Past Sessions

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The Science of Wellbeing

Checking in With Ten Year Old You

Economic Inequity and Gender

Self Esteem, Vulnerability, and Learning to Love Ourselves

May 5, 2022: The Science of Wellbeing
Facilitated by: Nicole Pearson

Takeaways

1. Savor good moments.

I do this by sharing good moments with someone I care about, making a post, or just closing my eyes for a few seconds and thinking of how I feel and acknowledging all my senses so I can better remember this moment later.

2. Show gratitude.

I increased my ability to do this naturally by writing down three things I'm grateful for everyday for several months.

3. Random acts of kindness.

This is a big one that can give you an instant happiness boost. An easy example of one you can do is shoot someone random from an on-program team a message of encouragement and support.

4. Social connection.

This can significantly impact your mood and can be as easy as a "hello!"

5. Exercise.

How I fit this into my day is by working at the gym. In between emails, calls, or projects I take a break and climb a couple routes or run a couple miles.

6. Sleep.

Nobody's happy when they're tired or hungry. Listen to your body.

7. Meditation.

Focusing and not allowing your mind to wander for even just a few minutes everyday can significantly improve how you focus on moments in your life.

Empowering

The Science of Well-Being

www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being/home/welcome

April 7, 2022: Checking in With Ten-Year-Old You
Facilitated by: Siobhan MacRae

Ahead of our connection on April 7, I want to set a little bit of "homework". I'd like each of us to compose a letter to our 10-year-old selves. This can be something you keep completely to yourself or something you might feel like sharing in full next week or highlighting some particularly poignant parts. You might just want to discuss how the process was for you or simply tune in to listen to others.

Questions/ Prompts for Reflection:

Consider the challenges you've overcome, the goodbye's and the hello's, the wins and the losses, all the ways you've built strength and resilience and the anxieties, worries and phobias it's only natural to pick up as we navigate life.
Has there been any distinctive turning points in your life?
Have you found a person, place or activity which anchors and grounds you?
Consider the expectations and hopes and dreams 10-year-old you had. Are you still aligned with those? Have you achieved any? Or did you learn more about the world and how you'd like to take part that changed your mind about which direction to take?
If you could give your 10-year-old-self a protective shield, whether it's words they can say or an action they can take to stand up for themselves or to avoid a particular situation, at what point would you tell them to have it ready?
Would you tell your 10-year-old self that everyone faces hurdles but that some, particularly because of how the world responds to their gender, are higher and more daunting than others? What advice would you give yourself to prepare for getting over, through or around these and handling getting stuck at any in front of an audience?
10-year-old you doesn't know bias or marginalization and their classmates view each other on the same level. Would you tell them anything about how that may have changed?
If you could give your 10-year-old self three key pieces of advice, what would they be?