Every year, VEHI PATH offers new ways of using virtual tools to help you strengthen your well-being. This year, in addition to the "tried and true" programs, PATH has added three online courses for PATHpoints that you can do on your own time:
Click here for information about VEHI, PATH and the full list of programs.
Remember, when you earn 200 points, you are eligible for a $100 gift card from L. L. Bean!
I learned a lot and benefited from the course! I really enjoyed this class and I’m excited to continue my education . This class was challenging at times but there was value in being exposed to the material. I have learned important skills that will help me academically and personally.
Well-being is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose, and ability to manage stress. More generally, well-being is just feeling well .
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are – Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Give, and Take Notice
Living the good life means living a life that sets you free. A life that satisfies and fulfills you, that adds happiness, joy and a sense of purpose to your life. But it also means to live a life that is worthwhile, a life that makes a contribution, instead of being solely self-centered.
In class, I learned about a growth mindset. This idea that I can continue getting better over time to not focus on my performance but on how much I am learning. “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any meaningful way, a growth mindset thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.
I built many habits as the kind of thing that can promote my mental health and happiness such as Savoring , physical exercise,gratitude , WOOP, meditation and sleep.
Let us talk about them briefly.
Savoring: is the act of stepping outside of an experience to review and really appreciate it . It is a way of helping me to stay present in the moment. And savoring often forces me to enjoy an experience for longer.
By practicing Savoring I used some common techniques that enhanced savoring. These techniques included: sharing the experience with my family and friends.Thinking about how lucky I am to enjoy such an amazing moment, Taking a photo of that activity, and making sure I stay in the present moment the entire time. Every night, I make a note of what I savored .When I do write things down at the end of the day, I take a moment to remember the whole activity.
- Exercise: 30 minutes a day of exercise can boost my mood in addition to making my body healthier. 2 miles walking workout at home. daily walks have helped to give me a sense of normalcy in this crazy time. Even If I feel tired or I am busy ,there is a voice inside my head telling me “It is time to walk”.
- gratitude journal :I apply the daily gratitude journal in my routine to switch my focus on recognizing the things in my life that are already present and already wonderful instead of dwelling on things that I think are lacking and previously thought to be more important. Every night I spend five minutes writing in my gratitude journal that really makes me happy.
-WOOP: It is a science-based mental strategy that people can use to find and fulfill their wishes, set preferences, and change their habits.
W stands for wish
O stands for outcomes.
O stands for Obstacle.
P stands for Plan
Based on twenty years of research in the science of motivation, WOOP presents a unique and surprising idea: The obstacles that we think most impede us from fulfilling our wishes can actually help us to realize them. WOOP instructs us to dream our future dreams but then to imagine what obstacles inside ourselves prevent us from achieving these dreams. In research studies, WOOP has helped people reduce stress and increase work engagement, find integrative solutions to problems, and improve time management. It has supported adults in losing weight, drinking less alcohol, and sustaining healthier relationships. Children and adolescents using WOOP improved school attendance as well as effort and achievement in school.
- Meditation : I want to meditate so I can have a moment everyday to regroup and refocus my mind, manage my anxieties, and develop positive energy for myself which will make my social connections and relationships even better which in turn will boost my overall well-being. The fact that, because this kind of strategy is new. I have to work hard at it .It requires work at least in the beginning. And when my life is stressful for other reasons, I don't feel like putting work into the things that feel like work. And it sounds like that was kind of what was happening there. Another thing is that stressful periods are times when my attention has to be elsewhere. I kind of shift my focus of attention to something else. I'm going to keep on meditating! I've found it to be a great way to start my day, but I'm also excited to try a strategy I heard about in the videos during the course, and try meditating at night. I wonder if it will make it easier for me to intentionally clear my mind of distracting thoughts, or make it easier to not "put it off" - since I'm trying to sleep anyway, and I believe meditation will help me get a good night's rest.
There are always setbacks, and I hope to have a triumph with any attempt at new habits. I've started and stopped many habits in life, so I do not allow the setbacks, or even the triumphs to get in the way or influence my goal. I periodically review the goals, ask if the habit is occuring in the way I desire, or if the habit is properly aligned with the goal. I ask myself "why" regarding the goal, and make adjustments as needed. It can take years to build some habits (those often stick around the longest)--other habits, come and go.
Finally I can say
Living the good life" has taken on a completely different definition. My life's goodness is not defined by money or job, but by my emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. I have learned to prioritize my own well-being, by implementing the things that I have always wanted to make a part of my daily routine.
Well-being for me, which has been a challenge, is to not only accept and deal with the choices that I've made but to also stop worrying about what others are doing, thinking and talking about. I need to focus on myself a little more and practice what i've learned in this class.
Well-being is the science of prioritizing and improving the state of my physical and emotional wellness. Individuals can improve their well-being by integrating various positive habits into his/her everyday lives. This includes social, mindfulness, spreading kindness, and spending time on hobbies, fitness, and other activities that matter to that specific individual.
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