DON’T WORRY B Photos & Story | Cassidy Smith
The Psychology of Happiness course focuses on mindfulness.
Mindfulness helps us focus, tune out distractions, improves memory, and decisionmaking.
greatergood.berkeley. edu/topic/mindfulness/ definition#why-practice-
For some students who are involved in clubs, athletics, and scholar programs, as well as balancing jobs and adulthood, the first year of college can be overwhelming. Based on a 2009 survey conducted by the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA II), “Thirtynine percent of college students will feel hopeless during the school year, 25 percent will feel so depressed they’ll find it hard to function, 47 percent will experience overwhelming anxiety, and 84 percent will feel overwhelmed by all they have to do.” Practicing mindfulness and meditation at the start of the day is proven to help students feel less stressed. So, if it feels like schoolwork is taking over, or balancing work, school, and life seems to have become too much, one course in particular might be a class to consider. Psychology of Happiness is a newer class to the Hutchinson Community College campus. In 2015, a HutchCC student decided for their honors project they would start a happiness project for grade school-aged kids where they would practice happiness. After creating the course material, it became clear that the information would be far too complicated for a younger audience to comprehend. Dr. Ryan Diehl, English Professor, then suggested that the class could be an official college class. Christopher Lau, Coordinator of Advising, Career Development, and
Counseling at HutchCC, worked closely with the student and the project. He decided to teach the class as a two-hour credit for college students. Just recently, Lau passed this course on to Melody Wagler, Social Worker, who is teaching this fall semester class. “The first half of the class is divided into what is happiness, how different cultures and religions think about happiness, and define happiness,” Lau said. “For years, we’ve known everything we can know about depression and anxiety and there’s negative emotional experiences, but where and when did the science of human thriving come about?” Lau teaches his students about mindfulness, which is a key component of being happy. The definition of mindfulness is, “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” This is exactly what Lau allows his students to learn and practice in the class. He uses meditation techniques to help students become more aware of their surroundings. “It’s honestly very relaxing,” Liz Graber, Pretty Prairie, said. “We usually meditate in the beginning of class. It honestly gets my brain to focus on the now instead of on the past or the future. I enjoy it but it is also difficult most times. Definitely something to practice.” Practicing meditation techniques before class allows his students to
mindfulness
2 | Dragon’s Tale | October 2021 002-003 Psyc of Happy.indd 2
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