Write a reflection journaling report on how your two week went in applying the consciousness discipline you chose at the start of module 10 (that is, from among the three options).  The more specific details you can include in your report, the better your grade for this writing assignment is likely to be.  You should also include reflections on any ways that you could see adapting this discipline into the way you might like to live your life in the future.  You should write about 400 words — but you are welcome to write more if needed to tell your story.

Module 10: October 25 – 31 — Professional Challenges to Well-Being: Compassion Fatigue

To do:

For this segment of the course that is, for modules 10 and 11 we are going to shift to a different kind of well-being practice.  Its what I call a consciousness discipline, and you will pick JUST ONE.  You will have a choice from among three possible consciousness disciplines and youll try to apply it for this week of module 10 and for the following week of module 11.  As you have before, take some notes daily about how it goes.  You will be completing a journal report at the end of module 11 concerning the work you have done with the one practice you select.  Here are the options:

Each morning when you get up, write down three positive expectations for the day; and at the end of the day write down three things for which you are grateful which happened in that day just ending.  We can think of this option as the brief journaling for optimism and for gratitude  (BJOG).  For the morning-time positive expectations, let them be things around which you have some control.  For example, don’t pick “I expect it will not rain today” or “I expect my boyfriend will be in a good mood.”  Instead, you can pick positive things you expect yourself to do (such as “I will work on my homework without distractions for two hours”) and things that are more internal about attitudes and emotions (such as, “I will remain patient even when unexpected, annoying things arise”).
Each day for the week, try your best to talk about other people only in the way that you would if that person were present to hear what you are saying about him or her.  We can think of this option as a way to cultivate greater self-awareness about social relationships and to be compassionate in how we think about and how we talk about others.  We could call it the compassionate social intelligence discipline (CSI)
Try throughout the day to make eye-contact with others as you listen to them and as you talk to them.  Allow this action to be an expression of your full attention to them.  Its a way to reinforce seeing and caring about others.  We could call it simply paying attention with eye contact (PAEC)

Module 11: November 1 – 7 — The Metrics of Well-Being

To do:

Continue with your chosen “consciousness discipline.”  That’s the practice you chose (from among the three options listed in the lesson plan for module 10). This coming weekend you will be writing your  journal post, and it will be a narrative about your experiences for the two weeks of applying it.