Happiness Break: Where Did You Come From? Guided Writing With Lyla June
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Indigenous artist Lyla June leads a 5-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help do better in relationships and feel more satisfied in life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3622n5s6)

How to Do This Practice:

You will need writing utensils for this practice.

- Find a comfortable place to start this writing practice, taking a few moments to ground yourself.

- Write the prompt, “I come from a place where…” 

- For the next 5 minutes (or more), write whatever comes to mind, allowing your thoughts and ideas to flow freely, without judgment or filters. Trying keeping your pen to the paper the whole time. 

- Take some time afterward to read and reflect on what you wrote. 

- Consider repeating this exercise every few weeks or months to reflect on your past and prospective future. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Lyla June is an Indigenous artist and scholar from the Diné Nation.

Learn about Lyla June’s work: [[https://www.lylajune.com/>\](https://www.lylajune.com/%3E%5C)) Watch Lyla June’s videos: [[https://tinyurl.com/bdhbwyru>\](https://tinyurl.com/bdhbwyru%3E%5C)) Follow Lyla June on Twitter: [[https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6>\](https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6%3E%5C)) Follow Lyla June on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6)

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

The Power of Expressing Your Deepest Emotions (The Science of Happiness Podcast): [[https://tinyurl.com/2uzh3r67>\](https://tinyurl.com/2uzh3r67%3E%5C)) How to Journal Through Your Struggles: [[https://tinyurl.com/yua6wkwd>\](https://tinyurl.com/yua6wkwd%3E%5C)) How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times: [[https://tinyurl.com/3zv3hunw>\](https://tinyurl.com/3zv3hunw%3E%5C)) How Creative Writing Can Increase Students’ Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/4xw8xuff)

How was your experience with this freewriting exercise? Email us at [email protected]) or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ycukc4za)

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

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.