Moonlit cacao and the sweetness of doing nothing
Do you like to party? IDOH!
The Museum of Happiness took on some multicultural flair on March 20th for a very special International Day of Happiness party!
Our community gathered together to explore the secrets of happiness from around the world. Forms of mindful movement have enormous followings, particularly in India and China. Many turn to the natural world, whether it's rising early and listening to the dawn chorus in Sweden or enjoying the beauty of spring Cherry blossom in Japan. And in Croatia, they have a word for the sweetness of doing absolutely nothing - Fjaka!
Throughout the evening food was shared, new friendships were made, gratitude bingo was played, an enormous hand-made happiness flag was born and some rather fierce shapes were thrown on our silent disco dance floor! All in all, a beautiful evening of sharing, love, kindness, insights and smiles. Not bad for a Tuesday!
Our first ever wellbeing residential!
We recently had the privilege of teaming up with London Youth and Rap Association to run our first wellbeing residential for young people.
Eight youth clubs with members from an enormous diversity of different backgrounds and circumstances gathered for a weekend of happiness, kindness and self-care. Together, we explored practical tools and techniques that can be implemented in everyday life to improve wellbeing.
The young people were greeted by handmade gifts left on their pillows before an evening of ice-breakers and meditation to prepare everyone for a fun packed weekend ahead. Morning yoga was followed by a wide variety of workshops including Understanding Feelings, Cultivating Confidence, and Building a Happiness Toolkit. A real highlight was a beautiful nature walk in the forest, concluding with reflections over hot cacao around a moonlit campfire!
It was incredible to see the compassion and acceptance amongst the group, the love and commitment from the youth workers and the kindness and support all the young people showed one another. Excitingly, many shared plans to spread happiness in their own local communities after returning home!
Learning to handle pressure in just one day
It was fantastic to welcome a lovely group of Chevening Scholars to the MOH for a wellbeing day earlier this week. The order of the day was to explore strategies to handle pressure and avoid burnout.
We started by examining the amazing power of gratitude to rewire the brain and how focussing on just three good things each day can make a significant difference to long-term happiness.
We discussed the importance of treating ourselves as a good friend and asking ourselves the vital questions- 'what would a wise and kind person say?' and 'how can I best take care of myself right now?'
We then demystified stress by examining its biological and psychological effects on the body, before the group used this new-found knowledge to create personal stress-management plans.
Along the way, we meditated, made happiness pledges and shared insights with one another. After just one day together the students were already feeling happier, calmer and better equipped to tackle stress!