"My Bouquet to Grain Growers" (1983) by Maria Primachenko
60% of your grade on the SummerRead assignment is based on posting 600 words of comments on the SummerRead questions. These comments should be compiled in a single email, sent to sbenton@ecok.edu after classes begin. It should include a word count. The word count should not include the questions answered (but you should indicate them).
The remaining 40% of your grade on the SummerRead assignment is based on a semester-long effort to operationalize some of the principals described in U Thrive. You can choose the ThriveGoal you want to undertake. At the bottom of this post, you will see a list of ThriveGoal suggestions. Most of these require some recurring action along with a method of keeping track of the action and reflecting on it.
Begin by a choosing a ThriveGoal that will be meaningful and helpful for you. ThriveGoals are activities that you should enact at least once a week. You may repeat a ThriveGoal or you may change ThriveGoals from week to week, or you can choose to change from month to month. You may also devise your own ThriveGoal based on the principles described in U Thrive.
40% of your grade on this assignment will be determined at the end of the semester. At that time, you will email sbenton@ecok.edu a 200-word reflection on your ThriveGoals: what was helpful, what was challenging, and how you did. You will also give yourself a grade on this assignment. That grade (0-100) will be worth 20% of your overall grade on the SummerRead assignment. The remaining 20% will be based on your 200-word reflection. If your reflection is thoughtful, you should expect to get full credit for that part of the assignment. It is due Friday, December 2nd at 5 pm.
Pick out your first ThriveGoal before you come to the Burkean Parlor on Monday, August 22nd.
ThriveGoals (the numbers represent the chapters of U Thrive that inspired these goals)
New additions:
I-Thrive Weekly with Dr. McMahon
Inspired
by our U-Thrive summer read, I'm looking at structuring weekly I-Thrive
sessions on Tuesdays at 3:30-4:30 in which we examine, reflect, and apply
insights from the U-Thrive book. All EQ 1 and 3 students are welcome (actually
any honors student who wants to can come in my view - your call). Anchored in
the premise that community promotes thriving, we will craft one that will
discuss key concepts from the text, will its employ self-assessment tools, and
use data from assessment to select and implement specific wellness and skills
enhancement strategies. While I hoped meetings would begin in week 3, due to my
COVID situation, week 4 sounds more reasonable. I will provide you with a
clearer draft of current plan as soon as I can.
Origami: Paper
Folding with Dr. Wells
In my personal
life, I use origami to increase my wellness in many ways. It can work for you
too! Learning and mastering new models and techniques creates a sense of
achievement separate from school and work. The process of folding paper
requires mindful attention which provides benefits similar to meditation. While
not really exercise in the usual sense, it is an inherently physical activity
which grounds the mind in the body and increases dexterity and coordination. It
is also fun and can create beauty and joy. Absolutely no experience is
required, and I will happily teach what I know to anyone interested. The world
runs on paper; we may as well fold it.
1B. Conscious Acts of Kindness. Plan a concscious act of kindness for a friend, family member, or member of the community; do that thing; savor it as it happens. Keep a record of the experience. What did you do? How did it feel?
2. Gratitude Letters. Send at least one detailed letter (or email) of gratitude to someone who has had a positive influence on your life. If you can present it to them in person, even better. Keep a record of the experience. How did you feel about writing it? How about delivering it? Did the process improve your mood?
3A. Working on Strengths. If you complete the VIA Strengths Finder exercise, work on two of your top five strengths OR one top strength and one in your bottom five. Set a goal to use at least one of your signature strengths daily in a novel way (71). Keep a log of your progress. Set aside one day each week to reflect on your progress.
3B. Goals and Weekly Reflections. Write down your top three goals for the semester. They may be personal or academic but they must be personally meaningful. Set aside one day each week to reflect on your progress.
4. Developing a Growth mindset. Describe an area in your life in which you think you might have a fixed mindset but are open to developing a growth mindset. Make an active effort to make a change. Keep a weekly journal about your progress.
5A. ABCDE. See the world in a brighter light by consistently taking time to consider any disappointing events that happen in your life. Write out the steps described on page 114 of the textbook: Adversity, Belief, Consequence, Disputation, Energization. Remember: not me, not always, and not everything. One day later, take time to reflect on the value of this exericse.
5B. WOOP. Use the WOOP system to accomplish daily and weekly goals. Keep a record of your goals and your feelings about the experience.
6A. Breathe, Move, Sleep. Twice a day practice one of the Breathe, Move, Sleep exercises described on pp. 132-133 to help you triumph over temptation. Keep a log of the times you’ve done this (the temptation, the exercise you completed, your feelings about the experience, and the results.
6B. Study Group. Create a Study Group. See the “Two Wills Are Better than One” exercise on p. 134. Keep a record of your regular study sessions, your feelings about them, and your results.
7. Routines. Pick some routines and stick to them without overthinking the alternatives. You might want to consider a time and place to study, the foods you eat, when you eat them, an exercise schedule, a wardrobe plan. Keep a record of your habit. Stick to the choice for at least 30 days before considering a change.
8 . Belly Breathing. Make a habit of rhythmic belly breathing (described on pp. 163-164). Keep a record of your practice, including times when you have practiced it at times of minor distress.
9. Therapy. If you are on the fence about seeing a therapist, complete the “It’s Time to Go” exercise on p. 178. If you decide that it’s “time to go,” set up an appointment. After you start therapy, complete the “Making Change Happen in the Session” exercise on page 179. Make note of the “Making It Happen’ bullet points at the bottom of page 180.
10. Workout. Create and follow an exercise plan to make sure you remain physically active. Consult the “Finding the Flow in Your Workout” exercise described on pg. 194. Set goals and, if possible, make it social by making plans to exercise with a friend.
11A. Fruits and Veggies. Increase the amount of fruits and veggies you eat every day. Keep a record of your habit.
11B. Food and Mood Journal. Keep a food and mood journal for one week (see the exercise on page 205). At the end of the week, identify patterns. The next week, increase the frequency of those foods that help you to be your best. The week after that, complete another food and mood journal. Repeat.
12. Sleep Journal. Complete the exercise: "To Hack It, Track It" (page 221). After a week, look for patterns. The next week, make some changes to improve your sleep habits. During week three, complete another sleep journal. Repeat.
13. Practice Goals. Complete the exercise: “The Development is in the Details” (pg. 243). Engage in deliberate-practice goal-setting. Set weekly and daily practice goals. Create a journal using the questions at the bottom of page 244. Soak in your improvements on a weekly or daily basis.
14. Meaning Journal. Make a list of what you find meaningful in life. Then complete the exercise “Meaning Trumps Stress” (254). Lerner and Schlecther claim that “Writing about what is meaningful and keeping physical reminders around will help you on the days when the pressures of life obscure what really matters” (255). Create and keep a journal in which you write about how you manage to keep connect your daily life with your meaning statement.
15. If you identify as someone who is has an “OP” (Obsessive Passion), complete the exercise “Making the Jump from OP to HP” (270). Keep a regular journal of your activity and your progress.
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