Friday Freebie: Being in the Moment

Photo: Jamie Rodriguez via Morguefile

As my students and I move into the final chapters of our exploration of The Happiness Project, we've arrived at the section on mindfulness just in time for the deluge of end-of-semester obligations.

What perfect timing.

So, yesterday, I shared an article from the Mayo Clinic on easy mindfulness exercises that don't take much time. Not only does it afford us an opportunity to discuss the topic at hand, but it also gives us a chance to stop for a moment and appreciate where we are, rather than being in a rush to get to the next thing -- something much easier said than done.

Do you need to be more mindful? Spend more time in the moment? Think about meals instead of shoveling them in? Pat yourself on the back for what you've done instead of stressing out over what you haven't gotten to yet?

Whether you contemplate a raisin, take up yoga or simply sit down for a minute, I hope you find a moment of mindfulness each day.

Friday Freebie: You Wanna Fight?

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Last week, we started reading Gretchen Rubin's book, The Happiness Project in my freshman seminar. Yesterday's chapter focused on the author's goals for improving her communication with her husband. All of my students are traditional students, straight out of high school, so needless to say, none of them is married. Still, they quickly acknowledged that the chapter had much to do with not only romantic entanglements, but relationships in general.

We talked about a lot of things, but one idea I knew I wanted to discuss was the concept of how to resolve a conflict -- or, how to "fight fair." Though I'd spent years teaching this to elementary school students, it's a concept that's much easier to figure out logically than to do in reality. But, as it turns out, a little bit of conflict is good for a relationship, provided it's handled respectfully.

Need a refresher (or just curious)? Check out Fighting Happily Ever After. Someone you love may thank you.