Free online courses: ‘Becoming a Resilient Person – The Science of Stress Management’ & ‘The Science of Happiness’

Hi, everyone.

We thought some of you might be interested in these free online courses (with thanks to Richard Jones in Sport for pointing me towards the Resilience course), so here’s some information – taken from the course literature – to help you decide if they can add to your wellbeing toolkit. Both courses start soon and have some favourable reviews from past participants. I’ve already signed up to one!

If you’re interested in finding out more, and if you want to enrol on one of these courses, just follow the links below.

And best wishes for the Bank Holiday weekend, from all at Cardiff University Staff Counselling. Have a good one.

Becoming a Resilient Person – The Science of Stress Management

The goal for this course is to give you permission to take care of yourself and empower you to be a resilient person. A resilient person is someone who:

• purposely strives to be as mentally and psychically healthy as possible,
• possesses the confidence to effectively cope with and manage stressful situations,
• is compassionate towards self and others,
• demonstrates grit or perseverance even in the face of adversity, and
• focuses on the positive and fulfilling aspects of life.

When you complete this course, you will be able to:

• Describe why ‘functioning from the inside out’ is critical to becoming a resilient, effective person
  • Explain the benefits of resilience and how the specific skills translate into optimizing social-emotional wellbeing and doing what matters most in life
• Directly practice a variety of resilience skills in different aspects of your life, including but not limited to:
  • Mindfulness practices
  • Strategies to manage intense emotions
  • Activities that induce positive emotions
  • Clarifying important personal values (that is, what matters most) and committing to behaving consistent with them
  • Making health lifestyle choices that are cheap and readily available, yet promote well-being
• Describe why ‘practicing’ and integrating resilience skills into one’s life is critical to making them a habit and becoming a resilient person
• Develop a resilience plan that serves as a roadmap for your future

The Science of Happiness

“The Science of Happiness” teaches the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. Students will engage with some of the most provocative and practical lessons from this science, discovering how cutting-edge research can be applied to their own lives. The course will zero in on a fundamental finding from positive psychology: that happiness is inextricably linked to having strong social connections and contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater good. Students will learn about the cross-disciplinary research supporting this view, spanning the fields of psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and beyond.

What’s more, “The Science of Happiness” will offer students practical strategies for nurturing their own happiness. Research suggests that up to 40 percent of happiness depends on our habits and activities. So students will learn many different research-tested practices that foster social and emotional well-being—and the course will help them track their happiness along the way.