Week 6 - Mental Wellbeing 

• Play Doh
• Flipchart paper/whiteboard
• Pens

Display the Living in Well-Being image on the board and explain that everyone is always grounded in and connected to their Well-Being. 

Discussion: 
1. If our Well-Being is always there, then why don’t we feel OK so much of the time?

Allow learners to answer however they feel, then draw or place the River of Thought Diagram on the board. Explain that as humans, we have roughly 80-120 thousand thoughts a day.

2. Does anyone remember what they were thinking 5 minutes ago? If so, did you try to think about that, or did it just come naturally? 
3. Does anyone know what they will be thinking in 5 minutes from now? 
4. What does “Thought comes through you” mean? 
5. What would look different in your life if you knew that life is moving through you and you’re not responsible for what comes through, it’s just how the mind works? 

Explain that we can't control the thoughts we have, or the flow of thoughts, they come in and out naturally. The river is always there. But we can choose the thoughts we give time and energy to. 

Ask everyone to make something with PlayDoh. They have 1 minute.

1. What did you create and how did you decide to create it? 
2. Were you surprised by what you created? 
3. Did you get stuck at first ad if so, how did you become unstuck?
4. Did you start of creating something else and then change it? 

Our creative ideas come from thought. Creativity is nothing more than the ability to have new thoughts, and we all have that ability. Sometimes people have a thought that they are not creative and by thinking that is true, they create an uncreative experience. 

Thoughts can change, just like their creation. If they began making something and did not like it, they simply thought of a new idea and created that instead. 

We do not have any control over our thoughts. They come in and flow out. We cannot force them. When we get stuck, it is just a matter of time before a new thought or idea comes through. 

Explain the special effects box.

This is our reality. It is created from the inside out, not the outside in. This simple mechanics of the mind is what gives us our experience: Thought + Consciousness = Experience. 

Ask everyone to draw their own special effect box. They can include:

• Important relationships
• Values and beliefs
• Experiences
• Culture
• Things you learned
• Things you watch/read/listen to

Ask if anyone would like to share some of the things that make up their special effects box. Even if two people have similar things (like being a sibling), their experience will still be very different because of all the other unique things that make up their box. How can they apply what they've learned today to reduce risk taking behaviours?