This New Year, affirm the wonderful qualities you already possess with this meditative writing practice with Chris Murchison called "I Am."

How To Do This Practice:

1. Settle your body and breath: Find a comfortable seat. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Feeling your belly and lungs expand. Bringing your attention into the present moment.
2. Notice what’s here: Briefly tune in to what’s moving through you right now: thoughts, emotions, sensations in your body, and the space around you. There’s nothing to change—just notice.
3. Begin with “I am…”: Open your eyes and place your pen at the top of the page. Write the words “I am…” and complete the sentence with whatever feels true at this moment.
4. Keep writing continuously for one minute: On each new line, write “I am…” again and complete it. Keep your pen moving for a full minute. Don’t edit, judge, or overthink. Just let the words come.
5. Pause and reflect: Put your pen down. Read what you’ve written. Notice where you started, how your responses shifted, and where you ended. Look for patterns, themes, or surprises.
6. Carry it forward: Take a few mindful breaths. Consider how this clearer sense of your present self might shape how you move into the next moment with more awareness and care.

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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

CHRIS MURCHISON is an artist and meditation teacher.

Check out Chris’s website: https://chrismurchison.com/

Follow Chris on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4nyjahj4

Related Happiness Break episodes:

The Healing Power of Your Own Touch: https://tinyurl.com/y4ze59h8

A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y

How to Be Your Own Best Friend: https://tinyurl.com/y5kbecej

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

How to Stick to Your Resolutions in 2024: https://tinyurl.com/mub9z9z4

How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6

How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

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

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/2d595rz3

Learn how the stories we tell and hear shape our relationships, values, and sense of belonging.

Summary: Storytelling is more than entertainment. It shapes how we think, feel, and relate to others. In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we dive into how immersive narratives calm stress, inspire reflection, and foster compassion across differences. We also explore how stories of resilience, joy, and tradition leave lasting impressions that influence our relationships and sense of self.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Choose a meaningful story: Bring to mind a personal memory, family tradition, or moment that carries emotion, care, or learning.
2. Settle the body first: Take a few slow breaths and notice your posture, helping your nervous system feel steady and present.
3. Recall sensory details: Gently remember what you saw, heard, smelled, or felt in the moment, letting the story come alive without forcing it.
4. Notice what matters: As the story unfolds, pay attention to themes of connection, care, resilience, or joy that stand out to you.
5. Reflect on its meaning: Ask yourself what this story has shaped in you—how it influences your values, relationships, or sense of belonging.
6. Share or carry it forward: If it feels right, share the story with someone you trust, write it down, or hold it quietly as a reminder of connection and continuity.

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Today’s Guests:

SAFA SULEIMAN is an elementary school teacher and author of the new children’s book Hilwa’s Gifts.

Learn more about Safa here: https://www.safasuleiman.com/

MELANIE GREEN is a social psychologist at the University at Buffalo who has published widely on narrative persuasion and the power of storytelling.

See more on Melanie’s work here: https://tinyurl.com/e5fd8bu5

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:

How Thinking About Your Ancestors Can Help You Thrive: https://tinyurl.com/4u6vzs2w
Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj
How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc

Related Happiness Breaks:

A Meditation on Love and Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/ye6baxv3
Our Deep Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/jthxkpjd
Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3

Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/2tkvdyr8

También tenemos esta meditación en Español.

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4rjmambm