WEEK 1 HOMEWORK

 I routinely suggest to clients at the end of the first session that they try Noticing the Better times, and What Helps them happen.

 I suggest that for a week or two they spend five minutes at the end of each day just thinking about whether there have been any better times during that day.

 If we have talked during the session about better days and worse days (or better times during the day, even if the rest of the day was bad), then  the Noticing Task fits with that. 

 If we have talked about the scale of wellbeing, and what one number up would look like, then I will suggest that they look for times when that higher number seems to be happening. 

 I then suggest that where they do see that a better time/ one step up has happened, then they think a bit about What might have Helped that better time happen. Was it something about the situation they were in at that time that helped? Was it something someone else was doing that helped the better time happen? Or was it something THEY were doing that helped it happen? Or even, was it something they were THINKING at that time that may have helped it happen.?

I suggest that they keep a little mini journal for this, and just look over the different days, to notice any patterns. And if particular things come up on a regular basis as being helpful, that they try to keep on doing them!

 Practically everyone I suggest this to says that it seems like a good suggestion, and something they would be happy to do!!

( However,  I have no idea how many people actually go on and do it, since I don’t directly check up on this in the subsequent session. Occasionally someone tells me that they have done the task and this is what they have noticed, but not usually……!!!!)