In this four-part virtual series, you will learn practical evidence-based approaches to help build your personal resilience and enhance your skills and confidence in bringing more wellbeing into your daily life, at work and at home.
Mindfulness will be embedded throughout the series, and each session will also include informative presentations, experiential practice opportunities, and interactive components. You will leave each session with easy-to-apply tips to navigate life’s inevitable stressors and bring more ease into your life.
- Workshop #1: Cultivating Personal Wellbeing and Self-Care
- Workshop #2: Befriending and Managing Stress
- Workshop #3: Cultivating Emotional Balance and Resilience
- Workshop #4: Enhancing Wellbeing Through Mindful Movement Practices
Cultivating Personal Wellbeing and Self-Care
Facilitated by Mariann Johnson
This session will include a deep dive into the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing’s six-dimensional Wellbeing Model. Prior to the session, you will be encouraged to take a short confidential wellbeing assessment. During the session, you will learn practical, evidence-based tips for strengthening your personal wellbeing in each of the six dimensions of wellbeing. Time will also be allocated for you to reflect on what wellbeing and good self-care means to you, and to chart out a thoughtful, tailored plan for strengthening your personal wellbeing.
Learning Objectives:
- Use the Bakken Center's wellbeing model and tools to discuss the six fundamental dimensions of personal wellbeing.
- Assess personal wellbeing strengths and areas of growth.
- Learn strategies and daily tips to apply for strengthening and building wellbeing and resilience.
- Receive support and guidance on developing a plan for enhancing personal wellbeing.
Befriending and Managing Stress
Facilitated by Mariann Johnson
While stress is a natural and inevitable part of life, learning how to navigate it skillfully in our daily life can test the best of us. In this session, the body’s stress response will be explored, and participants will learn and practice tools for responding more resourcefully to life’s inevitable challenges and stressors. The role of mindfulness in mitigating stress will be discussed, and tips will be provided for developing in-the-moment mindful stress reduction practices that support making friends with and responding to, rather than reacting to our daily stressors.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the physiology of stress and how stress can impact physical and emotional wellbeing.
- Learn how to apply a variety of self-care strategies and everyday tips for reducing stress and strengthening resilience.
- Discuss the role of mindful awareness in effective self-care and stress reduction.
- Learn and practice a mindfulness exercise shown to cultivate wellbeing and mitigate stress reactivity.
Cultivating Emotional Balance and Resilience
Facilitated by Mariann Johnson
Through informative presentations and experiential exercises, this session will focus on strengthening emotional resilience and broadening perspective. You will be supported in learning new methods for being with difficult emotions with greater calmness and understanding. The brain’s role in limiting and broadening perspective and perception will be highlighted, and the important function that positive emotions play in cultivating balance and perspective will be explored.
Learning Objectives:
- Through discussion and personal reflection, explore human perception and the mind’s capacity for perspective-taking.
- Learn factors that may inhibit our ability for perspective-taking.
- Discuss the key components of emotional resilience and emotional literacy.
- Learn practical, evidence-based practices for enhancing emotional resilience and more effectively responding to life’s inevitable challenges and daily stressors.
Enhancing Wellbeing Through Mindful Movement Practices
Co-facilitated by Mariann Johnson and Chance York
Mindful movement can help to mitigate the physical and psychological impact of stress on our bodies, hearts, and minds. In this experiential session featuring gentle mindful movement (qigong, standing, and chair yoga), you will learn mindful movements that can be practiced anywhere, without expensive equipment or special attire. Appropriate for all abilities. If possible, wear comfortable and looser fitting clothes.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the role of mindful movement practices in strengthening physical and mental health and wellbeing.
- Learn the science behind the benefits of practicing mindful movement and gentle yoga.
- Learn and practice mindful movement exercises designed to enhance personal wellbeing.
- Discuss practical methods for incorporating mindful movements into daily life, at work and at home.
What to Expect
The online workshops are educational with experiential components and time for questions and answers. You are welcome to attend one or all four workshops. Recordings will be made available to registrants for one month, for those who would like to revisit the workshops or who are unable to attend the live workshops.
Workshop #4 includes skill training or practice in relaxation and meditation methods as well as gentle stretching (yoga) exercises. I understand that if for any reason I am unable to, or think it unwise to engage in these techniques and exercises, I am under no obligation to engage in these techniques nor will I hold the University of Minnesota liable for any injury sustained from these exercises.
Who These Workshops Are For
Anyone interested in learning to support their health and wellbeing.