booklet - bite back
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IntroductionWelcome to the BITE BACK Mental Fitness Challenge booklet.
NOTE: This booklet is only needed if you’re having trouble accessing the online version of the BITE BACK Mental Fitness Challenge. This booklet is supported by the BITE BACK Mental Fitness Challenge Workbook available from the Youth Educator page of Bite Back at www.biteback.org.au/youtheducators/home
After reading each section of this booklet, complete the activities for that week in your Mental Fitness Challenge workbook. This will help you increase your understanding of how you can build your mental fitness.
We hope you’re feeling ready to learn how to build your mental fitness.
So, let’s get started!
| 4
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is the positive feeling you get when you stop to notice and appreciate things in your life.
A feeling? Well, yes. Gratitude is not just saying the words ‘thank you’; it’s actually all about the positive feeling that comes with being grateful.
So, there’s a deeper reason why you grew up being told to say “thank you” for almost everything. And it’s not just to have manners - it’s all about habits. If you get into the habit of noticing the things to be grateful for in your life, you’ll begin to see more of the brighter side.
Whether it’s something small like a nice sunny day, or something bigger like going on a holiday – the more you appreciate the good, the more you will start to see and feel the good.
What are the benefits ?
Apart from the obvious positive and wonderful feelings you’ll get from experiencing gratitude, experts have found that it can also improve your overall happiness. So, those feelings aren’t just for the warm and fuzzy effect – they’re much more powerful than you might think.
When you tap into those positive feelings of gratitude, you can use them to help you become closer with friends and family, lower any negative emotions such as anxiety, and fight off the black dog (depression). You will also find it easier to bounce back from difficult moments, and have space to enjoy the important stuff in life.
WEEK ONE - GRATITUDEThankfulness . Gratitude. No doubt you’ve heard it before. Probably because it’s kind of a big deal in the psychology world.
How to build gratitude
It’s great to know about all the benefits of practising gratitude, but unless you find a way to build it into your everyday life, it will probably just find its way onto your list of ‘things-you-know-you-should-do-but-really–never-get-around-to-doing’.
The trick to becoming more grateful is simply to pay attention to the big AND little things in your life you can be grateful for. It could be a funny moment, hearing your favourite song, a cool breeze or a delicious snack! You might even realise there are more things in your life to be grateful for than you think
Gratitude journal One of the easiest ways you can start making a habit of being grateful is by simply writing down a few things a week that you are grateful for.
If you’re stuck on ideas on what you could put in your gratitude journal, here’s a tip: don’t overthink it! Remember – you can even be grateful for the smaller things like:
- The sun on your face- Warm water on your back in the shower- The comfort and joy from being around your pet
Create a Thank You blog Share the gratitude love! Make your own space online where you can share what you are grateful for.
Take some grateful photos If you’re not into writing, maybe you could just take a photo each day of something you appreciate. Hailey Bartholomew from the 365 Project , took a photo a day for a whole year and began to notice many things in her everyday life that she otherwise would have missed.
| 6
Tell someone! It’s a crazy thought, we know. But if you’re grateful for someone, tell them! There is nothing better than being appreciated or even just hearing positive thoughts from someone you know. And when you are generous with what you say to others, it can actually make you feel happier too. And don’t worry, if you can’t actually reach the person you want to –then you can always write a letter and not send it!
Write a letter of gratitude to yourself Sometimes it’s easier to be grateful for the things around us, but don’t forget to be grateful for yourself. What are you proud of? Recognising your strengths and appreciating the small things can really help with your overall happiness.
Be creative Draw a picture, paint, make a gratitude vision board, make a box of things that you are grateful for or write a poem - the possibilities are endless. But if you’re the type of person who finds creating things relaxing, then this might be for you!
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is about being in the moment, in the now. Being fully present. It’s a way of paying attention and being aware of what’s taking place right now, as opposed to getting caught up thinking about the past or the future.
Let’s take a deeper look:
Mindfulness is intentional.
This means that you’re TRYING – and hopefully succeeding – to be mindful. To focus on what’s happening to you in that very moment. Being aware of the internal (your thoughts) and the external (sights, smells and sounds). Mindfulness is about being open-minded
Don’t question things, don’t judge those around you, don’t analyse your thoughts. Just be.
Mindfulness – what have you done for me lately?
There are untold benefits to mindfulness. And we’re about to tell you all about it.
Practising mindfulness gives you a clearer head and trains your brain to slow down. And it’s a great way to deal with school stress.
Not only are you calmer and more able to process what’s happening around you, but you also get to fully immerse yourself in all the things that happen in day-to-day life.
WEEK TWO - MINDFULNESS
| 8
Mindfulness actually shifts the way your brain and nervous system functions- in a good way! When you practise mindfulness you go into a regenerative phase that relaxes your body and uses less energy so that you can heal, rest and restore yourself. This gives your body and mind a chance to cope with whatever is going on around you.
How to build mindfulness through practise
When you’re starting out, mindfulness can be hard. But the key to success is practise, practise, practise (do I sound like an old piano teacher?). Because the more you do it the better you get.
Here are 2 great ways to build a life that includes mindfulness:
• Just breathe - take a couple of minutes and focus on your breathing. Likemeditation. If you get distracted or your mind wanders off, that’s ok, it happensto all of us. Just bring your attention back to your breath.
• Savour the moment – stop. Look around. Take time to savour the momentand appreciate everything around you. It might be the great meal you’re havingor the beautiful scenery. It might even be a pair of limited edition Nikes. That’sfine too.
What are connections?
In psychology, connections are considered one of the most important things in life.
We’re talking about relationships or friendships with anyone around you. Family, friends, partners, teachers, even your coach.
3’s good companyWe’re going to say it upfront: you don’t need hundreds of friends to feel happy. It’s about quality, not quantity.Psychologists suggest that if you have at least 3 friends or family members that are REAL connections, then you have a solid foundation to build happiness.How Connections can help youThere are so many benefits to having good connections that we don’t know where to begin. But begin we must, as you’ve ended up here wanting to read some good stuff!
So here we go. Connections with others will:
Make you feel goodPretty simple right? Sharing what’s going on in your life with others makes all the difference and nothing feels better than getting along really well with friends and family.
Reveal the secret of how to be happyEver wondered how to be happy? Get connected! That’s right, research has shown time and time again that those with great friendships and relationships lead happy lives. Oh, and guess what? The happier you are, the more likely you are to attract more quality connections!
WEEK THREE - CONNECTIONSAs human beings we need connection. By connection, we mean relationships with others. Having solid and dependable relationships with others is vital to your overall wellbeing. Good connections with others can help you learn how to deal with school stress, help you lift low self-esteem and bring on a flood of positive thoughts.
| 10
Provide solid supportYour connection with others can be the support you need in life to get over the hurdles that will undoubtedly come your way. And that support can come in many forms – from giving you a lift to school, to just listening and offering advice.
Increase your wellbeingConnecting with others is great for our mental health. Psychologists have found that they give us meaning and can help when it comes to depression and anxiety.
Show you the love!It is with our personal connections that we experience the greatest feeling of happiness, the emotion known as LOVE. All we need is love, right?
How you build connections
You probably know this already, but creating or keeping good relationships requires effort. Right?
Here are a few tips to building or maintaining great connections:Let them hear your positive thoughtsIf you’re feeling something positive about your friend or family member…tell them! Say thank you out loud. Do you love them? Shout it from the rooftops (unless after 11pm – you gotta be considerate, right?). Research shows this improves relationships tenfold. So, let them hear the good stuff…it works wonders.
It’s about time.We’ll explain. Relationships simply don’t work if you don’t make the time. So, connect often, create an activity outside of school to do together.
Play (and fight) nicely.Disagreements, or fights, are inevitable. They’ll happen now and then. But fight nicely. That means try and stay calm and listen to their side of things too. If you must agree to disagree that’s fine too. Just do so and then move on. Holding grudges can ruin connections, bring on anxiety and leave you feeling sad.
What are strengths?
Strengths are an important part of your personality and who you are in general. Now, don’t be mistaken. We’re not talking about talents. Text messaging at the speed of light isn’t a strength (not in this regard anyway). Strengths are what come naturally to us - they’re part of who we are.
What are the benefits of knowing and using your strengths?
Want to know how to be happy? How to build confidence? What to do when feeling sad? Identifying what your strengths are, and then using them, is a great way to help boost your happiness, increase self-confidence and succeed at whatever you choose to do.
When you focus on your strengths you’re more likely to be more motivated, capable, and up for life’s challenges. You’re also more likely to experience flow - that feeling of being at your best, being on a roll - because activities that give you flow are usually those in which you are using some of your top strengths.
The combination of all these things means that using your strengths helps boosts your wellbeing, happiness and success.
How to build your strengths
The first step is to identify your top strengths. The best way to build your strengths is to use them every day. Simple! Because when you’re using your strengths, you’re at your best – full of confidence and positivity.
So find your strengths from the list on the next pages, along with various ideas on how to use them (and some inspiration suggestions too!).
WEEK 4 - CHARACTER STRENGTHSPsychologists have found that every single one of us has certain strengths. In fact, they identified 24 strengths that we all have to varying degrees. We’ll be checking those out in the next section (How to build your strengths).
| 12
Stre
ngth
Exp
lana
tion
Tips
to
build
Cre
ativ
ity/
na
lity
You
are
grea
t at
th
inki
ng o
f ne
w a
nd
crea
tive
way
s of
doi
ng
thin
gs o
r so
lvin
g pr
ob-
lem
s.
•C
reat
e a
draw
ing,
pai
ntin
g, p
hoto
grap
h or
sho
rt f
ilm; o
r ge
t in
volv
ed in
the
scho
ol p
erfo
rman
ce.
•M
ake
a ca
rd fo
r a
frie
nd.
• Th
ink
of n
ew, c
reat
ive
way
s to
sol
ve p
robl
ems.
Cur
iosi
tyYo
u ar
e in
tere
sted
in
and
curio
us a
bout
the
w
orld
and
love
new
ex-
perie
nces
. You
are
in-
tere
sted
in a
nd c
urio
us
abou
t th
e w
orld
and
lo
ve n
ew e
xper
ienc
es.
• Tr
y a
new
food
you
’ve
neve
r ha
d be
fore
.•
Are
any
of
your
frie
nds
from
a d
iffer
ent
cult
ure?
Ask
the
m a
bout
it.
•Re
ad a
boo
k or
mag
azin
es o
n a
new
top
ic t
hat
inte
rest
s yo
u•
Goo
gle
som
ethi
ng y
ou’v
e al
way
s w
ante
d to
kno
w a
bout
.•
Wat
ch a
mov
ie y
ou w
ould
n’t
norm
ally
see
.
Ope
n-m
inde
d-ne
ss/
C
ritic
al t
hink
ing
You
thin
k th
ings
th
roug
h an
d ex
amin
e is
sues
fro
m a
ll an
gles
be
fore
mak
ing
any
deci
sion
s.
• Th
ink
abou
t a
stro
ng o
pini
on t
hat
you
have
fro
m a
diff
eren
t po
int
ofvi
ew; w
hat
is t
he o
ppos
ing
argu
men
t?•
Talk
to
som
eone
who
fol
low
s a
diff
eren
t re
ligio
n or
cul
ture
, has
diff
eren
tta
ste,
or
diff
eren
t vi
ewpo
int
to y
ou. R
eally
list
en a
nd t
ry t
o un
ders
tand
whe
re t
hey’
re c
omin
g fr
om.
• Th
ink
abou
t th
e la
st t
hing
you
did
tha
t yo
u w
eren
’t c
ompl
etel
y ha
ppy
wit
h. B
rain
stor
m b
ette
r id
eas
for t
he f
utur
e.
Love
of
Lear
ning
You
love
lear
ning
ne
w t
hing
s an
d be
ing
know
n fo
r the
kno
wl-
edge
you
hav
e.
•Le
arn
and
use
a ne
w w
ord
ever
y da
y•
Read
a n
ew b
ook.
•Fo
llow
a g
loba
l eve
nt t
hrou
gh T
V, n
ewsp
aper
s or
the
Inte
rnet
•Re
sear
ch a
top
ic o
n go
ogle
sch
olar
.
Pers
pect
ive
and
Wis
dom
You
have
a m
atur
e w
ay o
f lo
okin
g at
the
w
orld
tha
t m
akes
se
nse,
so
you
can
give
ot
her
peop
le g
ood
advi
ce.
• Tr
y to
reso
lve
an a
rgum
ent
or d
isag
reem
ent
you
are
or h
ave
been
in.
• Th
ink
abou
t w
hat
mot
ivat
es y
ou t
o m
ake
the
deci
sion
s yo
u m
ake.
•G
ive
advi
ce (
if s
omeo
ne a
sks
for
it!).
Hon
esty
/ In
teg-
rity
You
are
hone
st. Y
ou
spea
k th
e tr
uth
and
live
your
life
in a
gen
u-in
e w
ay.
•C
atch
you
rsel
f te
lling
a li
e; e
ven
it’s
a s
mal
l one
. Try
to
stop
you
rsel
ffr
om t
ellin
g sm
all,
whi
te li
es t
o fr
iend
s an
d fa
mily
. Mak
e yo
ur li
st o
f lie
ssh
orte
r ev
ery
day.
• Tr
y no
t to
get
sw
ept
up in
pee
r pr
essu
re w
hen
mak
ing
deci
sion
s.•
Mea
n w
hat
you
say!
Try
to
act
in a
way
tha
t re
flec
ts w
hat
you
say.
Bra
very
You
are
stro
ng a
nd
cour
ageo
us e
noug
h to
de
al w
ith
chal
leng
es
and
take
on
diff
icul
t si
tuat
ions
.
•S
peak
up.
•D
o so
met
hing
tha
t pu
shes
you
out
side
of
your
com
fort
zon
e. If
you
’resc
ared
, giv
e it
a s
hot!
•D
on’t
be
afra
id t
o be
com
e fr
iend
s w
ith
som
eone
who
mig
ht b
e a
bit
diff
eren
t.
Pers
iste
nce
You
fini
sh w
hat
you
star
t. Y
ou w
ill w
ork
tow
ards
goa
ls d
espi
te
the
chal
leng
es t
hat
you
mig
ht fa
ce a
long
th
e w
ay.
•M
ake
a lis
t of
thi
ngs
to d
o an
d do
one
thi
ng o
n th
e lis
t ea
ch d
ay.
•C
ompl
ete
all y
our
hom
ewor
k w
itho
ut a
ny in
terr
upti
ons
– no
pho
ne c
alls
,no
em
ails
, no
Face
book
, no
chat
, no
snac
ks.
•Pl
ant
som
e pl
ants
or v
eget
able
s. T
end
them
so
that
the
y gr
ow.
•W
rite
dow
n so
me
of y
our
goal
s an
d pl
ans
and
put
them
up
arou
nd y
our
room
so
that
the
y ca
n in
spire
you
eac
h da
y.
Zest
You’
re e
nerg
etic
and
pa
ssio
nate
abo
ut li
fe.
You
thro
w y
ours
elf
into
eve
ryth
ing
you
do.
• Th
ink
of w
ays
to f
ind
an a
ssig
nmen
t ex
citi
ng a
nd e
ngag
ing.
• D
o rig
orou
s ph
ysic
al a
ctiv
ity
that
you
’ve
alw
ays
wan
ted
to d
o –
bike
rid
ing,
hik
ing,
run
ning
, sin
ging
, dan
cing
.•
Invi
te f
riend
s ov
er, w
atch
a c
omed
y an
d ha
ve a
goo
d la
ugh.
•C
eleb
rate
you
r ne
xt a
ccom
plis
hmen
t!
| 14
Kin
dnes
sYo
u ar
e ki
nd a
nd g
en-
erou
s an
d w
ill g
o ou
t of
you
r way
to
do n
ice
thin
gs f
or o
ther
s.
•D
o th
ree
rand
om a
cts
of k
indn
ess
each
wee
k; s
ecre
tly
do s
omet
hing
nic
efo
r a
fam
ily m
embe
r, a
frie
nd, o
r ev
en a
str
ange
r.•
Vis
it s
omeo
ne y
ou k
now
who
is in
hos
pita
l or
in a
nur
sing
hom
e. B
ring
them
som
ethi
ng t
hey’
ll en
joy
– fl
ower
s, m
usic
, foo
d or
boo
ks•
Sha
re•
Don
ate
your
tim
e as
a v
olun
teer
or
star
t a
proj
ect
of y
our
own
to d
ora
ndom
act
s of
kin
dnes
s.
Love
You
valu
e lo
ve a
nd
clos
e re
lati
onsh
ips.
Yo
u lo
ve o
ther
s an
d th
ey lo
ve y
ou.
•A
ccep
t a
com
plim
ent
wit
hout
squ
irmin
g. J
ust
say
“tha
nk y
ou”.
•W
rite
a no
te t
o so
meo
ne y
ou lo
ve a
nd le
ave
it fo
r the
m t
o fi
nd.
•D
o so
met
hing
wit
h yo
ur b
est
frie
nd t
hat
they
real
ly lo
ve d
oing
.•
Tell
your
fam
ily a
nd b
est
frie
nds
how
muc
h yo
u lo
ve t
hem
. Fin
d di
ffer
ent
way
s to
sho
w t
hem
.
Soc
ial
Inte
llige
nce
You
have
a g
ood
unde
rsta
ndin
g of
yo
urse
lf a
nd o
f ot
her
peop
le. Y
ou h
ave
good
in
sigh
t in
to y
our
own
mot
ives
and
moo
ds
and
can
judg
e th
e m
otiv
es a
nd m
oods
of
othe
rs.
•If
som
eone
new
join
s yo
ur s
choo
l or
club
, mak
e hi
m o
r he
r fee
l com
fort
-ab
le in
you
r gr
oup.
•W
hen
som
eone
ann
oys
you,
try
to
unde
rsta
nd w
hy h
e or
she
is d
oing
wha
t th
ey’re
doi
ng.
•N
otic
e w
hen
frie
nds
do s
omet
hing
tha
t is
diff
icul
t fo
r the
m a
nd c
ompl
i-m
ent
them
for
it.
Fairn
ess
You
trea
t ev
eryo
ne
equa
lly a
nd fa
irly.
•Li
sten
to
othe
r pe
ople
wit
hout
inte
rrup
ting
the
m•
Adm
it it
if y
ou’v
e m
ade
a m
ista
ke.
• Tr
y to
incl
ude
othe
r pe
ople
in g
roup
act
ivit
ies
or c
onve
rsat
ions
.•
Writ
e a
lett
er t
o th
e ed
itor
of
a ne
wsp
aper
abo
ut a
n im
port
ant
issu
e.•
Volu
ntee
r for
an
orga
niza
tion
tha
t ca
mpa
igns
for
hum
an r
ight
s.•
Stan
d up
for
som
eone
who
is b
eing
tre
ated
unf
airly
.
Lead
ersh
ipYo
u ha
ve v
isio
n an
d ar
e go
od a
t m
akin
g th
ings
hap
pen
by
orga
nisi
ng a
nd le
adin
g pe
ople
.
•O
rgan
ise
a ge
t to
geth
er w
ith
your
frie
nds,
or
a su
rpris
e pa
rty
for
afr
iend
.•
Go
out
of y
our w
ay t
o m
ake
a ne
w s
tude
nt fe
el w
elco
me
at s
choo
l.•
Lead
an
acti
vity
, ass
ignm
ent
or p
roje
ct a
t sc
hool
, see
king
hel
p fr
omot
her
grou
p m
embe
rs. E
ncou
rage
peo
ple
who
don
’t u
sual
ly s
peak
up
tosh
are
thei
r op
inio
ns.
Team
wor
kYo
u w
ork
wel
l in
a gr
oup
or in
a t
eam
. Yo
u w
ork
hard
for t
he
good
of
the
grou
p.
•Pl
ay a
tea
m s
port
.•
Wor
k on
ass
ignm
ents
or
hom
ewor
k w
ith
your
frie
nds.
See
how
you
can
help
eac
h ot
her.
•St
art
a so
cial
gro
up fo
r pe
ople
wit
h th
e sa
me
inte
rest
s.
Forg
iven
ess
If y
ou a
re w
rong
ed,
you
tend
to
forg
ive
peop
le f
or m
akin
g m
ista
kes.
•Le
t go
of
a gr
udge
.•
Writ
e a
forg
iven
ess
lett
er. Y
ou d
on’t
hav
e to
sen
d it
, but
read
it t
o yo
ur-
self
eac
h da
y fo
r a
wee
k.•
If s
omeo
ne h
urts
or
upse
ts y
ou, t
ry t
o un
ders
tand
thi
ngs
from
the
ir pe
r-sp
ecti
ve, t
hen
thin
k ab
out
whe
ther
you
r re
acti
on is
hur
ting
the
m o
r you
Mod
esty
You
don’
t ne
ed t
o br
ag
abou
t yo
ur a
ccom
-pl
ishm
ents
. You
let
them
spe
ak fo
r the
m-
selv
es.
•D
on’t
tal
k ab
out
your
self
for
a w
hole
day
.•
Thin
k of
som
ethi
ng t
hat
a fr
iend
doe
s be
tter
tha
n yo
u an
d co
mpl
imen
thi
m o
r he
r on
it.
•C
once
ntra
te o
n re
ally
list
enin
g to
oth
er p
eopl
e ra
ther
tha
n ju
st w
aiti
ngfo
r you
r tur
n to
spe
ak.
•A
dmit
you
r m
ista
kes
and
apol
ogis
e to
oth
er p
eopl
e.
| 16
Prud
ence
You’
re a
car
eful
per
-so
n. Y
ou t
hink
thi
ngs
thro
ugh
and
cons
ider
al
l the
opt
ions
bef
ore
you
say
or d
o th
ings
.
• Th
ink
twic
e be
fore
say
ing
anyt
hing
. Do
this
at
leas
t 10
tim
es a
wee
k an
dno
tice
the
eff
ects
on
othe
rs.
•N
ext
tim
e yo
u ne
ed t
o m
ake
a bi
g de
cisi
on, c
onsu
lt w
ith
othe
r pe
ople
.W
eigh
up
the
pros
and
con
s.•
Vis
ualis
e th
e co
nseq
uenc
es o
f yo
ur n
ext
five
dec
isio
ns. C
onsi
der t
he im
-pa
ct e
ach
deci
sion
may
hav
e to
mor
row
, in
one
year
’s t
ime
or in
10
yea
rs’
tim
e.
Sel
f-C
ontr
olYo
u ha
ve d
isci
plin
e.
You
can
keep
you
r fe
elin
gs a
nd a
ctio
ns in
ch
eck
whe
n yo
u ne
ed
to.
•St
art
an e
xerc
ise
prog
ram
and
do
it e
very
day
for
a w
eek.
• Tr
y no
t to
gos
sip
abou
t fr
iend
s or
oth
er p
eopl
e.•
Nex
t ti
me
you
get
upse
t, t
ry t
o th
ink
real
isti
cally
abo
ut t
he s
itua
tion
.H
ave
you
over
reac
ted?
•W
hen
you
need
to
focu
s on
you
r ne
xt a
ssig
nmen
t, t
ry t
o re
mov
e an
y di
stra
ctio
ns –
pho
ne, i
nter
net,
TV,
mag
azin
es –
unt
il yo
u ge
t it
don
e. If
the
assi
gnm
ent
is re
ally
big
, bre
ak it
dow
n in
to s
mal
ler t
asks
wit
h br
eaks
inbe
twee
n.
App
reci
atio
n of
B
eaut
yYo
u no
tice
and
app
re-
ciat
e ex
celle
nce
and
the
beau
ty a
roun
d yo
u. Y
ou’re
one
of
thos
e pe
ople
who
w
ill s
top
to s
mel
l the
ro
ses!
•V
isit
a g
alle
ry.
• Ta
ke p
hoto
s of
the
bea
utif
ul t
hing
s yo
u se
e•
Stop
and
not
ice
obje
cts
of b
eaut
y –
sunr
ise,
sun
set,
clo
uds,
str
eet
art
-as
you
go
thro
ugh
your
day
.•
Dec
orat
e yo
ur ro
om. H
ang
a fa
vour
ite
pict
ure,
pai
nt t
he w
alls
, put
up
phot
os o
f yo
ur f
riend
s, o
r m
aybe
cre
ate
a sp
ace
to c
hill
out.
•Fo
r you
r ne
xt a
ssig
nmen
t, fo
cus
on p
rese
ntat
ion
as w
ell a
s co
nten
t.
Gra
titu
deYo
u no
tice
the
goo
d th
ings
tha
t ha
ppen
to
you
and
you
don’
t ta
ke
them
for
gra
nted
. You
th
ank
peop
le.
•M
ake
sure
you
say
tha
nk y
ou t
o pe
ople
thr
ough
the
day
. Ack
now
ledg
eth
e lit
tle
thin
gs t
hat
wou
ld u
sual
ly g
o un
noti
ced,
as
wel
l the
big
.•
Cre
ate
a bl
essi
ngs
jour
nal -
Bef
ore
goin
g to
bed
eac
h da
y, w
rite
dow
nth
ree
thin
gs t
hat
wen
t w
ell d
urin
g th
e da
y, o
r ch
eck
out
Than
k Ta
nk.
•W
rite
a th
ank
you
lett
er t
o so
meo
ne y
ou a
ppre
ciat
e•
Set
asi
de t
ime
each
day
to
savo
ur a
n ex
perie
nce.
For
hel
p or
idea
s, li
sten
to t
he A
mpl
ify
trac
ks o
n Po
wer
Up
•Re
min
isce
abo
ut g
ood
tim
es –
reco
gnit
ion
you
rece
ived
, an
achi
evem
ent,
prai
se, a
con
nect
ion
to s
omeo
ne.
Hop
e/O
ptim
ism
You
expe
ct t
he b
est
for t
he f
utur
e an
d yo
u pl
an t
o ac
hiev
e it
.
•W
rite
dow
n 3
goal
s an
d yo
ur p
lans
for
ach
ievi
ng t
hem
.•
Thin
k ab
out
a ti
me
in y
our
past
whe
n yo
u ov
erca
me
a di
ffic
ult
situ
atio
n.St
ore
it in
you
r m
emor
y an
d br
ing
it t
o m
ind
next
tim
e yo
u fa
ce a
har
dti
me.
If y
ou’v
e go
ne t
hrou
gh it
bef
ore,
you
kno
w y
ou c
an d
o it
aga
in.
•Li
st a
ll th
e ba
d th
ings
tha
t ha
ppen
ed t
o yo
u ov
er t
he p
ast
wee
k. N
oww
rite
dow
n th
e po
siti
ves
that
cam
e ou
t of
tho
se t
hing
s.
Hum
our/
Pl
ayfu
lnes
sYo
u lik
e to
laug
h an
d to
mak
e ot
her
peop
le
laug
h.
•M
ake
at le
ast
one
pers
on s
mile
or
laug
h ea
ch d
ay.
•W
atch
som
ethi
ng t
hat
mak
es y
ou la
ugh
out
loud
!•
Sur
roun
d yo
urse
lf w
ith
funn
y fr
iend
s.•
Rem
embe
r the
thi
ngs
you
love
d do
ing
as a
you
ng c
hild
–dr
essi
ng u
p,pl
ayin
g ga
mes
, goi
ng ic
e-sk
atin
g -
Why
not
do
them
now
? B
e pl
ayfu
l.
Spi
ritua
lity
You
have
str
ong
be-
liefs
abo
ut t
he h
ighe
r pu
rpos
e an
d m
eani
ng
of t
he u
nive
rse.
• Tr
y m
edit
atio
n. F
or h
elp,
list
en t
o so
me
Pow
er U
p tr
acks
.•
Read
a b
ook
abou
t an
asp
ect
of s
pirit
ualit
y th
at y
ou m
ight
be
curio
us
abou
t.•
Get
to
know
peo
ple
of d
iffer
ent
relig
ions
| 18
What’s the meaning of meaning?When your life has meaning you have a purpose in life. And purpose has a wide and loose definition. It can be about feeling connected to others, or be about belonging to or contributing to something bigger than yourself, like your school. It’s about discovering what has meaning in YOUR life, so it’s something different for everyone.
How do you find it?
You don’t necessarily go looking for meaning, because the reality is that you should be looking within. Where exactly? By looking at your strengths. You simply have a bigger chance of finding something meaningful if you are using your strengths to connect with something bigger than yourself. For example, if you’re good at, or appreciate art, you might find meaning in working in a gallery
What can meaning do for you?Creating meaning in your life gives you purpose, and having a purpose makes you happy. Oh, and when you’re happy there’s a ripple effect that can transform your wellbeing. How about that?
So just by creating meaning you can feel happy and healthy?
We know, it sounds crazy, but here’s how:
Connecting with others
Lots of us gain some kind of meaning by belonging to something larger than ourselves, like a team or community or a cause.
When this happens you tend to spend time with other people who share your values and have the same interests as you. It also helps you to define your identity and makes you feel good about who you are, especially when you spend time with like-minded people.1
WEEK 5 - MEANING AND PURPOSE
You now have a larger social network, more people to connect with, and this can seriously boost your happiness.2
Motivation
Having a purpose (a direct result of having meaning!) motivates you to achieve your chosen goals.3 Having purpose and goals in your life gives you something to work towards, and totally pays off when you achieve what you’re aiming for.4 And how do you feel when you achieve goals? Happy as some guy called Larry.
Thinking of Others
Gaining meaning by acknowledging something bigger gives you a reason to focus beyond just yourself. When you’re focused on others you gain unique perspectives and you can recognise and appreciate what you have to be grateful for.
Now you can see the connection between meaning and wellbeing. In the end, having meaning in your life means you’re less likely to feel down or depressed, and more likely to enjoy higher self-esteem and general wellbeing.3
How to create meaning in your lifeWhoa. Heavy question right? Well, not if you don’t make it one! Creating meaning in your life can be as simple as joining a community or cause that goes beyond your own personal needs.
But it must be directly related to something you’re interested in or talented at – it’s just much easier that way to find that passion and drive to really commit.
What gives you meaning?
Obviously, you need to first figure out what gives you meaning and purpose in life. And to do that you need to ask yourself some questions like these:
• What are you passionate about?
• Where are your personal strengths?
• Do the above 2 questions have any common answers?
• Are these things truly meaningful to you? How do they give you meaning?
• Do they give you a sense of worth?
• When you’re feeling sad, do these things give you a lift?
• What would your life be like without your family? Your friends?Your community?
| 20
Finding the above questions tough to answer? You’re not alone! They’re not meant to be easy so don’t be too hard on yourself.
This might help:
Imagine that you’ve just been awarded a “lifetime achievement award” and you have to write your acceptance speech. What would you write?
Think of all the good things you want to achieve in life and how you’d like to be remembered. Focus on being positive.
Go on, give it a go. Just write a one-page speech. You might be surprised by the results…
What they said…
So we wanted to know what gave others meaning and put the question out there on Facebook (where else, right?) Here’s what we heard back.…
• Relationships with family and friends
• Belonging to a cultural, sporting or creative community
• Doing volunteer work
• Campaigning for a cause (e.g. eradicating poverty, animal cruelty,climate change)
• Travel (increasing awareness and appreciation of other cultures andtraditions)
• Nature (noticing that you’re part of a bigger picture)
• Bringing positive emotion to others, like making people laugh
• Being creative/creating music or art
• Helping people/having a positive impact on other people’s lives
• Meditation
• Spirituality/religion
1. Shearer, L. (2001, September). When the friendly skies are not so friendly. Georgia Magazine, 80.
2. Tennen, H., and Affleck, G. (1999). Finding benefits in adversity. In Snyder, C. R., (ed.). Coping: The Psychology of What Works (pp. 279-304). New York:
Oxford University Press.
3. Steger, M. F. (in press). Experiencing meaning in life: Optimal functioning at the nexus of well-being, psychopathology, and spirituality. In Wong, P. T. P. The
human quest for Meaning (2nd Edition): Theories, Research, and Applications (Personal and Clinical Psychology). New York: Routledge.
4. Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The How of Happiness: A new approach to getting the life you want. (p. 231). New York: The Penguin Group.
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