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OVERCOMING BOREDOMsource : WWW.WHITESWANFOUNDATION.ORGHow can you best prevent yourself from becoming bored? Nearly everyone gets bored from time to time, but chronic boredom is a serious obstacle to daily wellbeing. “The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom,” observed Mark Twain, America’s most revered writer. Boredom, though unpleasant, is necessary in learning how to live creatively and zestfully. “If you’re going to avoid boredom as an adult,” he observed, “You have to learn to face it as a child…Boredom pulls you into your own imagination. You have to learn to be alone, to use your imagination on a deeper level.” and failure to deal effectively with boredom during childhood has important consequences for our adult years—leading to both conformity and stagnation. Today, there’s growing scientific evidence that chronic boredom is behind many types of addictive behaviors—ranging from alcoholism and drug abuse to excessive gambling and over-eating. For example, in a pioneering study involving more than 1,300 participants in the UK, Dr Glenn Wilson found that boredom was a major cause of over-eating, especially among women Overcoming Boredom: A Guided Activity How can you best prevent yourself from becoming bored? Nearly everyone gets bored from time to time, but chronic boredom is a serious obstacle to daily wellbeing. If your workplace or home hours aren’t stimulating you sufficiently, here’s a useful activity: Select a country that you’ve never visited, but which you’re curious about. Over the next three weeks, learn about its history, culture including traditional and current music and arts, cuisine, industry, language, politics, and natural environment. Keep a separate notebook to jot intriguing topics from your web explorations and a folder for downloads. You’ll undoubtedly gain new knowledge and generate further interests. |
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CAN PHOTOGRAPHY IMPROVE YOUR WELLBEING?source : WWW.WHITESWANFOUNDATION.ORGDo you enjoy taking photos, either with a camera or on your smartphone? If so, have you ever wondered if photography might be more than a hobby: something more vital for personal wellbeing–perhaps even a path toward toward self-realization? “Innocence of eye has a quality of its own. It means to see as a child sees, with freshness and acknowledgment of…wonder.” Originally an offshoot of art therapy, the use of photography to enhance wellbeing is gaining popularity through adult classes and workshops. Such programs emphasize how photos can serve as a visual diary for self-insight, enhance positive memories, improve creativity, and strengthen our bond with others. Mindful photography is also being used in the classroom. For example, in a project designed to teach children the concept of wellbeing, Drs Saoirse Gabhainn and Jane Sixsmith at the National University of Ireland instructed a group of 8 to 12 year-olds to take photos of “things they liked,” while a follow-up group organized these into categories such as “people I love the most,” “food and drink,” and “animals/pets.” According to the researchers, photography proved an effective instructional tool to explain the concept of wellbeing. At England’s Sheffield Hallam University, Dr Anne Kellock found that participatory photo-taking among poor, New Zealand Maori 8 to10-year-olds helped them identify important aspects of their lives. Psychologists active in this field are using photography with older students too. Guided Activity Choose a specific theme – such as animals, people, or evocative architecture, and strive for unique images while photo-taking. To maximize your mindfulness, follow these tips: 1. Shooting with color will align your eye and mind, so look for something colorful, then get in close. 2. Take photos of textures, which are always affected by light quality. Imagine that you’re touching what you see. 3. When photographing people, start with friends or family members. Be patient. Eventually they’ll stop straining to “look good”-- and you’ll get better pictures of their true presence in the moment. |
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TRAVEL AS A GROWTH EXPERIENCEsource : WWW.WHITESWANFOUNDATION.ORGDo you like to travel? For many people, it’s one of life’s most fulfilling experiences - not only inducing happy relaxation, but also offering new philosophical and spiritual horizons. Precisely from this latter viewpoint, the famous American writer Mark Twain (see Samuel Clemens) declared in his late-nineteenth century memoir 'Innocents Abroad' that, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of (people) and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. “There is wisdom in turning often as possible from the familiar to the unfamiliar: it keeps the mind nimble, it kills prejudice, and it fosters humor.” Most young people need this type of “gap year” (or years) between schooling and workforce participation in order to discover themselves meaningfully. There are five different types of experience during travel, each with its particular value: 1) recreational, which provides general wellbeing and idle pleasure; 2) diversionary, which mainly offers distraction from current stress; 3) experiential 4) experimental, which involves respectively a search for self-authenticity and alternative ways of living; 5) existential, which may transform our habitual patterns of thinking or acting. Undoubtedly, it is the existential mode that most often spurs personal growth. In a research, not surprisingly, the majority reported a wide range of uplifting moments, encompassing such aspects as aesthetics (witnessing lovely architecture), nature’s beauty, family togetherness, deep friendship, and a sense of personal freedom. For example, a male student commented that, “When your mind and body get totally relaxed, then your attitude toward life changes. You learn a lot and you grow up a lot.” A female student related, “I realized that my dreams could come true as long as I tried my best, and that I am in charge of my life.” It’s not always possible to travel whenever we want, but we can always reflect on what we’ve experienced. Take a few minutes to answer these questions: How has travel strengthened your open-mindedness, and your appreciation of beauty and excellence? How about your gratitude? In what ways do you think that travel enhances your creativity and problem-solving ability? Finally, where would you most like to travel next, and why? |
"HOOPSTERS COLLABORATIONS"
JOINING HANDS WITH SOME OF THE BEST IN THE INDUSTRY WHO BRING TO US THE WEALTH OF THEIR EXPERIENCE & SOME VERY INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AND ENGAGEMENTS
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"HOOPSTERS ASSOCIATIONS"
