Cadette Badge: The Science of Happiness I will admit initially I was not thrilled about doing this badge. How in the world was I going to present this information and keep the girls interested? However, there is a website that will change your life! It is one of those hidden gems I never would have found had it not been for the GS Badge. After presenting this information to my girls, I feel I have given them valuable information that will positively impact their life now and into the future. How many times is your daughter disappointed, sad, not pleased with her body or self image, frustrated, stressed or concentrates on the negative, rather than the positives in her life? Oh my goodness, my daughter is 13 and a basket full of emotions that swings in the wind. One moment she is happy, the next moment she is sad or upset or frustrated. It's hard to watch your child suffer through the mood swings of life, even though it was not long ago and we were in the midst of this childhood chaos ourselves. Hormones, acne, boys, tests, early mornings, late nights, extra-curricular activities... it's a wonder we survived! My true profession is nursing and although I am not currently working, I know all too often anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications are prescribed to help people manage stress. However, now there is a website designed to teach and promote happiness. A totally different approach to the management of stress and unhappiness. This site tells us what we should already know... we control our own happiness. The site offers skills and encouragement and teaches you the Science behind Happiness. www.Happify.com Here you will find everything you need to create a great meeting. The site has stories, videos, suggestions, skills... and more. So what exactly did I do for my meeting. 1. The girls enjoyed a 30 minute Free Yoga class provided by Ivivvia in our town square which is a large outdoor mall. This company is amazing. It supports the girls in their community by offering free classes, parties, donations, takes photos and promotes active girls and more. The yoga class offered them a positive way to deal with stress, encourages activity and promotes self awareness and positive body image. 2. The girls took a quick GS Quiz and we evaluated and discussed our answers. Girls had some great input. 3. I created notes and passed them out to the girls. We read through each section including: What isn't Happiness & what is the definition of Happiness What is stress and how can you turn it into ProStress 5 Skills that will Learn Happiness Simple Acts to Feel Happier 4. We concentrated on the skill of THANKS & gratitude. We talked about the concept of Random Acts of Kindness and how it can make you feel to be a recipient or a giver. We also discussed the domino affect. Each girl was given $5. They were tasked to get into groups of 3 girls and do a good deed or random act of kindness. They had one hour to look for an opportunity to positively change someone's day. They were not required to spend the money, in fact they could save it or buy themselves a yogurt or coffee if they could find a way to do a good deed without the money. The girls voted on the best act of kindness that was completed. Here are the acts that the girls managed to complete: bought a coffee for the person behind them in line exchanged $1 for nickels and handed to children in commons area to throw into fountain bought an ice cream for a child taped $5 to library window with note that said buy a children's book on me purchased pretty post-its from Barnes and Nobles and wrote 25 positive notes an stuck them on windshields of cars in the parking lot or handed to people walking (GIRLS VOTED THIS #1) paid a compliment to a stranger opened a door for a busy mom listened to a musician, left a tip and told him how talented her was (compliment) Tipped a bus boy at a restaurant Girls were asked to write down 3 things they are thankful for in the next week, avoiding the common items like family, home, food, pets, finds etc Try to identify 3 stressors they encounter in the next week and turn them into pro-stressors Look for another opportunity for a random act of kindness and evaluate it's effect To view or print my notes & Quiz and save yourself some time CLICK HERE