One Minute Perspective Reset
Marie Curie’s reframing saved my Mum
Marie Curie’s reframing saved my mum
Marie Curie is inspirational. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes!
She is also an excellent example of how one small shift in perspective can help us find empowering next steps.
A tiny shift that changed everything
In the late 1890s, scientists were studying a material called pitchblende. They extracted the uranium they wanted and threw the rest away. It was considered useless, just leftover rock.
Marie Curie noticed that the so called waste was actually more radioactive than the uranium itself.
She asked what turned out to be one of the most powerful reframing questions in history;
What if the most important part is the part we keep throwing away?
That small shift in perspective, changed the course of science.
Think how many lives have been supported by X rays.Or how many lives, including my Mum’s, have been saved through radiotherapy.
Why perspective matters for all of us
How we shift perspective is one of the most powerful skills we learn.
It helps us in moments of crisis, steadies us when we feel lost, nudges us when we are procrastinating, and gives us courage when relationships feel difficult.
Perspective does not remove challenges, but it changes how we move through them.
Our ability to reinterpret a feeling or reframe a moment sits at the heart of emotional resilience. Across more than one thousand hours of studying neuroscience, psychology and ancient philosophy, I’ve noticed this skill appear again and again.
Three Reframing Questions
These are what I call ‘gold standard’ reframing questions. Useful for almost any situation we might be finding challenging or frustrating.
If you think these would be helpful on a fridge magnet or a small desk sign, let me know. Click yes or no here. If fifty or more people say yes, I will get them made.
1. What is one small part of this I can move forward today?
2. If I looked back on today from tomorrow, what would I be glad I did first?
3. If one of my children, or someone I care about deeply, was in this situation, what would I hope they do this week?
The neuroscience of reframing
Reframing is not positive thinking. It is a neural strategy that helps the brain interpret a situation in a more accurate and balanced way.
Reframing calms the threat system: lower cortisol, reduced anxiety, steadier emotions.
Reframing strengthens the prefrontal cortex: clearer thinking, better problem solving, less rumination.
Reframing updates our internal story: more motivation, more resilience, more balanced self talk.
Reframing helped me find direction when my long term relationship ended.
It helped me support one of my children when they were sad and low.
It reminded me this week that we can think about things too much and sometimes we just need to leave things for a few days to get perspective.
A small reminder for the days ahead
This post was partly inspired by a mini interview with Sophie Kinsella here, who sadly died this week; We are often dazzled by big occasions, yet it is the small everyday moments that shape our lives.
So over the holidays, try to find a few of those small moments for you.
In between the jobs. The people. The places. A tiny moment to pause. A moment to see the bigger picture. A moment to remember what matters most to you.
You are a good person, doing your best. That’s enough.
“It is in moments of silence that we find what we had forgotten to look for.”
- Marcel Proust
Need a hand? Feel alone? Don’t wait, contact someone today. You deserve support as much as anyone else. You are not alone. Reply to this message if that’s easiest.
Text Shout - 85258 - simple support via text, I used when I wasn’t sure who to turn to
Call Samaritans 116 123 - no problem too small, I’ve used a couple of times, once during a relationship break up, once when one of my family said they were suicidal and I wasn’t sure who to ask for help
NHS Every Mind Matters - simple and effective resources you can access immediately here