Mindfulness and Happiness

Quotes:

“Open your eyes and be surprised that you have eyes to open!”

“This day, right now, is unique.”

“Open your eyes, look at that.”

“Flip a switch and there is electric light”

“drinkable water, a gift”

“Open your heart to all of these blessings”

“That everyone that you meet this day will be blessed by you.”

Take Aways:

ü  Take time to look out the window of my class with my kids to see beauty.

ü  Take time to go on hikes if possible and model enjoying nature.

ü  Take time to listen to birds.

Take time to see the beauty in a flower...study it. It's O.K. to take time with these things!

TED Ideas worth spreading

Money CAN Buy Happiness...what?! How you spend money actually affects your present levels of happiness. Apparently spending money on others raises your happiness levels while spending on yourself doesn't actually do anything for your happiness. Crazy!

Take Away:

Think of ways to give as a class. The dodgeball teams which participated in this study actually did better within their league!! My class could excel more if we could give to each other.

ü  Write thank you notes to each other.

ü  Use class bucks to buy items for each other.

Spend time working on each other's projects.

Thank You Note Project

Write a thank you note to at least one person every day this week. This must be handwritten.  At the completion of the campaign, reflect upon

1. those selected for this honor. 

The people chosen were people from work, my landlady, my pastor and his wife, a friend.

2.Were there entries that surprised you?

It surprised me that there was so much I was thankful for that I don’t think to write down. It felt a little weird writing it down, actually. Then I thought, “The person getting these will probably really appreciate the thought.”

3. Was there a pattern to the selection and reasons for writing the notes? 

I just moved this year…the pattern I noticed was that I wrote mostly to people who welcomed me into town and kept making sure I was ok.

4. Could you think of a different person every day of the year?

I could. It might be hard, but I think it’d be totally worth it. And also it would make me enjoy the things they’ve blessed me with more fully.

5. What do you think about this exercise as a means of building resiliency?

It has power. It has power to change that bad feelings, thoughts…energy if you will…into something positive.

6. What if you did this for a year--what impact do you think it would have if any?

It would make me more mindful, more appreciative of people in my life. I think it might make me see the good in people quicker, too. I’d be looking for it even more. I might not get irritated as quickly because I would be in the mindset of being thankful rather than the mindset of finding something to complain about or be upset with.

7.  Last but not least, HOW would this transfer over to a classroom?  How could you teach similar content to students?

I can tell you what we do already. My kids wrote to people in the school they appreciate. I told them to write to somebody who, when you think about it, you would really miss if they were never here. What do they do for you? Write and thank them. The kids loved in general and the recipients sure did too! I think it makes the kids more grateful for what they have. It makes them look for the good and appreciate it.

Thich Nhat Hanh

This is a link.

This man speaks peacefully and thoughtfully of meditation and breathing to attain peace. He embodies Buddah's words, "I'm awake".

Breathing, he claims, brings the spirit back to itself. It centers you. Breath properly to live properly...to be fully alive and awake.

Create something beautiful.  

1. What was it like for you to do this exercise?--what connection do you make with the study of mindfulness (if any).  

A lot! This project is in the genre known as “Zentangle”. It takes time. Time doing the same thing over and over. For example, the bottom left hand corner patter is tiny blocks patterned relatively intricately. That took time and while I’m counting and coloring, I think. I think and am aware of a small space. The spiral didn’t take a lot of thought, but it was fun! I graduated the sizes of ‘pearls’ and took great joy as it shaped into a pleasing design. Other people looked at it too, and so enjoyed it. During the whole project, I just concentrated on this small, yet beautiful thing. It did take a while, as my tiny little black pen scratched over every part of that design, but it was time spent in concentrating on something beautiful that I could do.

2. How do you use this as an intervention that will have an impact on your class?

My kids, most of them, LOVE projects such as this. They can focus their attention on something manageable, doable and enjoyable to others. I foresee using this more during this coming year. I’d like to design a huge poster with spaces for each student to create designs in. They will work as a group to create a project of beauty together. That encourages community and team feelings.  Awesome!

3. Imagine you are a teaching coach and want to introduce mindfulness school wide--what would you explore with your adult colleagues and what kinds of change would you anticipate happening (if implemented) after a semester? 

I would explore organic curiosity first. A child has organic curiosity. They look with wonder on everything. My niece delightedly showed me a ladybug on Sunday. That’s cool! Ladybugs are beautiful! Their wings, their shiny, red wing covers, and even their tiny eyes. Yes, I would explore serene, quiet, excited, passionate curiosity to help them to see everything, to observe. The video with the older man and child stated, “Open your heart to all of the blessings.” We learn to do that and we treat colleagues and students better. We feel gratitude. We are mindful of the joy in life. We are mindful of our impact on the joy and peace of others’.  

I like the idea of creating something that encourages community and team feelings.  This would be a great project-I hope you get to it next year!  Organic curiousity-WOW!

What an amazing piece of art!  Thanks for sharing it with me! 

Sources:

Michael Norton: How to buy happiness. (2011, November 1). [Video File]. Retrieved July 10, 2015.

TEDx Talks. (2011, June 11). [Video File] “Gratitude | Louie Schwartzberg | TEDxSF”. Retrieved July 7, 2015.