This semester, among other classes, I am taking a positive psychology course. Our first assignment in this course was to take the VIA Survey of Strengths on the University of Pennsylvania’s Authentic Happiness website. It is a 240 question survey that, when completed, assigns you your top five personal strengths. Before I took this survey I do not think that I was very aware of my own mental gifts. Likely because I did not think it would do me any good to recognize them. Since I took this survey and completed a reflective paper on it, I now understand that realizing and understand your mental strengths is paramount in the process of expanding and strengthening your mind. The survey deducted that my strongest mental gifts include, but are not
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I am a thorough thinker and not missing a detail is very important to me. This is incredibly useful for my job. As a nanny, I am constantly keeping up with multiple quick moving little ones on top of being asked to do other household management jobs. My bosses appreciate when I can complete a task exactly as they have requested. I also find it useful in my studies. This semester has been full of self-taught lessons and on-line lectures where attention is demanded and crucial to my success. When researching how I could potentially develop this mental gift I came across many programs with multiple steps and solutions. After finding these suggestions unrealistic I began brainstorming about how I keep a clear mind long enough to maintain attention and focus. I arrived at the one step that I am certain works, mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is something that I have been interested in since I was first introduced to it in my high school advanced placement psychology class. Mindfulness is defined by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel as the “practice of carefully focusing attention…[and] cultivating an awareness of awareness and paying attention to intention.” (Siegel). To me personally, it is an important part of my daily routine. All that it requires is a simple log in to the headspace app on my phone and I can participate in the ten-minute guided meditation that it offers. This helps me to control my thoughts and clear my mind. By practicing this for ten minutes each day it helps me to stay attentive, calm, and focused in all other
I am a thorough thinker and not missing a detail is very important to me. This is incredibly useful for my job. As a nanny, I am constantly keeping up with multiple quick moving little ones on top of being asked to do other household management jobs. My bosses appreciate when I can complete a task exactly as they have requested. I also find it useful in my studies. This semester has been full of self-taught lessons and on-line lectures where attention is demanded and crucial to my success. When researching how I could potentially develop this mental gift I came across many programs with multiple steps and solutions. After finding these suggestions unrealistic I began brainstorming about how I keep a clear mind long enough to maintain attention and focus. I arrived at the one step that I am certain works, mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is something that I have been interested in since I was first introduced to it in my high school advanced placement psychology class. Mindfulness is defined by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel as the “practice of carefully focusing attention…[and] cultivating an awareness of awareness and paying attention to intention.” (Siegel). To me personally, it is an important part of my daily routine. All that it requires is a simple log in to the headspace app on my phone and I can participate in the ten-minute guided meditation that it offers. This helps me to control my thoughts and clear my mind. By practicing this for ten minutes each day it helps me to stay attentive, calm, and focused in all other