So great to meet the NeuroNav team in person finally. I had done an internship with them remotely last year. neuronav.org
Showing posts with label NeuroNav. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NeuroNav. Show all posts
A Bingo Surprise
The team at NeuroNav had a birthday surprise for at the Team Meeting today.
it was "Hari Bingo"
Neuro Nav
NeuroNav is in the Self-Determination Space. Got to do an internship there from end Jul 2020
- Party with a Plan https://www.neuronav.org/post/party-with-a-plan
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
The importance of Gratitude
As the name suggests, Thanksgiving is a time when our minds turn towards gratitude and giving thanks. But what exactly is gratitude. The 18th century philosopher and economist, Adam Smith, had deemed Gratitude as the Social Glue of economic culture.
In her book, The How of Happiness, American psychologist, Sonja Lyubomirsky lists “Expressing Gratitude” as Happiness Activity No 1. She says most people associate gratitude with saying thanks to someone but gratitude is actually much more - wonder, appreciation, looking at the bright side, fathoming abundance, counting blessings, present-oriented, not taking things for granted, coping and counting blessings.
In an article for the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, Robert Emmons, the world leading researcher on gratitude, explains that there are two components to gratitude. The first is affirmation of goodness. Life is undoubtedly filled with both good and bad moments. “But when we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life.”
The second component of Gratitude according to Emmons is figuring out the source of goodness. It is be a humbling experience as we focus not just on our pride in personal accomplishments but acknowledge the dependence on others, even higher powers, that “gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives”
Emmons goes on to explain that the benefits of gratitude span the physical, psychological and social realms. It magnifies positive emotions, blocks negative emotions, makes you more stress resistant and have a higher sense of self-worth. But what is most striking according to Emmons, are the social “relationship-strengthening” benefits. Various studies have demonstrated that people who practice gratitude are more helpful and compassionate towards others. He also urges us to think outside the box when it comes to what is gratitude. We can as Mother Theresa had once said, be grateful for what we can give rather than for what we receive.
Emmons points out that practicing gratitude is not easy as it can mean we feel we are less in control or that we are giving away credit due to us to others. He suggests two simple activities to get started.
A gratitude journal listing just five things once a week.
Count your blessings on a regular basis, maybe once a day
In a 2015 article by psychologist Juliana Brieines for The Greater Good Science Center adds further practises.
Mental Subtraction of Positive Events, that is, not taking things for granted. Consider the positive events in your life and imagine what your life would have been like without them.
A Savoring Walk once a week by yourself, where you “pay close attention to as many positive sights, sounds, smells, or other sensations as you can.”
This Thanksgiving, let us see what the NeuroNav team is grateful for
Hari: I’m constantly grateful to the various people at different points in my life who have supported me in many ways. I’m grateful to God, for my talents and my intelligence which was not something taught or learned during my many years in special education. I’m grateful to everyone at UC Berkeley for providing a supportive environment that helps me pursue my desire for a college education, an aspiration that cannot be taken for granted for people with significant disabilities like me. I’m grateful to my family for their never give up attitude towards me and especially in this time of covid which has been difficult for me. And I’m grateful that I too am able to contribute back to society in whatever small way I can.
Sabrina - This year I am grateful for my family, including my new husband. They have always been such a huge anchoring force in my life, and they have been that and more in these unpredictable times. And while it’s been hard not to see many of them in person, our weekly Zoom calls have become my favorite weekend activity, and one that I hope we will continue even as things find their way back to “normal.”
Emma - I am most grateful for the health of my family, especially my father who works at a hospital as a physician. I am also grateful for my husky who keeps me smiling :)
Nick - Even though I could not have expected how this year has turned out, I am very grateful for the friends and family I hold near and dear to my heart. They have supported me in the ups and downs of this time and I love them very much.
Rachel - I am grateful for new opportunities and the great people in my life.
Katie - I’m grateful for my friends, family, and my health. In a time that could be very isolating (and has been for many), I’ve been able to stay connected (virtually and socially distanced) to the people who I care most about. I think that has really helped me stay sane (ish!) throughout the pandemic.
Full Article here: https://www.neuronav.org/post/the-importance-of-gratitude
Love Each Other
An Apt message for the Times @Albany Waterfront Trail
The Albany Waterfront Trail meanders behind the Golden Gate Fields Racecourse in Albany, CA and hugs the bay as it stretches to a little strip of land, simply known as the “Albany Bulb.” It’s a chance to see the Bay Bridge on one side and the Golden Gate Bridge on the other, even as the sun sets over the silver ocean at dusk. Nature and the universe continue to shower their infinite love upon all us humans living on this beautiful planet that we call home.
As I was ambling along the trail, I came across this sign painted on a wood bench:
“Love Each Other, Wear A Mask.”
But what is even more timeless, is the first part of the statement, “Love Each Other.” We all witnessed the hoarding of toilet paper and panic buying earlier this year as soon as the Pandemic began. But during this time of global crisis, we also saw unprecedented levels of altruism, generosity and kindness towards strangers across the world. We had almost reached a state of “Agape,” the Greco-Christian term for unconditional love of our fellow human beings or the Sanskrit “Metta;” in transcending consideration of the self into seeking what’s best for others.
It turns out that humans are innately built for love, goodness, kindness and compassion.
So how do we consciously move towards this state so that this innate goodness becomes a part of our everyday existence?
In my class on “Basic Issues in Cognition” at UC Berkeley, we learned that loving kindness actually begins by developing acceptance towards oneself, and if there was resistance, it usually indicated feelings of unworthiness. If you cannot love yourself, you are an empty cup with nothing to give to others.
Professor Davina Chan led us through a simple loving kindness exercise, which can be practiced daily for a few minutes.
Start with Loving Kindness towards yourself by repeating.
May I be happy
May I abide in well-being
May I be secure
May I dwell in safety.
This warmth is then directed towards others, first to people you care about then extended to acquaintances, strangers and even those you regard as enemies.
Regular practice of simple actions can thus lead to an avalanche of profound change within ourselves and the world. The wood bench on the trail, sums it up - “Love each other. Wear a mask.”
Let us begin today!
Vote Because you Can, Vote because you Should
Creative Workarounds and Silver Linings
https://www.neuronav.org/post/creative-workarounds-and-silver-linings
A reflection for the NeuroNav newsletter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)