2021 Is A Mess. Here's How To Stay Positive

Nerdette Recaps With Peter Sagal

WBEZ

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4.6 • 924 Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2021

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The first week of 2021 was rough. But, as advice columnists Daniel Lavery and Heather Havrilesky tell us, there's still room for optimism.

Then we talk to Dr. Y. Joel Wong, a professor at Indiana University, about the very real science behind positive thinking (Yep, a number of studies show that people who keep gratitude journals are mentally and physically healthier than those who do not.)

And finally, poet Ross Gay tells us about The Book of Delights, his collection of "essayettes." Turns out, the more you look for delight, the more it shows up for you. Which seems like a pretty delightful thing to bring into the new year.

And speaking of things to bring into the new year, we'd love to know: What are your resolutions for 2021? What's your stance on resolutions in general? Record yourself on your phone, and send the audio file to [email protected], and you may hear yourself in next week’s episode.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still
0:06.1	watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,
0:12.7	soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,
0:18.0	Stories Without End from WBEZ Chicago.
0:25.7	Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.
0:28.3	Listen, wherever you get your podcast.
0:35.6	From WBEZ Chicago, this is Nerdad.
0:54.5	I'm Greta Johnson, and we have made it through the first work week of 2021, and it felt like an actual literal year. There was a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. That's on top of any number of things that are already extremely anxiety-inducing. I'm not even going to list them. You can pick your own. You're probably already sort of cycling through them in your head. Traditionally,
0:58.9	the new year is a nice time to think about kind of turning the page, but it feels really hard this
1:04.8	year. So on today's show, we're going to help you prepare yourself as best as we can to start
1:10.6	this year on a positive note. We're going to talk to prepare yourself as best as we can to start this year on a positive note.
1:12.6	We're going to talk to a psychologist about the power of positivity and the author of a book all about delight.
1:19.4	But first, how do we balance the desire for a fresh start in a new calendar year with the harsh realities of our current existence.
1:28.8	Here to help answer this question are not one, but two advice columnists.
1:32.9	Heather Haverleski writes the Ask Polly column for New York Magazine.
1:35.9	Heather, hey.
1:36.9	Hi, Greta.
1:38.3	And Daniel Lavery writes the dear prudence advice column for Slate.
1:42.1	Danny, hey.
1:43.2	Hey.
1:44.2	Okay, so what do you think, Danny?
1:46.0	Like, is 2021 just ruined?
	...

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