Try free for 30 days

Preview
  • Practical Optimism

  • The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being
  • By: Sue Varma MD
  • Narrated by: Sue Varma M.D.
  • Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Practical Optimism

By: Sue Varma MD
Narrated by: Sue Varma M.D.
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

A practical program rooted in optimism to help you live fully and joyfully in an imperfect, turbulent world

As the first medical director and attending psychiatrist at the World Trade Center Mental Health Program, Dr. Sue Varma worked directly with civilian and first-responder survivors in the aftermath of 9/11. There, she met people at every point of the stress and trauma continuum. She saw devastation and stagnancy as much as she saw amazing resilience and growth. She asked herself: how do some people survive, even thrive, despite profound challenges? And how can we optimize the things we have control over, while buffering ourselves from stress?

Through her work with patients and combining philosophy, her own personal experience, and a review of the latest research in psychology, psychiatry, medicine, and neuroscience, Dr. Varma discovered that the answer lies in cultivating an optimistic mindset that stays tethered to the real world and helps us make sound and reasonable decisions. This epiphany inspired Practical Optimism, Dr. Varma’s powerful program with eight pillars to help all of us experience a sense of meaning, mastery, and self-acceptance and create lives filled with joy and purpose. Optimists, research has shown, are not just happier and more successful, but physically healthier. And if you’re a natural-born pessimist? No problem: the most vital piece of the Practical Optimism program is that it is a practice, a skillset that we can choose to adopt and get better at every day.

This book isn’t about magical thinking. Practical optimists are resourceful, realistic, and thoughtful problem solvers who possess something of rare value: the inner resources to cope during a crisis and to use as fuel to flourish. Complete with self-assessment quizzes and exercises, Practical Optimism will help us all see the world for the better and reach our true potential. Practical Optimism is a scientific and tangible pathway to boosting health, happiness, resilience, success, and longevity.

©2024 Sue Varma (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Book for February 2024

"In Practical Optimism Dr. Varma distills an expansive body of research into clear, relatable, and actionable guidance. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to move from surviving to thriving."—Lisa Damour, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers

“Essential reading, and full of tools to help us move through challenges and embrace the possibility around us. Dr. Sue Varma shows us that practical optimism is a muscle we can build and continue to strengthen—and it can absolutely transform our lives.”—Judson Brewer, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety

"Practical Optimism beautifully weaves science and art, research and storytelling, theory and practice. Sue Varma provides us with a compass that can help us navigate our complex and demanding reality."—Tal Ben Shahar, New York Times bestselling author of Happier

What listeners say about Practical Optimism

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.