by Daniela Erskine | July, 2017 | Classroom Reflections
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t” -Rikki Rogers Before Taking Positive Psychology I was not sure what to think about Positive Psychology. I truly thought it was going to be a class where we were going to learn to be more positive. Not in a million years did I think I was actually going to learn about things that I can use the feature to become a more positive and happy person. Building Strengths to Achieve Goals I had many Ah-Ha moments. However, the one that I remember and that I connected with the most is when we talked about focusing on our strengths. Before taking this class, I always tried to do my best but when things did not happen how I wanted it to, I would be very disappointed and discouraged. I spent more time focusing on what did not go as planned rather than on what did. We did one class activity where we changed a small habit or create a new habit. Doing this exercise showed me that taking small steps and focusing on what I can do and change actually helped me achieved my goals. When I focused on my strengths and on what I had accomplished every day, whether it was big or small, and celebrate those accomplishments, I felt better. Additionally, I was able to get to my end goal as supposed to just looking at the big picture and getting down when I wasn’t accomplishing my goal. Using Strengths to Build a More Positive Life Positive Psychology opened...
by Liza Cline | July, 2017 | Classroom Reflections
“Don’t Forget to Fall In Love With Yourself First” Before I started this course, I began to brainstorm and had quite the collage of thoughts going through my head. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? If so, how? With so many different predictions, I didn’t really have a clue on what I will be learning or steps to train my brain into another thought process and a constant positive one at that. I was excited, yet curious of this subject as I have never really looked outside or stepped over the boundary I unknowingly set for myself. I was anxious to learn how I could possibly change my attitude which could in-turn change someone else’s. Although this may sound corny since this was a positive psychology class, I was actually positive about taking this class. Filling the Empty Space with Self-love An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about self-love and everything that goes along with it that puts you in the forefront. With so much going on in my daily life, I always tend to put myself on the back burner while I make everyone else happy. Although, I do make feel good about myself to see others smile (family, friends and coworkers), I kind of have that little empty space of myself. I sometimes felt that it would be selfish of me to think I needed anything, but in reality, I was only suffocating myself without even knowing. This had led to more negative things, added stress, less patience just to name a few. So to think about myself in a different light with the...
by Tiffany Balance | June, 2017 | Classroom Reflections
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball Before taking the class I was thinking that this class is going to be about being “fufu happy”. The kind of happy that is all about rainbows and unicorns. The kind that would make everyone think that you are high on something. Worthy of my own Love An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about…..Self-love. I truly believe that when you love yourself, then everything else will come along. You will be confident, compassionate, optimistic, just to name a few. If there are things in your life that you want to change, if you love yourself enough to see that it’s worth the change, then it will be easier to be committed to change. You can’t be confident in anything if you’re not confident in yourself. I remember watching Iyanla: Fix my life. It was about the rapper DMX. He used drugs and while doing so he had hurt his family. His son expressed that he wanted to feel like a priority in his dad’s life. He gave his dad an ultimatum that it was either him or drugs. He told his dad that this would be the last time that he would ask. If it was a no, then he will not be part of his life. I thought for sure he would pick his son, but he chose drugs. I don’t understand why people turn to drugs, but I do believe that it has to do with self-love. If you are confident in...
by Keisia Purvis Allison | June, 2017 | Classroom Reflections
“The Mind is Everything, What You Think You Become” When I saw the course title Positive Psychology, I thought, man I need this course. Knowing psychology is the science of the mind, I felt I would learn how to control my thoughts, which will put me in a better place mentally and physically. And that is what I got, I didn’t realize it could be as easy as it is. Blocking the Triggers; Taking Control An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about the “trigger blockers” stopping the negative before it has any impact. This habit has changed my life tremendously. I feel it has really controlled the amount of depression I have experienced since learning about blocking things out. Another power aspect is just knowing your triggers themselves. Knowing you’re headed down a patch is half the insight. Positive Psychology opened my eyes to understanding life is what you make it, based off what you think about it. If you worry too much, you will waste time, as life waits for no one. So control what you have control of, and let the rest go. Un-sticking Yourself and Moving Forward I spent to much time trying to hold on to this “perfect life” not realizing I was slowly wasting my own life away. It’s nice to plan and have goals, but when those things don’t happen you have to accept it and move forward. If you stay stuck, asking how or why you’re keeping yourself from moving on and growing. If you know that no one is perfect, and you have done all you can do in a...
by Lynn Soots | January, 2017 | Classroom Reflections
“Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.” ― Emily Dickinson Hope and reframing Obstacles I assumed Postive Psychology would teach us how to have happy thoughts and nothing else. I figured it’s a Positive Psychology class; it won’t focus on the negatives, weakness; I was wrong, it is about everything. An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about how we have the ability in ourselves to reframe obstacles as challenges to be overcome. Ultimately will generate hope in any situation we seek hope for. Positive Psychology opened my eyes to I have always thought of myself as being hopeful since embarking adulthood. However, from this course, I have a broader scope of hope. I learned I could plan pathways to my desired goals, knowing there will be obstacles and/or challenges. Regardless, my multiple pathways will continue to give me hope to reach my goal. Empowering myself through my strengths: A personal note One of the many enjoyable assignments I completed for this course was a survey to gauge my character strengths. To my surprise hope was at the bottom of the list. I considered myself a hopeful person once I embarked into adulthood; I did keep in mind that this was an indication of my perspective at the time. However, I also considered I might have room for growth when it came to being hopeful, especially about my future. Over time, in the class, I realized I lacked the focus of success. We all have dreams and goals, but I found myself focusing...
