COOL Autonomous/ESEJD: Workshop on mindfulness, happiness and well-being

January 22, 2024 – 1pm-2pm
UAL, Palace of the Counts of Redondo – Room 40

Your academic success largely depends on your motivation and this, in turn, depends on your balance and well-being. This workshop allows you to acquire knowledge and tools to help you take better care of your emotional well-being, increase self-confidence and improve your relationships with colleagues and teachers, achieving better results in Higher Education.

Topics to cover:

• Frame the issue of happiness and well-being in the context of higher education and preparation for active life.
• Provide simple tools that students can use to improve their well-being and balance (eg meditation, mindfulness…)

The workshop, part of CAMPUS/COOL Autónoma/ESEJD, will be led by Helena Marujo, Associate Professor at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lisbon, renowned specialist in Positive Psychology, Happiness, Wellbeing, Education for Peace and author of high reputation with several published works.

WORKSHOP HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING IN HIGHER EDUCATION, AT UAL

The Autonomous Campus/ESEJD, of the Ambição Project, carried out another activity with the theme of the Workshop “Happiness and Well-being in Higher Education”, where around 120 students were present, from the 1st year of Communication Sciences at UAL, encouraged by the renowned speaker Helena Marujo, Associate Professor at ISCSP-ULisboa, Member of the Council of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) and Researcher at the Center for Administration and Public Policies – CAPP.

Several questions were asked at the beginning of his presentation such as “what do companies do when their workers are suffering?”, “how to help decision-makers and leaders create contexts of happiness?”, “what works best to can we be resilient and transcend the worst moments of our lives?”

After questioning the students about what is the most important thing for Happiness, he demonstrated that through science and research a consensus has been reached that it is the quality of the relationships we establish with each other that is most important, both for physical health, psychological health and our longevity.

He also mentioned that in a society focused on individualism, competitiveness, individual success, performance and results, we move away from what is most important, knowing how to get along with each other, caring for and strengthening emotional bonds and the bonds we have with our people. other people. Having someone to count on was the most important aspect for almost 90% of the world's population, in a study carried out by Gallup International, one of the largest consultancies in the world.

Helena Marujo also gave homework assignments – “Tasks to grow”:

“(1) Write down every day, at the end of the day, at least three positive things – three “points of light” or three “blessings” – that you experienced that day. After a while, try to detect patterns: what makes you happy most often? How can you seek him out or provoke him? (If in this exercise you share the positive points with another person(s), even better!).

(2) Character strengths. On the website “VIA Institute on Character” (https://www.viacharacter.org/) answer the questionnaire to identify the strengths of your character. Then, on a daily basis, try to reflect on what strengths you are using, and how you do it.”

These and many other facts were transmitted by Helena Marujo, achieved through scientific research, where we also come to the conclusion that having only positive emotions is not enough, it is also essential to have a life with purpose. Eudaimonia is the Greek ethical doctrine that affirms the search for happiness as the foundation of Ethics and the purpose of human life.