Positive Psychology Spring 2020

Journal: W hat does resiliency mean to you and why is it important to be resilient? Write about a time you or someone you know displayed resiliency. Resilient: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness Resilience in positive psychology refers to the ability to cope with whatever life throws at you ... A resilient person works through challenges by using personal resources, strengths and other positive capacities of psychological capital like hope, optimism, and self-efficacy. This model shows what resiliency looks like. People who are resilient have a healthy understanding of the meaning of life, positive emotions, social support, coping, and physical well-being. Look at this model and determine in which area(s) you could be stronger.   Watch: The Three Secrets of Resilient People/Ted Talk The Three Secrets of Resilient People Answer the following questions: What are the three secrets (strategies) of resilient people? How can you incorpo...

In this time of uncertainty ...  Look for the Good Ok, let's go back to your strengths. Pull out the paper from the beginning of the semester that showed your VIA strengths.  Do this now! When times are tough, character strengths continue to shine. Choose to see the love, kindness, teamwork, and bravery around you. Focusing on your greatest qualities, and those of others, can help you feel more in control and centered during major life changes.  You can do this by actively looking for strengths in your daily life.   There is no doubt that you are using your strengths in brand new ways. Think about how you have used creativity, prudence, judgment, and hope in the past few days. Now, continue to explore this! Research shows that using your strengths in new ways can increase happiness and boost depression. Pause -- Look at your top five strengths. Think about how you have used them during the past month or so, especially how they relate to the...

Warm-up Journal: Write about a time when you forgave someone or someone forgave you? Describe what happened and how you felt.  What is Forgiveness? Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, and overcomes negative emotions such as resentment and vengeance. Forgiveness is the release of resentment or anger. Forgiveness doesn't mean reconciliation. One doesn't have to return to the same relationship or accept the same harmful behaviors from an offender.   Forgiveness is vitally important for the mental health of those who have been victimized. It propels people forward rather than keeping them emotionally engaged in an injustice or trauma.  Forgiveness has been shown to elevate mood, enhance optimism, and guard against anger, stress, anxiety, and depression. Carrying the  hurt or anger of an offense leads the body to release stress hormones such as adrenaline and ...

Journal: What is anxiety? Are you an anxious person and what are you anxious about? Listen to the following news clip.  Write down the four "M's" in conquering anxiety and how can you implement each one in your life. E-mail your responses to me in MLA format.  https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/reducing-anxiety-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-psychiatrist-shares-tips-80626245971 What is anxiety? It is a normal part of life to experience occasional anxiety. But you may experience anxiety that is persistent, seemingly uncontrollable, and overwhelming. If it's an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it can be disabling. When anxiety interferes with daily activities, you may have an anxiety disorder. How to Cope with Anxiety? https://www.ted.com/talks/olivia_remes_how_to_cope_with_anxiety?language=en What are the three coping mechanisms that Remes talks about? Name the coping mechanisms and elaborate on each one. Type and e-mail your responses to me. W...

Gen Z https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7SO6SA0UE Journal: How do you connect with your friends? And do you really connect? What does it mean to you to connect with someone? With coronavirus increasing, there is a need for increased social distancing.  What is social distancing? Social distancing refers to a public-health protection measure meant to reduce and slow transmission of disease. Currently, social distancing is neither required nor enforced in the United States, though  sick people are expected to self-quarantine  and seek medical help. But as a  recent Vox graph  shows, protective measures like self-quarantine and canceled events can vastly reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, and experts say it’s one of the best public-health measures we have .  So what does social distancing look like? (Can you still have friends over? Can you go to the gym?) We got in touch with Lori Uscher-Pines, a senior health-policy researcher at the RAND ...

Journal: What are you passionate about? Read "What's Your Passion?" online. The handout is missing one paragraph. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201706/whats-your-passion See last paragraph in "What's Your Passion" article about John Muir. Tips for finding your life passion: Think about when you felt or feel happiest. Think about an activity you love doing. Think or write about your values. Think about what drives your decisions. Do a self-assessment and identify your strengths. Think about what you are going to major in in college and ask yourself, "Am I really passionate about it?" Think about subjects you love to talk about. Think about what you've always dreamed of doing. Examples of Passions: Being true to myself. Empowering or helping others find their passion Being confident in my own judgment & decisions. Reading, golfing, going to movies, traveling, gardening Learning so...

Welcome back Journal -- Write what you know about mindfulness. What is it? Do you use it? How do you use it? What are the benefits of mindfulness? These are all questions that if you don't know the answers to now, you will know them before the end of class today. What is mindfulness? --  Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment, which one develops through the practice of meditation and through other training. How can mindfulness help students? Mindfulness restores a sense of calm in the classroom by helping students develop inner peace ... Some of the purported benefits of mindfulness include decreasing stress and anxiety, improving self-esteem and self-regulation, and increasing calm. So what does mindfulness look like? Mindfulness comes in all shapes and sizes.  Yoga is a form of mindfulness.  Meditation is mindfulness. Some things you can do to be more mind...