Well-Being Check-In
Looking for ways to increase your well-being?
Listed here are activities backed by positive psychology to improve your life. Each one is accompanied by a mini-lesson in different aspects of positive psychology such as synchronicity, gratitude, and more!
Take some time to explore these activities and stay curious about the positive effects they have on your life.
Vision Board
- A term coined by Carl Jung, synchronicity is a meaningful coincidence in your life and dreams.
- This happens when something you want lines up with something you need.
- Ex. You think of a friend and out of the blue, they text you.
- Ex. You pull into a crowded parking lot and a spot in the front opens up.
- Increasing synchronicity can be done by keeping an open mind. Write down small experiences and you will more readily notice other instances.
- Gather some magazines or paper advertisements that come in the mail. (It is important to use random resources to utilize life’s synchronicity.)
- Get some scissors.
- Cut out words and images that you like. DO NOT think too much. Let your instincts guide you.
- You can arrange the images and words on a piece of paper or a poster board. (My positive psychology professor chose to put hers in a plastic bag to be able to carry with her. This worked out because she ended up finding something she wanted on the backside of one of her images!)
Tips for Use:
- Put your vision board in a place where you will see it. I kept my
images in a plastic bag next to my bed and also took them with me
to show people. - Tell people about your vision board.
- If you are thinking about the things you want, you will start to notice
when they show up. - If you tell people what you like, it will create synchronicity. For example, if people know you like cookies, they will start bringing them to you.
Savoring Journal
Mini-Lesson: Positive Emotions
- These are not just the opposite of negative emotions.
- They broaden your mind, view, and attention.
- They improve your physical, psychological, and social well-being.
- Try creating positive emotions by physically smiling, doing an activity you enjoy, or trying a relaxation technique.
- Have trouble thinking of positive emotions? Try finding a counter-emotion for each negative emotion you have and make the face you feel accompanies the positive emotion.
Activity: Savoring Journal
- Think of a positive experience that you had recently. It does not have to be a big event. It can be something simple.
- Spend 5 minutes writing down every detail you can recall (sights, sounds, smells). Only include POSITIVE
details from the experience. What did you LIKE about the experience? - Share the experience. Tell someone about your positive experience in as much positive detail as you can.
Tips:
- Savoring is different than mindfulness. You want to focus attention on the good things only.
- The goal is to prolong the feel-good energy.
- You can savor a past memory, the present moment, and you can anticipate a positive future event.
Finding Meaning
“Find your passion. Follow your passion. Your passion must come from things that fuel you from the inside.” – Randy Pausch
Mini-Lesson: Meaning
The Pleasant Life:
- Pleasures are fleeting
- “Takers” (people who take what they can get)
- Bad events decrease pleasure
The Meaningful Life:
- Meaning is enduring
- “Givers” (people who strive to give back)
- Bad events increase meaning
Which one do you want to live in?
Activity: Finding Meaning
- Imagine you have 30 days left to live.
- Write down 5 things you would STOP doing immediately.
- Write down 5 things you NEED to do before you die.
- Why are these 5 things worth your fleeting time?
- Reflect on how you can adjust some things in your life right now to make your time more meaningful.
Gratitude Letter
“When we are grateful, we affirm that a source of goodness exists in our lives.” – Robert Emmons
Mini Lesson: Gratitude
Gratitude has proven beneficial to psychological, physical, and social health. It improves positive emotions, leads to better sleep and energy, and increases altruism.
Activity: Gratitude Letter
Write a letter of gratitude to someone and share it with them. Include general things and specific details on how this person has positively contributed to your life. This only has to be roughly one page long and should include how this person’s actions have made you feel. After sharing, pay attention to how this person reacts, as well as how you feel after sharing. Reflect on your relationship with each other.