Sowing A Garden of Positivity during a Pandemic: MAPP’s Strategies to Thrive Series

It was a spark of an idea in the first days of the “lockdown” into physical distancing instigated by the COVID-19 crisis: share positive psychology with the public to counteract what was beginning to feel like a collective emotional tailspin. UPenn MAPP alumni Sharon Danzger (C’18), Lisa Sansom (C’10), Senia Maymin (C’06) and Sean Doyle (C’07) got busy and organized Strategies to Thrive, a forum for Penn MAPP alums to present a series of webinars, available free to the public. And UPenn MAPP alumni, affectionately known to each other as MAPPsters, responded to the call. Now drawing to the end of a 42-day outpouring of information and know-how, MAPP alumni have shared on 70 topics ranging from using improvisation techniques for helping individuals "act as if" by Shannon Polly (C’09), to helping parents with strategies for homeschooling children by Conrad Macalalad (C’11). As of May 20th, the positivity inherent in all of the presentations had been viewed 5,869 times.

“This service by the MAPP alumni community during the COVID-19 crisis shines a light on the ‘Applied’ in ‘Applied Positive Psychology,’” said President of the Alumni Association, Andrew Soren (C’13), “In this unprecedented time, people around the globe have had to demonstrate resilience, and the tools of positive psychology can support everyone in this effort.” That the alumni community was able to organize this significant undertaking on such a short timeline is also commendable. “While it required a lot of logistics and planning, we were thrilled with the response to our request for presenters and very pleased with the outcome” said Danzger, “It really highlights the diversity of skills, talents and expertise of our alumni.”

Some presenters in the series focused on practical matters relating to social distancing, for example, How to Successfully Work from Home by Sharon Danzger (C’18) and Design Your Day: Habits, Practices and Rituals for Pandemic Times at Home by Jan Stanley (C’10). Other presenters shared foundational positive psychology concepts, such as positive emotions (Personal Sunshine: How to Cultivate Positive Emotions In Difficult Times by Laura Taylor (C’14) and positive relationships (Using Virtual Meetings as A Means of Connection by Sydney Kastner (C’19). Several presentations explored the connection between the humanities and wellbeing, for example Lyrics and Wellbeing: Intentionally Making Playlists for Yourself and Others by Tricia Fox Ransom (C’15) and Applied Poetics: Arts and Humanities in times of crisis by Sean Doyle (C’07). The importance of physical wellbeing was also highlighted by Lisle Baker (C’16) (Becoming More Physically Active While Stuck Inside) and Elaine O’Brien (C’08) (PEP in the War On Covid-19: Fitness Matters).

The menu of offerings through the Strategies to Thrive series highlights the remarkable range of applications for positive psychology and the vibrancy and diversity with which Penn’s MAPP alumni are sharing their expertise with the world. To peruse this potpourri of useful and uplifting advice, visit the UPenn MAPP Alumni Association YouTube channel for a complete listing of the webinars.

As we move forward with new ways of working, living and relating that have been ushered in by the COVID-19 crisis into a likely irrevocably-altered world, the wealth of material shared in the Strategies to Thrive series will continue to be relevant. As with other silver linings from the pandemic we have yet to fully grasp, the coming together of our MAPP alumni community and the creation of a shared virtual platform to disseminate positive psychology may be a lasting and positive innovation we can embrace and uphold.