Course Spotlight: Living For Now as Well as Later

As part of our Course Selection: Wellness II resources, the Board of SASS brings to you an in-depth overview of Wellness II: Living for Now as Well as Later (OHSWPI) from the words of the course instructor!

What common goals do your Wellness II students share and strive towards through this course? How do students fulfill these goals and what skills will they gain? 

The main goal is to enjoy the present even as you work toward future goals, as well as to reflect on what individually makes for a good life well lived, acknowledging that the answer won’t be the same for everyone in the class. The goal is to find the answer that works for each student.

What makes your Wellness II course unique from the other offerings? 

There are some similarities to the Mindfulness Wellness II class, in that it encourages weekly reflection through a variety of different exercises, and to the Creative Practices Wellness II, in that it encourages regular, weekly attention to things done for intrinsic enjoyment. I would say that it is unique in its dual focus on the present and on future goals.

What is one significant activity students do in a weekly meeting that attests to the goals of the course? 

Every class begins with each class member sharing something they enjoyed from the previous week, and every class ends with each class member sharing something they are looking forward to in the week ahead. A key goal of this practice is to remember to focus on near-term enjoyment, and make time for it, as well as focusing on long-term goals.

What does workload or assignments in your course entail? 

There is no assignment outside of class except to do one thing you enjoy each week. Each class students complete one in-class exercise in Canvas, submit it (they take about 7-15 minutes depending on the exercise), and then share out and discuss.

What motivates you, as the instructor, to create and/or lead this course?  

I started this course because of some experiences as a Wellness I coach and in my role as Assistant Head of School where I work with students who are having trouble across multiple classes. OHS students are all bright and capable, so when they are having trouble across classes, usually something else is going on, and sometimes what is happening is burnout and exhaustion. I noticed in my Wellness I students and some of my students in class that it’s easy to get so future-focused that the purpose of the now, and enjoyment of it, gets put to the side, with really negative effects for health and wellbeing. My goal is to help students reflect on why they are doing what they are doing, use the agency they have (which may be limited) to enjoy the present even as they work toward the future, and to evaluate what strategies and skills work for them, acknowledging that the same strategies don’t work for everyone. 

 Is there anything else you would like potential Wellness II students to know? 

A main goal of this class is to give time for reflection and for each student to investigate what makes them tick, what habits and strategies work for them (and which ones might work for others, but not for them), and generally lean into the things that they enjoy so that they can enjoy the present even as they work toward the future they want.