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Positive emotion Joy 3 minutes · opener

Hardwiring the good

Card 38 of 52

Put it on the board and read it out. Nothing to prepare.

A palm tree on a beach at sunrise, birds over the sea

Illustration by RecipesforWellbeing.org, CC BY-NC 4.0

Open this drawing in the library

Our attention can stay with what went wrong while a good moment slips past, so this practice gives one good moment a little more time.

Recall something good from the last day or two, such as warmth from the sun or a welcome message.

Stay with the moment for twenty seconds. Remember where you were, what happened and what made it feel good.

When the time ends, let the memory go and notice what it was like to stay with it a little longer.

That’s the practice.

Listen for Some students may not find a good moment straight away. A neutral or simply pleasant one is fine, and there is no visible response to look for.

The skill of zest. Approaching life with enthusiasm, energy, and wholehearted enjoyment, rediscovering a felt sense of aliveness.

What brings you a genuine spark of joy or aliveness, and how might you make a little more room for it this week?

Try the interactive practice on this skill

The skill of zest

Approaching life with enthusiasm, energy, and wholehearted enjoyment, rediscovering a felt sense of aliveness.

Hear this skill read aloud
Read the whole postTry the interactive practiceReflect on this skill for yourself

Adapting it

Ages 13 to 15
Count the twenty seconds softly aloud so students do not need to watch the time.
Ages 16 to 18
Call it savouring: giving a pleasant experience enough attention to be noticed and remembered.

If you have longer

There is a full lesson on this skill, about 40 minutes.

Making room for what brings you alive
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