UC Berkeley recently created a new institute for collecting and expanding research on positive practices that improve an individual’s mindfulness, mental health, and general well-being. Essentially, they’re interested in what behaviors produce happiness.
To help students explore ways they can improve their academic mindfulness (and their general well-being), I’ve created a series of six easy journal assignment that give you space to develop some of these practices, experiment with them, and then engage in a little reflective writing. At best, this will help you feel more engaged in your academic work; at worst, you’ll just be a little happier than you usually are.
For each of these journals, have a look at the UC Berkeley Greater Good In Action website (Links to an external site.), and select a practice that intrigues you. Try it out, and then write at least 200 words reflecting on the experience. See if you can recognize any connections between these practices and your experiences with your college coursework. For each journal, make sure you select a different practice from the UC Berkeley list.