Jan. 12 Class

Today in class, we talked about different kinds of joy. We shared things that bring us pleasure (warm feet, juice on a hot day, breezes in springtime, sunsets, winning a drawing, eating great food, receiving presents, etc.) and then talked about things that are really gratifying. Sometimes gratifying things don’t actually feel pleasurable while you do them (sometimes they do) but afterward there is a sense of happiness or accomplishment or fulfillment. We made a list of these too: exercising, cleaning house, creating something, connecting with people, meeting new people, learning, child rearing, etc. Pleasure is often your brain’s response to getting needs met: safety, nourishment, acquiring things, being part of a group. Gratification is often the result of growing or getting stronger in an area that you value. One is not better than the other, but we often choose to spend our time doing things that are pleasurable rather than things that are gratifying.

We drew self-portraits and used them to identify some aspects of ourselves that we value (connection to family, responding to beauty, creativity, service, etc.). Then we talked about how those parts of ourselves bring us joy. We also identified some of the aspects of ourselves that we don’t like very much and did a free-write about how those parts of ourselves can also bring us joy. This exercise inspired the homework for this week. 

Take Home: Make a goal to set aside time this week specifically to have an experience that is pleasurable, and another time to have an experience that reflects a personal value (like service to others). Report on your experiences next class (or comment on the blog).