Mar 7, 2024
Happiness Break: Where Did You Come From? Guided Writing With Lyla June
Indigenous artist Lyla June leads a 5-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help do better in relationships and feel more satisfied in life.
Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3622n5s6
How to Do This Practice:
You will need writing utensils for this practice.
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Find a comfortable place to start this writing practice, taking a few moments to ground yourself.
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Write the prompt, “I come from a place where…”
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For the next 5 minutes (or more), write whatever comes to mind, allowing your thoughts and ideas to flow freely, without judgment or filters. Trying keeping your pen to the paper the whole time.
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Take some time afterward to read and reflect on what you wrote.
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Consider repeating this exercise every few weeks or months to reflect on your past and prospective future.
Today’s Happiness Break host:
Lyla June is an Indigenous artist and scholar from the Diné Nation.
Learn about Lyla June’s work: [https://www.lylajune.com/>\
Watch Lyla June’s videos: [https://tinyurl.com/bdhbwyru>\
Follow Lyla June on Twitter: [https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6>\
Follow Lyla June on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6
More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
The Power of Expressing Your Deepest Emotions (The Science of Happiness Podcast): [https://tinyurl.com/2uzh3r67>\
How to Journal Through Your Struggles: [https://tinyurl.com/yua6wkwd>\
How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times: [https://tinyurl.com/3zv3hunw>\
How Creative Writing Can Increase Students’ Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/4xw8xuff
How was your experience with this freewriting exercise? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ycukc4za
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.