Creative Journal Writing Assignment 5:

Hope, Peace and Gratitude: Living Out Our New Normal

As we come to the end of this semester, I invite you to dwell thoughtfully on the goals of this final journal writing activity after you watch all the three videotaped PPT lectures for the module on A Psychology of Hope and Meaning.

This final assignment will give you the opportunity to:

· look back and see how far you have come since the start of the year

· reflect on the most meaningful lessons you learned about yourself and your relationships

· reflect on how you can continue to move forward with a renewed sense of hope, peace and gratitude – having come to terms with some of the deepest, most personal struggles you have gone through during this time. Where does the hope lie and how do you want to sustain it?

First, set aside time and space (at least one hour and with soft, calming music if you like) to read through all your submitted journal writing assignments in sequence, from the first to the last one. If it helps to review them as a hard copy, print them out, including the images that came with each journal entry. This is your pandemic journal. It captures your most significant personal memories and experiences during this pandemic, and you should not underestimate its worth. Pay attention to how your writing may reflect changes that you were going through in your psychological process, or the twists and turns, the upsides and downsides to the significant experiences & ideas that have shaped you this year. Maybe you will see things again in a fresh light or see something new that catches you by surprise. Let the meaning of all your experiences sink in – this part is very, very important.

Second, respond to the main reflection questions for this assignment:

Having grappled with some of the deepest, most personal struggles you have gone through during this time, how can you continue to move forward with a renewed sense of hope, peace and gratitude? Where does the hope lie in what you have gone through, and how do you want to sustain your sense of hope, peace and gratitude in your own life? What is the ‘new normal’ that you would like to live by?

Give yourself time to dwell thoughtfully on this question. Write freely about your realizations and reflections. If you are moved to also find a song, poem, or image that best captures how you feel, make sure to mention that and include in in your reflection.

Grading. The main grading criteria for this assignment consists of demonstrating genuineness, authenticity and evidence of deep engagement in your final reflection (20 points), and the appropriateness of your chosen image images (10 points). As always in previous assignments -- Get real to get the points .

Enjoy your final assignment!

pur-new-sol

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