Rewriting the Story: How Positive Psychology Turns Hardship into Hope

Rewriting the Story: How Positive Psychology Turns Hardship into Hope

Maria Dolganova’s May blog, “The stories we live by,” resonated with me and inspired me to continue the conversation. Maria’s reflections reinforced the profound power of story and sparked my curiosity about how our stories link with positive psychology concepts. 

We all have stories to tell. My new chapter began while caring for a loved one navigating serious youth mental health challenges—a journey that left me searching for answers and meaning in a world suddenly filled with uncertainty.

Inspired by the treating team, and when my caring responsibilities allowed, I returned to study, immersing myself in traditional counselling and mental health education. I learned about diagnoses, treatments, and how to listen to stories about “what is wrong.” Yet while sitting in this negative space, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing—something hopeful.

That's when I was introduced to positive psychology—where, remarkably, all things positive exist. Positive psychology didn't just change my perspective; it changed me. It transformed my questions from “what’s wrong?” to “what’s right?” This new approach and curiosity revealed powerful strategies—some I'd been intuitively practicing all along, others completely new—that ultimately rewrote the narrative of my life.

These tools fostered resilience in the face of overwhelming challenges and persistent uncertainty. They didn't erase hardship but provided a framework to navigate it with greater purpose and strength.

My journey taught me profound truths: The stories we tell ourselves matter deeply. The narratives others share with us shape our reality. How we interpret these stories—discerning what to trust, believe, and hold onto—fundamentally impacts our wellbeing.

At its heart, positive psychology is about stories—how we craft them, share them, and live within them. I've learned that when we intentionally build our lives upon positive psychology concepts, everyday existence transforms into a masterpiece filled with stories of authentic connection, powerful reframing, and meaningful growth. Our challenges don't disappear, but they become chapters in a larger, richer story—one worth telling, and more importantly, one worth living.

“[Positive psychology] takes you through the countryside of pleasure and gratification, up to the high country of strength and virtue, and finally to the peaks of lasting fulfillment: meaning and purpose.”

—Martin Seligman (Authentic Happiness, 2002)

Positive psychology concepts that shape our stories

The stories we tell ourselves—and the lens we use to shape them—matter profoundly. Positive psychology offers a framework for recognizing the strengths, capacities, and values that can sometimes be hidden beneath life’s challenges. Rather than focusing only on what feels broken, positive psychology invites us to look at what is working, what energizes us, and what gives our life richness and meaning. These concepts become essential chapters in our lives, revealing that while we cannot always control what happens to us, we can author how we respond, find meaning, and grow through our experiences. 

Let’s explore some of the key positive psychology concepts that shape these chapters and offer powerful tools for transforming how we experience and navigate life.

• Mindfulness2 – The story of presence and awareness; of fully inhabiting each moment rather than merely passing through it. It's about noticing the texture of experience without judgment, allowing life to unfold in rich detail rather than autopilot.

• Gratitude3 –  The story of conscious appreciation that transforms the ordinary into extraordinary. It's the practice of noticing and savouring gifts both profound and simple, shifting attention from what's missing to what's abundantly present.

• Awe4 – The story of transcendent wonder that expands our perception beyond the ordinary. It's that breathless moment of recognizing vastness—in nature, art, human kindness, or within our deepest challenges—that simultaneously makes us feel small yet deeply connected. It's finding profound meaning in both beauty and hardship, and the extraordinary courage that can emerge when life becomes difficult.

• Growth Mindset5 –  The story of viewing challenges as opportunities for development rather than fixed. It's believing our abilities can be cultivated through effort, learning and persistence, embracing difficulties as essential parts of life’s journey.

• Learned Optimism6 – The story of deliberately reshaping how we interpret events, cultivating a hopeful yet realistic mindset. It is not toxic positivity, but the intentional practice of seeing setbacks as temporary and specific, rather than permanent, pervasive, or deeply personal.

• Character Strengths7 –  The story of your unique combination of virtues that, when recognized and applied deliberately, become your signature contribution to the world. They're not just what you're good at, but what energizes you and feels most authentic to who you are.

• Meaning and Purpose8 –  The story of connection to something larger than yourself that lights your path forward. It transforms ordinary actions into meaningful rituals and provides a compass during life's most challenging moments.

• Grit9 –  The story of sustained passion and perseverance in pursuit of meaningful goals. It's showing up day after day, especially when the path grows steepest, driven by deep commitment rather than momentary motivation.

• Self-Compassion10 –  The story of treating yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a friend. It acknowledges that imperfection is part of a shared human condition, replacing harsh self-judgment with gentle understanding.

• Flow11 – The story of complete immersion in activities that perfectly balance challenge and skill. These are precious moments when time seems to both stand still and fly by, as self-consciousness dissolves into pure engagement.

By harnessing these positive psychology concepts, you don't simply rewrite your life's narrative—you transform how you experience it from the inside out. These practices aren't about denying challenges or applying superficial positivity to difficult circumstances. Rather, they offer a nuanced lens through which hardship becomes integrated into a larger, more meaningful journey. With each intentional practice, you claim your role as the primary author of your life—crafting a story defined not by what happens to you, but by how you respond, find meaning, and ultimately flourish through all of life's complex passages.

Strategies to write a new chapter in your life

Positive psychology is not just a way of thinking — it’s a way of living. The following research-based strategies invite you to put these ideas into action, helping you shift your perspective, deepen meaning, and intentionally shape the next chapter of your life story.

1. Gratitude – Daily, identify three to five12 things you're grateful for, expand this by including emotions12. Extend by identifying your personal advantage12–how gratitude shows up in your life, compared to others, then reflect and understand the reasons behind13 these positive events and express gratitude for this. Deepen relationships with others by linking gratitude expressions to the recipient’s personal strengths or qualities14.

2. Savouring – Each day, identify one positive moment15 (big or small) and mindfully pause to notice and extend your enjoyment of it. Replay the moment16 mentally or share it with someone to boost the emotional impact. Strengthen savouring by focusing on sensory details15 (what you saw, heard, felt) and reflect15 on why it mattered. Deepen it further by combining savouring with gratitude17 — appreciating not just the moment but your feelings about it. Try anticipatory savouring16 (looking forward to something) or remembrance-based savouring18 (reliving past joys). You can also practise savouring during difficult or unsettling moments, drawing on remembered positive experiences19 to anchor yourself, ease distress, and gently rebuild emotional resilience.

3. Expressive writing – For three to five consecutive days, spend 15–30 minutes writing20 about a difficult experience, and focus on expressing your emotions. This is more than simply journaling; it’s a deliberate practice of unpacking what happened and how it impacted you emotionally. After the final writing session, review what you’ve written, looking for insights or patterns that might reveal new perspectives on your story. NOTE: if you have a BIG story you want to unpack journal once per week over a month or so.

4. Strengths spotting – Reflect and identify moments in your or others life story, where strengths show up21. These strengths-in-action reveal authentic capacities and can become anchors for your life. Consider completing the VIA Character Strengths Survey22 to discover your signature strengths (your top five to seven strengths). Then, explore how these strengths show up in your everyday life. To boost wholebeing, use one of your signature strengths in a new or different way23 for one week. Deepen the experience by drawing a family (and friends) strengths tree24, mapping out the unique strengths each person contributes and how these combine to support and enrich your shared story.

5. Awe – Micro-dose awe using everyday experiences with the “A.W.E strategy25”. 

   • Attention – Focus on something awesome.

   • Wait – Pause and immerse yourself in the moment.

   • Exhale and expand – Breathe deeply, allowing awe to expand within you. 

This practice helps train your attention to notice micro-moments of transcendence in everyday life, gradually reshaping how you perceive and interpret your unfolding story. While awe is often associated with natural wonders or vast landscapes, it can also arise in quiet acts of human goodness. Moral beauty26 — witnessing courage, compassion or integrity in others — is considered the most powerful and frequent form of awe. Even in life’s storms, awe can still be found — in moments of uncertainty, or in witnessing those who respond with care in our time of need. Awe gently humbles27 us and reminds us of something greater than ourselves when the world feels unsteady. 

6. Narrative therapy28 – Learn more by accessing, nine free lessons. Also, consider investing $77AUD to receive a certificate. 

By weaving these positive psychology practices into daily life, you become both author and editor of your story — crafting a narrative rich with positivity, resilience, and flourishing. You are not defined by a single chapter or challenge but by the ongoing journey you choose to embrace. Take a breath, turn the page, and begin your next chapter with intention, hope, and your authentic strengths. Thank you, Maria. I am grateful to stand alongside you in exploring the stories we live by — and the possibilities they hold for shaping resilient and flourishing lives.

P.S. These heirloom daisies, grown from seeds from my grandmother’s garden, bloom each summer as a living reminder of her. Each blossom carries the memory of the cherished moments and stories we shared together. Their return each year gently reminds me that love and legacy continue to grow.

Natalie is an educator, mental health professional, and positive psychology practitioner whose personal journey has shaped her passion for supporting others. She encourages people to explore life with curiosity, reframe challenges, and uncover their own capacities. Combining lived experience with formal training, Natalie develops learning programs and resources across the lifespan, teaches wellbeing strategies to adult learners, supports caregivers navigating the complex realities of child and youth mental health, and even occasionally teaches a primary school class. A curious learner with a deep thirst for knowledge, she believes that even life’s hardest moments can nurture meaning, resilience, and flourishing — and she is dedicated to helping others bring this belief into their everyday lives.

References 

1	Dalganova, M. (2025, May 1). The stories we live by: How changing our stories transforms our lives. Happiness Studies Academy-Alumni and Business Club. https://club.happinessstudies.academy/post/copy-of-lao-tzu-s-wu-wei-fuels-the-happiness-revolution
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