So it comes to an end
Just kidding. As Alexander Graham Bell says, "When one door closes, another opens..." I have finished my four week rewirement challenge as part of the Science of Well-Being course. As you can see by the blog, I did a pretty shoddy job at using this to track progress. Although the course has end, I will continue to share what I learn and apply the learning to my daily life.
In times of these with social unrest and the pandemic, we all need to show a bit of empathy towards one another. I wanted to be a bit vulnerable and share the outcomes of the class.
Which rewirement did you pick and why?
In the beginning, I was a little ambitious and went for three rewirements: gratitude, signature strengths, and meditation. The reason I went for gratitude was because I already journal daily, so I felt that this was a good addition to my routine. I chose signature strengths because I felt it was a good way to pivot how I view my job and to see if I could activate as many as my top strengths (i.e. creativity, zest, kindness, and love) as possible so that it is a win for me and a win for my company. Lastly, I chose meditation because I knew this was something I had wanted to do for a long time. Of all the requirements, this one was most challenging to me because there are always so many thoughts in my head.
However, after week two, I became honest with myself and really focused on gratitude and signature strengths. It’s even more important than ever with the pandemic and social unrest that being thankful for the little things and using my strengths of love and kindness to make a positive impact on our communities.
Did you socially commit to the rewirement?
Early when I started to take the course, I actually informed my team and close ones about the class and to take it with me. When the time came, I shared my strengths freely. I also wanted to know their strengths so that I could help them shine, too. When it came to the actual challenge, I committed to my close peers and my coworkers and told me to be accountable. I even started blogging about it: https://unlikelysabbatical.blogspot.com/ so I can share my journey with my friends. Side comment obvious the blog didn't go as well as plan, and I plan to add to it post course.
How many times you did you PLAN to do the rewirement and how many times did you ACTUALLY do it? How did you track your progress?
After week one, I planned to do my gratitude and social strengths rewirement every single day and switched my meditation rewirement as optional or whenever I was feeling very stressed. In actuality, most of the time I reflected at the end of the day and wrote down my list of things and which strength I used that day. I also planned for the next day and looked at which strength I could activate differently. I had a tendency to fall behind when the weekend hit, so I often reflected about Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in one go. In the end, I would say, I did what was planned 5 days of week.
To track my progress, I made a calendar made of sticky notes next to my desk where I wrote the five things I was thankful for and my strength used on the sticky. Every few days I would add to the wall to make a full calendar.
In times of these with social unrest and the pandemic, we all need to show a bit of empathy towards one another. I wanted to be a bit vulnerable and share the outcomes of the class.
Which rewirement did you pick and why?
In the beginning, I was a little ambitious and went for three rewirements: gratitude, signature strengths, and meditation. The reason I went for gratitude was because I already journal daily, so I felt that this was a good addition to my routine. I chose signature strengths because I felt it was a good way to pivot how I view my job and to see if I could activate as many as my top strengths (i.e. creativity, zest, kindness, and love) as possible so that it is a win for me and a win for my company. Lastly, I chose meditation because I knew this was something I had wanted to do for a long time. Of all the requirements, this one was most challenging to me because there are always so many thoughts in my head.
However, after week two, I became honest with myself and really focused on gratitude and signature strengths. It’s even more important than ever with the pandemic and social unrest that being thankful for the little things and using my strengths of love and kindness to make a positive impact on our communities.
Did you socially commit to the rewirement?
Early when I started to take the course, I actually informed my team and close ones about the class and to take it with me. When the time came, I shared my strengths freely. I also wanted to know their strengths so that I could help them shine, too. When it came to the actual challenge, I committed to my close peers and my coworkers and told me to be accountable. I even started blogging about it: https://unlikelysabbatical.blogspot.com/ so I can share my journey with my friends. Side comment obvious the blog didn't go as well as plan, and I plan to add to it post course.
How many times you did you PLAN to do the rewirement and how many times did you ACTUALLY do it? How did you track your progress?
After week one, I planned to do my gratitude and social strengths rewirement every single day and switched my meditation rewirement as optional or whenever I was feeling very stressed. In actuality, most of the time I reflected at the end of the day and wrote down my list of things and which strength I used that day. I also planned for the next day and looked at which strength I could activate differently. I had a tendency to fall behind when the weekend hit, so I often reflected about Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in one go. In the end, I would say, I did what was planned 5 days of week.
To track my progress, I made a calendar made of sticky notes next to my desk where I wrote the five things I was thankful for and my strength used on the sticky. Every few days I would add to the wall to make a full calendar.
Did your happiness score change over time?
In total, all of my PERMA scores, except for loneliness and negative emotions, and Authentic Happiness score increased. For PERMA, the overall well being score went from 6.56 to 7.6. Within PERMA, my biggest areas of improvement included engagement which went from 5.67 to 7.3 and loneliness which decreased from 6 to 4.3. The Authentic Happiness score increased from 3.46 to 3.63.
How was the overall experience for you?
Overall, the experience was very insightful and impactful. In the beginning, I did not expect much to change. I was a psychology minor in college and took a course on positive psychology. The course talked a lot about how salary wasn’t everything and it was better to pursue a good, meaningful life. However, I was struggling to apply my learning and to convince my friends that there are better ways to live than using our jobs as means to an end.
What really help me improve myself was the rewirements that came with the course. Reflecting on my PERMA scores a bit more, I can really see that using my signature strengths have helped me become more engaged with the world around me. I am finding more joy in my work and focusing on how I could incorporate the things I love into my work. By jotting down what I was thankful for, I learned to treasure certain moments (i.e. waking up next to my boyfriend or calling with my sisters) a bit more. It’s cheesy, but I really do see changes in my relationships and how I view life.
In the end, I am continuing to apply the things I learned and going to start applying the things I haven’t tried. For example, my next goal centers around my overall physical health. When I set my goals, I want to experiment a bit more with goal visualization. I have already seen the effects of situational support by just keeping pears out on the counter!
In the end, thank you Professor Santos for teaching this class to the world during a time when it’s most needed.
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