helps!

Hey!

We’re still accepting questions but it’s much harder to coordinate collaborative responses these days so feel free to contact someone you trust by email or contact anyone in the wellbeing centre for a more prompt and targeted response to any concerns you might have.

Hey!

Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what the criteria is. This is a question best directed to Mrs Dean!

Here is a link that might help too: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/179040991002/hey-fam-just-wondering-what-school-colours-and

Hey!

From what we gather, what you refer to as ‘step up’ may also be referred to as ‘head start’?

At Mac.Rob, we simply have what we call ‘orientation’ and it works in a similar way to these programs. It usually goes over a few days and for each subject you take you’ll have an introductory session that’s about the length of a class.

Hey,

A lot of students at Mac.Rob use MacBooks but that doesn’t mean it’s the best device to use so just use whatever you’ve got or whatever you feel comfortable using.

Hey,

FAM Member 1: For most of my time at Mac.Rob, I used digital textbooks and from my experience it’s never been a problem. If your teacher prefers you to bring in a physical copy, they’ll let you know and if you don’t have one, the LRC might!

Hey there,

We’re not sure what this is but we hope, if you’ve already had it, that it went well!

Some tips to come off more confident is simply to believe that you are. That is, if you believe that you are confident (even if you might not feel like it), chances are you’ll feel more confident and you’ll come across as confident. Also remember that a smile goes a long way, not just in terms of making an impression but also for yourself as well because if you’re feeling nervous, smiling can help to release endorphins that’ll help relax you.

Another thing to do would be to approach someone first and strike up a conversation. That way, people will see you as unafraid to take the first step and able to take initiative.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself!