YEARS 5&6 MY WELLBEING JOURNAL BUILDING MY BEST POSSIBLE SELF AS A YOUNG PERSON WHO MATTERS Doing kind things to make others’ lives better is the best way to grow your wellbeing and build your best possible self. A smile, eye contact and saying “hello” with your heart is a great way to start. NAME.................................................................................................. CLASS....................................
Talking, sharing and being present in person with other people builds respectful and healthy relationships. Make the choice to look up from your phone to enjoy the great feelings you have by achieving what you set out to do, side-by-side with others. Understanding and accepting that I have the choice to: »u se positive I can and I will self-talk to overcome challenges to shine as a person » l earn and practise new, more difficult things, to stretch and grow my abilities » s how that I care, and value other people, by being kind and forgiving »u se my strengths in my every thought, word and action, to make a positive difference.
Focusing on building my best possible self by: » looking forward to something positive every day » doing good to feel good, and feeling good to do good » being grateful for the good things in my life » not giving into myself when things don’t go my way » being hopeful and positive about my future. Acknowledgement: Sonja Lyubomirsky & Tal Ben Shahar
Strengths FOR RELATIONSHIPS weeks The challenge over the week is for individuals and classes to enjoy focusing their energies on creating activities which use the suggested strength to grow all members of the school community’s wellbeing. Download each Strengths for Relationships Weeks from the website. Term 1:
Gratitude – February 17th to 21st
page 20
Term 2:
Teamwork – June 1st to 5th
page 50
Term 3:
Kindness – August 17th to 21st
page 72
Term 4:
Leadership – October 26th to 30th
page 92
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” Leo Tolstoy
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WHAT ARE CHARACTER STRENGTHS? Building your Health + strengths by learning about your character strengths. Character Strengths are qualities which make up who you are as a person, and have your own special mix of them. You use them naturally in your every thought, word and action to be positive and make others happy too. Your top five strengths are called your Signature Strengths.
Acknowledgement and thanks to the VIA Institute. © 2014 VIA Institute. All Rights Reserved.
CREATIVITY
JUDGEMENT
CURIOSITY
Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualise and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it.
Your VIA No.
LOVE OF LEARNING
Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering.
Your VIA No.
BRAVERY
PERSPECTIVE
Mastering new skills, Your VIA topics and bodies of No. knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally; related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows.
Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself/ others.
Your VIA No.
HONESTY
perseverance
Thinking things through and examining them Your VIA from all sides; not No. jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly.
Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what’s right even if there’s opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it.
Your VIA No.
ZEST
Speaking the truth but more broadly Your VIA presenting oneself in No. a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretence; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions.
Approaching life Your VIA with excitement and No. energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated.
love
kindness
social intelligence
Valuing close relations Your VIA with others, in No. particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to people.
Doing favours and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them.
Finishing what one starts; persevering in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks.
virtues:
Your VIA No.
WISDOM
COURAGE
Your VIA No.
Being aware of the motives/feelings of others and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick.
Your VIA No.
HUMANITY
“Just as we don’t realise we are breathing, we often don’t realise we are using our character strengths.” Martin Seligman
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WHAT ARE CHARACTER STRENGTHS? Building your Health + strengths by learning about your character strengths. For example, for Leadership, you could offer to help younger students enjoy school more by organising lunchtime games for them. What is another strength that you would like to develop in yourself and explain why? ..............................................................................................................................................................................
TEAMWORK Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share.
FAIRNESS Your VIA No.
forgiveness Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting others’ shortcomings; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful.
Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance.
LEADERSHIP Your VIA No.
prudence
humility Your VIA No.
Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is.
Encouraging a group of which one is a member Your VIA No. to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group; organising group activities and seeing that they happen.
Your VIA No.
Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted.
APPRECIATION OF BEAUTY & EXCELLENCE
GRATITUDE
HOPE
HUMOUR
SPIRITUALITY
Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about.
Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes.
selfregulation Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions.
virtues:
Your VIA No.
Your VIA No.
JUSTICE
Your VIA Noticing and No. appreciating beauty, excellence and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.
Your VIA No.
TEMPERANCE
Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.
Your VIA No.
Your VIA No.
Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose Your VIA and meaning of the No. universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort.
TRANSCENDENCE
“You can be whatever type of person you choose to be. Your habits, your behaviours, your responses, are all your choice.” P.K. Shaw
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PERMAH+ ... GROWING YOUR WELLBEING Thinking about how you are developing each of the elements of wellbeing in yourself, will see your state of wellbeing continue to grow, so that you can build your best possible self. Use the following to reflect on the questions below A – always, B – usually, C – sometimes, D – not yet Then set a target rating you will strive for next term.
P
POSITIVE EMOTION + gratitude – enjoyed positive feelings by being grateful for good things in your life.
For this element of wellbeing, what went well that you were grateful for? ........................................................................................................................................................................... What positive feelings did you enjoy and what negative feelings did you dislike? ........................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................
Last Year
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Target Rating
Each morning thought about what you were looking forward to most for the day? Felt hopeful and happy? Each night wrote down good things that happened which you were grateful for? Were able to control your feelings? Understood that it is normal to feel upset, sad and disappointed at times?
E
ENGAGEMENT + mindfulness – connected with yourself in the moment to notice something different about every day.
For this element of wellbeing, what went well that you were grateful for? ........................................................................................................................................................................... What enjoyable activities did you fully engage yourself in? ........................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................
Last Year
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Target Rating
Ignored distractions and paid attention in class? Started my school work straight away? Concentrated on doing everyday things slowly and carefully? Focused yourself on listening carefully and enthusiastically to others? Practised mindfulness by noticing something different about every day?
Acknowledgement: Seligman, Peterson & Kabat Zinn
“They can because they think they can.” Virgil
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PERMAH+ ... GROWING YOUR WELLBEING You have a choice in what you think, say and do. It is so easy to get swept away by the busyness of your phone and social media, to spend most of your time watching everyone else’s thoughts and ignoring your own choices. It’s time to tune into you. Use the following to reflect on the questions below A – always, B – usually, C – sometimes, D – not yet. Then set a target rating you will strive for next term.
R
RELATIONSHIPS + empathy – enjoyed respectful relationships and showed empathy for others’ needs and feelings.
For this element of wellbeing, what went well that you were grateful for? .......................................................................................................................................................................... What special relationships did you enjoy and why were they special? ........................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................
Last Year
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Target Rating
When listening, asked others to tell you more? Praised and celebrated others’ good efforts when they achieved what they set out to do? Had a number of peer groups to hang around with? Felt joy, gratitude and kindness when with family and friends? Each day looked for opportunities to do kind things for others?
M
MEANING + purpose – had a passion for something larger than yourself that really mattered.
For this element of wellbeing, what went well that you were grateful for? ........................................................................................................................................................................... What is a special purpose you have? ........................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................
Last Year
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Target Rating
Focused on doing the important things in your life? Did what you knew was the right thing to do? Did you do good to feel good and feel good to do good? Focused on something bigger than yourself to make a difference for others? Looked for good stuff before looking for the bad stuff?
Acknowledgement: Seligman, Peterson & Kabat Zinn
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” Booker Washington
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POSITIVE VIBES: What are you looking forward to doing and learning most this week?
PURPOSE: Every day this week focus on one thing you need to work on to grow your abilities. MEANING + PURPOSE GIVING WITH PURPOSE Wellbeing Goal: by having a special purpose to strive for, you will get up every morning with a reason to build your best possible self. Giving of yourself to make other peoples’ lives better, will fill you with positive emotions and add meaning to your life. The more purpose you have in your life the happier and healthier you will feel. People who always go with the flow, miss out on the great feelings which come from giving.
GRATITUDE WEEK This week have fun and make a special difference to other people’s lives by creating activities to use the strength GRATITUDE to grow relationships with your family, friends and school community.
Acknowledgement: Frankl & Nakanishi
Discuss with a classmate – what are three purposes you have or could have to show other people matter? ........................................................................ ........................................................................ Purpose feeling – how have you given of yourself this week to make others’ lives better? ........................................................................ ........................................................................ Extra thought – who do you know who shows they care? ........................................................................ ........................................................................
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MINDFUL COLOURING
CONNECTING WITH YOU: What do you need to do this week? Anything to start, to finish? Anyone to thank, say sorry to or forgive?
READERS ARE LEADERS
SAT / SUN
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY
MONDAY
TITLE/S
PAGES How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
HOW DID YOU FEEL THIS WEEK? GRATITUDES: What went well that you were grateful for this week?
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POSITIVE VIBES: What are you looking forward to doing and learning most this week?
PURPOSE: Every day this week make eye contact and say “hello” with a smiling face. RELATIONSHIPS + EMPATHY SHARING AND LEARNING Wellbeing Goal: by sharing ideas and thoughts with others, which is called “feedback”, both you and they will learn other ways to think about and look at things. When listening, try hard to do just that, listen. Often, you fall into the trap of thinking about your own ideas, rather than what is being said. Giving and receiving feedback is a great way to practise showing empathy, because listening shows you value what others are saying.
CHARACTER STRENGTHS Use HOPE to explore WORKING STRENGTHS (page 117) – I will describe a recent challenging situation which confronted me and the strengths I used to overcome it and what I did.
Acknowledgement: Ericsson & Anderson
Discuss with a classmate – when are times you have given and received feedback well, and what did you learn? ........................................................................ ........................................................................ Empathy feeling – how do you think others feel when they know you are really listening to them? ........................................................................ ........................................................................ Extra thought – when is a time you learned something special from feedback? ........................................................................ ........................................................................
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MINDFULNESS TIME The Good Stuff. Describe times in your life when you felt great joy, real pride and total fulfilment in what you did.
CONNECTING WITH YOU: What do you need to do this week? Anything to start, to finish? Anyone to thank, say sorry to or forgive?
READERS ARE LEADERS
SAT / SUN
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY
MONDAY
TITLE/S
PAGES How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
How did you enjoy reading today?
HOW DID YOU FEEL THIS WEEK? GRATITUDES: What went well that you were grateful for this week?
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TRUSTED CHAMPIONS Your trusted champions are people who you really trust, who believe in you and who will never give up on you. They will always be there for you when you have problems that are too big for you to handle on your own, when you feel unsafe or when you are uncertain of things and want someone to listen to you. Draw a picture of or stick a photo in of each of your champions.
Ask your champions how they became the people they are today.
CHAMPION FOUR
CHAMPION ONE
Picture of you or draw yourself
Self-talk is a great way to practise saying what you will say to ask your champions to listen.
CHAMPION THREE
Asking for help is a true sign of strength. Are there things you should share?
CHAMPION TWO
Nothing will shock your champions, because they care for you. They will always listen.
“From little things, big things grow.” Paul Kelly
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