Gustavus community shines light on (un)happiness: Organizations on campus prepare to host three-week series of workshops

A series of (Un)happy workshops will be happening on Mondays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in The Dive. The first session is on Nov. 14. The workshops consist of three different topics, and were created through a collaboration between the Diversity Center, Counseling Center, Academic Support Center, and ILS Houses.

The different organizations all work with students during challenging times. Because of this, they have the chance to see students and their resilience. This three-week series has insight on what it takes to remain positive.

“These workshops are an opportunity to expand a person’s ability to become more resilient to the inevitable stressors in life,” Director of the Counseling Center Lisa Rinehart said.

The first session will be featuring the film, Happy.

IMDb summarizes the movie as taking “a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what makes people happy.

Combining real-life stories of individuals from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.”

“Watching this movie is an opportunity to see how … reflecting on various situations can create more happiness in one’s life,” Rinehart said.

The second session on Nov. 21 will feature happy yoga. This session is held by Kelly Karstad, an administrator in the Academic Support Center.

Yoga is an old practice that relies on believing we have power over the energy of our mind and  body. Yoga incorporates movement, breathing, and meditation techniques. The goal of the happy yoga session is to learn:

“a physical practice that incorporates poses, breathing, and meditations that can have the effect of uplifting our energy,” Karstad said.

The third session on Nov. 28 focuses on reframing.

“Reframing means changing our perspective. To change our perspective, we first need to take notice of how we respond to life. When we have that awareness, we can ask “Is there a way that I can respond differently that is more helpful, that can bring more peace, resilience, happiness?” Usually, the answer is yes,” Karstad said.

This session is lead by Rinehart, the Director of the Counseling Center.

“The Reframing workshop is a chance to view things in a slightly different way, which can change outcomes,” Rinehart said.

The overall goal of these workshops is to help people realize the power they have in creating happiness.

“I hope these workshops offer a few insights and strategies for students to take steps toward more empowered and authentic living,” Rinehart said.

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