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Indigenous artist Lyla June leads a 5-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help do better in relationships and feel more satisfied in life.

How to Do This Practice:

You will need writing utensils for this practice.

1. Find a comfortable place to start this writing practice, taking a few moments to ground yourself.
2. Write the prompt, “I come from a place where…” 
3. For the next 5 minutes (or more), write whatever comes to mind, allowing your thoughts and ideas to flow freely, without judgment or filters. Trying keeping your pen to the paper the whole time. 
4. Take some time afterward to read and reflect on what you wrote. 
5. Consider repeating this exercise every few weeks or months to reflect on your past and prospective future. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Lyla June is an Indigenous artist and scholar from the Diné Nation.

Learn about Lyla June’s work: https://www.lylajune.com/
Watch Lyla June’s videos: https://tinyurl.com/bdhbwyru
Follow Lyla June on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6
Follow Lyla June on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

The Power of Expressing Your Deepest Emotions (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/2uzh3r67
How to Journal Through Your Struggles: https://tinyurl.com/yua6wkwd
How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times: https://tinyurl.com/3zv3hunw
How Creative Writing Can Increase Students’ Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/4xw8xuff

How was your experience with this freewriting exercise? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ycukc4za

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We’re living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That’s where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day. 

Transcript to come.