{"id":93883,"date":"2026-10-08T07:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=93883"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:37:10","slug":"cultivate-positive-emotions-for-durability-mindset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/cultivate-positive-emotions-for-durability-mindset\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultivate positive emotions to build a &#8216;durability mindset.&#8217; Focus on joy and awe to improve well-being."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_94378\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94378\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-94378\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/07100558\/GettyImages-2230591201-durability-mindset-web.webp\" alt=\"Woman smiles with her eyes closed as she feels sunshine on her face. Taking time to focus on positive emotions like awe, gratitude and hope can help cultivate a &quot;durability mindset&quot; and support your well-being. Photo: Getty Images.\" width=\"640\" height=\"407\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-94378\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taking time to focus on positive emotions like awe, gratitude and hope can help cultivate a &#8220;durability mindset&#8221; and support your well-being. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Want to strengthen your well-being and bolster your ability to respond to stress? Consider fostering a &#8220;durability mindset.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Justin Ross, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of workplace wellness for UCHealth, outlines what a durability mindset is and how to build one.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Resiliency and durability are two different things<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Ross said durability and resiliency are different, and the latter has gained attention in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery day is going to have some version of challenge, stress and strain,\u201d said Ross, who has a doctorate in psychology. \u201cResiliency is your ability to get through those stressors, to bounce back on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<h4><strong>Build a durability mindset for well-being<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Durability is the ability to withstand stress and strain over long durations of time.<\/li>\n<li>You can build a durability mindset at any age.<\/li>\n<li>Cultivate positive emotions such as joy, awe and love to build your durability.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/identify-three-good-things-daily-to-boost-happiness\/\">Get started by focusing on three good things to boost happiness<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Durability is the ability to withstand stress and strain over long durations of time, Ross said.<\/p>\n<p>To distinguish between the two, Ross uses a metaphor of a building catching on fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the building you\u2019re sitting in right now catches on fire, I\u2019m not going to tell you to become more flame-resistant \u2013 I\u2019m going to tell you to get out of the building. That\u2019s resiliency,\u201d Ross said. \u201cDurability is thinking about how we build a more flame-resistant building in the first place, or detect issues and put them out before they become fires.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>It&#8217;s never too late to build durability<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You can build a durability mindset at any age, and it can benefit everyone, from young children to older adults.<\/p>\n<p>And you don\u2019t need to unlearn negative habits before integrating positive ones, Ross said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs an adult, if I want to learn a second language, I don\u2019t have to unlearn English to make room for Spanish,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<p>The same goes for a durability mindset. Instead of focusing on stopping negative thought patterns, take five minutes to experience a positive emotion to find a greater sense of well-being and feelings of being stable, connected and in control.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell-being does not mean being happy all the time; rather, it is the ability to experience positive emotions relatively quickly and access them more easily,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<p>Long periods of stress and the resulting burnout often erode someone\u2019s ability to access positive emotions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat people will find with this practice is they can access that range of positive emotions more readily,\u201d Ross said.\u00a0\u201cA big part of this is understanding how important our cognitive framework or mindset is in terms of anchoring our well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Micro-practices of positive emotions\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Developing a durability mindset may be easier than you expect.<\/p>\n<p>Most people understand the elements of wellness as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Getting sleep.<\/li>\n<li>Being physically active.<\/li>\n<li>Eating healthy foods.<\/li>\n<li>Making connections with others.<\/li>\n<li>Work with purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBut sometimes the practice of these well-being efforts can be overwhelming or feel burdensome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ross recommends cultivating micro-practices to help build a durability mindset. He encourages people to spend a few minutes each day experiencing one of 10 positive, \u201cexpansive\u201d emotions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Joy<\/li>\n<li>Gratitude<\/li>\n<li>Awe<\/li>\n<li>Serenity<\/li>\n<li>Interest<\/li>\n<li>Hope<\/li>\n<li>Pride<\/li>\n<li>Amusement<\/li>\n<li>Inspiration<\/li>\n<li>Love<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cIf you find a way to have a disciplined approach to engaging in just one of these positive emotions, these can become durability factors that can cultivate a sense of well-being,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<p>Often, our go-to emotions are not the positive ones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf 100 things happen in a day, and 99 are neutral or positive, and one is even slightly negative, what do we do? We turn it over and over and over in our minds,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt\u2019s human nature for us to get bogged down with those negative emotions, and it\u2019s work to engage in durability practices because it goes against our natural default mode.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But that work is vitally important.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we know about well-being is well-being doesn\u2019t just happen,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt has to be purposefully curated on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to incorporate positive emotions into your day to help build a durability mindset<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h4><strong>Joy<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Joy, or savoring, involves paying attention and fully experiencing something, whether that\u2019s a cup of coffee or a pretty sunset.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe cliche of \u2018Stop and smell the roses\u2019 does have some grounding in well-being,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<p>Even the seemingly mundane can provide joy. Savor a rainstorm by feeling the water drops on your skin, for example.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Gratitude<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/living-with-gratitude-is-good-for-your-health\/\">Experience gratitude<\/a> every day. Ross recommends a micro-practice of thinking about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/identify-three-good-things-daily-to-boost-happiness\/\">three good things<\/a> each day, such as a productive meeting with a colleague, helping a child with homework or enjoying a brisk walk outside.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Awe<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>\u201cTaking a moment to reflect on and look for moments of awe can be really powerful,\u201d Ross said. That might mean staring up at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/stargazing-in-colorado-dark-sky-places\/\">night sky<\/a> or considering the intricacies of how a car works.<\/p>\n<p>And look for awe in unusual places. For example, imagine your child falls and hits his chin, resulting in a bloody gash. After cleaning him up and heading to the doctor for stitches, there might be a moment to reflect together with awe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThinking, \u2018Isn\u2019t it amazing how much blood the human body holds?\u2019 changes the moment. Suddenly, the conversation is redirected to awe,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt\u2019s that mindset shift that gets us into this durability framework. Our kids are going to experience minor injuries from time-to-time, work is going to be stressful and full of challenges \u2013 these are great spaces to anchor in some durability practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Serenity<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Sit quietly in the morning or take a deep breath at a stoplight. However you do it, you can find focused pockets of peace even on the busiest days.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Interest<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Give yourself permission to pursue something you find interesting, such as art, sports, music or history \u2013 the options are endless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can be anything. It\u2019s less about the interest itself, and more that you give yourself permission in your busy life to pursue something of personal interest,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Hope<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>\u201cHope is the sense that things are going to be okay and are going to get better,\u201d Ross said. \u201cHope can also be connected to meaningful things you\u2019re looking forward to \u2013 a trip, a concert, lunch with friends. The experience of looking forward with optimism and connection is really important for well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Pride<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Take a moment to reflect on something you accomplished recently, big or small.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPride is a sense of feeling good about how you\u2019ve shown up and engaged in the world, and what impact you\u2019ve had on your life and on the lives of others,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Amusement<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>This emotion is all about fostering humor, staying lighthearted and being able to laugh at yourself. Amusement often happens when you\u2019re with someone else.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Inspiration<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Take a minute to feel inspired by taking in a story of someone who has encountered a situation they didn\u2019t think was possible to handle, whether that\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/coping-with-cancer-through-journaling\/\">coping with a cancer diagnosis<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/from-crippling-stroke-to-14000-foot-summit\/\">scaling a huge pea<\/a>k, and pushed through anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of inspiration is it helps you expand your worldview and think about other possibilities for yourself or for your entire community,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Love<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>You can experience love in various ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are different kinds of love,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt does not need to be romantic love. It can be love for friend, love for work, love for helping people improve.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Build your positive emotion practice a few minutes each day, and find an accountability partner<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When trying out these durability micro-practices, Ross emphasizes that a few minutes most days can lead to significant benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no right or wrong way to do this,\u201d Ross said. \u201cPick one emotion that seems most interesting to you and be playful as you create a disciplined practice to integrate it into your life in small, manageable ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It can be helpful to have an accountability partner, whether that\u2019s a friend or family member.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo do this practice with another really helps cement it,\u201d Ross said. \u201cOver time, these bricks stack to create a durable sense of well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to strengthen your well-being and bolster your ability to respond to stress? Consider fostering a &#8220;durability mindset.&#8221; Justin Ross, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of workplace wellness for UCHealth, outlines what a durability mindset is and how to build one. Resiliency and durability are two different things Ross said durability and resiliency are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":94378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[113,112,2333,388],"class_list":["post-93883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-behavioral-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mindfulness","tag-stress-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cultivating positive emotions for a durability mindset - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It&#039;s never too late to build a durability mindset. 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