We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marianne Cortes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marianne, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
Optimism is a positive mental attitude towards life that has a lot to do with a trust in, “everything eventually works out” and staying mindful about what you choose to pay attention to. There will always be aspects of sadness, uncertainty and unfairness in life, but I can’t spend too much time focused on that without some negative impact on my emotional and mental wellbeing. I have too many people I care about in my life to not care for myself and the attitude or energy I put out there. Truthfully, I believe some people are innately more optimistic than others. Even if we are naturally not so optimistic, we can be hopeful. Continuously setting small or big goals keep us engaged in looking forward and being hopeful. It also keeps our attention on things we can control vs attention on all the madness in the world that sometimes can feel overwhelming and out of our control.
Lived experiences and a stubborn determination to not choose victimhood also contribute greatly to my natural optimism. Change is constant. Disappointment is inevitable, but eventually there will be change and new moments. Might as well look forward to better moments and continue to learn and grow throughout life along the way.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My business Silver Tree Therapy offers individual psychotherapy for adults. Individuals who seek my help are often struggling to manage anxiety, are having trouble adjusting to a life transition, or feeling burn-out from work that has become meaningless or overwhelming with stress. Mindfulness as a practice and life skill is one of the modalities, I use to facilitate the process for a person to face their concerns head on with confidence and calm. I have extensive experience and training with trauma, with particular expertise in relationship concerns related to attachment, emotional intimacy, co-dependency or unhealthy relational patterns.
Aside from private practice, I am involved in work with mental health at schools–invigorating work to say the least. One of the unique aspects of my work with adults is that I have worked closely with children and teens for over a decade in community and non-profit settings. So, there’s a strong developmental, biopsychosocial, psychodynamic lens when working with adults. It helps me view the individual as a ‘whole’, instead of just symptoms, their problems or diagnosis. Everyone’s story is unique.
Workshops on mental health, mindfulness, and workplace wellness are also offered for small groups and corporations or businesses.
Ultimately, I am passionate in helping others cultivate hope about their situation and implement sustainable positive change that is aligned to their values.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Humility to stay open minded to learn, curiosity towards people to keep judgmental attitudes in check and kindness are the 3 qualities that I think have impacted my journey the most. Expertise and knowledge have tremendous value, but its interpersonal skills that can help us resolve conflicts, negotiate and lead teams or relate with others the most effectively and peacefully.
I honestly think a great training ground for interpersonal skills is work experience in service industries like retail or hospitality. If that’s not possible anymore, involvement in some sort of service-related project or work, where your unpaid work contributes to something meaningful can also be both rewarding and humbling. To be driven by the bottom line or strictly money often leads to an eventual crash and burn out or physical health issues–meaningfulness in our work and relationships improves our quality of life.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When feeling overwhelmed I ask myself 4 key questions: 1) what do I need? 2) how do I want to feel? 3) who or where can I ask for help? 4) what can I do today or now to address question #1 and #2? Taking a moment to pause and reflect helps a great deal when feeling overwhelmed. It moves me out of autopilot and into action that can bring relief. The relief might be as simple as deepening my breath or more complex as having conversation that has been put off. To remember that we even need to take a pause, is a practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.silvertreemiami.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvertreetherapy
Image Credits
Cy Agency (cyagency.my.canva.site)
