Resilience

Unit I

Journal 1: Mindful Noting

Due: 1/13

Report: Ideally, you were able to complete three mindful noting exercises this week, listening to music. Did you complete the task? What kind of music did you listen to?

Respond: Has the experience of these mindfulness exercises been positive or negative? How do they compare to any previous experiences with mindfulness?

Reason: Do the exercises seem to work for you? Is there something that might work better? 

Rethink: Do you plan to continue with mindfulness practice? Are you interested in learning more?

Journal 2: Nature 

Due: 1/20

Report: Ideally, you were able to experiment with time in nature at least three times this week, while exploring mindfulness exercises (listening to sounds in a natural environment, etc.). Did you complete the task?

Respond: In comparison with last week, was mindful listening in nature different from mindful listening to music? As we talked about timbre, texture, and time in class, what things did you hear or perceive differently?

Reason: Does spending time in nature seem to make a difference for you? What seems either attractive or unattractive about it? Do you agree with Hempton that it is important to get away from man-made "noise," or were such "noises" simply part of the environment? What kind of ideal environments can you imagine (think about the ones we created on mynoise.net)?

Rethink: Will time in nature play a role in your mindfulness practice going forward? Are you interested in exploring this further?

Journal 3: Sleep

Due: 1/27

Report: Ideally, you were able to experiment with improving your sleep at least three times this week. Did you complete the task?

Respond: How was the experience? What went well and what obstacles did you encounter? Did you notice any positive effects, or were the results disappointing?

Reason: Is there anything about the challenge that would have made it easier or potentially more impactful? How was the experience similar to or different from the mindful noting and nature exercises we have done previously?

Rethink: I expect you have probably heard the recommendation to either get more/better sleep or spend time outside before. As you continue your mindfulness practice, how do you plan to include these, or what other approaches will you explore?

Reflection 1: What Went Well and Why?

Due 2/3

Report: Ideally, you were able to identify things that went well over the last four weeks and connect them with your strengths. Did you complete the task?

Respond: Do you normally take time to celebrate your successes (even the seemingly insignificant?) How did it feel to keep a record this week?

Reason: Does tracking your successes create a false sense of accomplishment? Did you find yourself tracking the things that didn’t go well as much as you had normally? Did you discover any strengths that you hadn't noticed or acknowledged? What other thoughts come to mind?

Rethink: Is this a worthwhile practice to continue? If so, how might you incorporate it into your routine? Do you have a network of support (people who help you build confidence) and a network of challenge (people who can offer constructive criticism)? Where might you find people for these networks?

Unit II

Journal 4: Exercise

Due 2/10

Report: Ideally, you were able to experiment with exercise at least three times this week. Did you complete the task? Did you incorporate music?

Respond: The prompt began by asserting that, "regular exercise improves physical health, focus, memory, productivity, and mood." What was your experience during the week?

Reason: How did your experiences with (self-directed) exercise involve or enhance your creativity? While it might seem a little grandiose, what did you learn about yourself this week?

Rethink: Should exercise and/or dancing be a part of your week going forward? What would be your hopes for the results? 

Journal 5: Self-Talk

Due 2/17

Report: Ideally, you were able to experiment with positive self-talk at least three times this week. Did you complete the task? 

Respond: What experience have you had with this sort of journaling in the past? After the initial awkwardness, what kinds of things emerged? Was the writing easy or difficult?

Reason: This week's discussions concerned developing confidence through listening to and finding out about more about music. How dies this exercise promote the development of confidence ? How might you incorporate music into positive self-talk directly (or vice versa)? What is the value of "talking to yourself," anyway?

Rethink: Finding even ten minutes can be a struggle; would it be worthwhile to set aside the time in the midst of everything else, or is there a way to incorporate positive self-talk in a more practical context? What might this look like? Is it necessary to write?

Unit III

Reflection 2: What Went Well and Why

Due: 3/23

Report: Ideally, you were able to track things that have gone well for you in this course at least three times this week. Did you complete the task?  

Respond: How easy or difficult was it to think of positive experiences? How have you been doing overall in the last three weeks?

Reason: How have you grown as a person since the beginning of the semester? Have there been any defining moments, or a gradual series of small things? Which experiences have made you a better person and which were simply trials?

Rethink: What do you expect to go well in the coming weeks? What resources/tools might you need to help them come out well?

Teamwork Assessment

Due: 3/23

Report: On a 10 pt. scale (with 10 being "Outstanding"), how would you rate your teamwork experience over the last three weeks? What factors contributed most to your answer?

Respond: While the individual assignments were important, their actual purpose was the teamwork itself: if the most important grading criterion was to create an environment where everyone felt they were valued and would be taken seriously, what would your grade be?

Reason: What were some things that you did, or could have done, in order to have improved the teamwork experience for everyone?

Rethink: While group projects are very frequently poorly designed, teamwork consistently appears on lists of job skills employers expect. How might you build these skills in spite of the limitations of the group projects you will be assigned in the coming years?

Unit IV

Journal 8: Mini-Goal

Due: 4/6

Report: Ideally, you were able to set and achieve a small goal this week: did you complete the task? How did your group check up on each other for accountability?

React: Achieving a goal is an assertion of autonomy; how did taking control, even of a small matter impact your sense of well-being? (or did it?)

Reason: Has productivity become an end in itself, rather than a means to an end ("more busy = more status")? In this context, how do you negotiate the path between goal setting that in empowering (assertion of autonomy) and goal setting that is potentially toxic (one more thing to fail at)?

Rethink: In the last two weeks you have identified priorities, made plans for time/energy management, etc. What new insights do you have for what all this means and what it doesn't?

Journal 9: Mental Diet

Due: 4/13

Report: Ideally, you were able to go on a mental diet and track the results three times this week: did you complete the task?

React: Media just "is," is isn’t inherently good or bad. What did you find out about the way you (personally) consume media? 

Reason: How does the media you consume help you to achieve your goals, or recharge after a tiring day (or week)?

Rethink: We often think in terms of "getting ready" for professional life, but there's no getting ready: our lives are already in progress. How do you want to spend your time?

Journal 10: Best Possible Future

Due: 4/20

Report: Ideally, you were able to spend three sessions visualizing your Best Possible Future. If you were not in class, did you complete the exercise on your own? Did you continue thinking and imagining the Best Possible Future outside of class? 

Respond: What was it like to visit your future self? What surprised you?

Reason: What insights or realizations (if any) did you have? Did your future seem plausible, or did it take a while to get to something realistic? Is it worthwhile to envision a future when life itself is unpredictable?

Rethink: How might it be useful to have a potential future "in view," as it were? How would this affect the way you live your life now?