By Kelly Filipczuk ’24

On October 22, I attended a workshop on positive thinking and mindfulness hosted by Doctoral Intern Jojo from the Counseling Center. A safe space was created that encouraged individuals to recognize any patterns they have regarding negative thinking. Jojo showed us how to cognitively change our thoughts into more positive ones. For example, you can rephrase the statement “it won’t work out anyways”, to “I can at least try”. Doing so encourages an individual to look for opportunity in uncertainty, as well as be kinder to themselves. Jojo let everyone participate in reading examples that she presented, as well in sharing any opinions.

 We also did an activity where we wrote down a negative thought that often comes to mind onto a sheet of paper. We then gradually slid the paper away from ourselves. I loved this activity because it let me visualize what I was thinking. Jojo explained that engaging in journaling during times of negative thinking helps with providing context to our thoughts. She said it lets us visually evaluate what we are thinking. We closed out the workshop with a 10-minute mindfulness meditation. I’ve never done something like this before, but I will now be incorporating it into my routine. Meditation showed me where I hold stress in my body and comforted me. Jojo will be hosting another workshop on November 19th about Culture, Race, and Ethnic Identity. I definitely recommend going; you never know what you might learn!