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N479 Professional Activity Evaluation Form

Name: Alize Bowman Date of Activity: 10/03/22 and 10/04/22 Faculty: Laurie Santos

The professional activity I completed was, “The Science of Well-Being.” For this

activity, I was a student completing online lectures, activities, and assignments about self-care

and how the brain operates in relation to this topic. The purpose of this course was to educate

students on self-care and how we have misconceptions about what truly makes one happier and

feel more content in their life. This was based on knowledge of the brain, how it operates, and

how we perceive our feelings in relation to ourselves and the world around us. For the “The

Science of Well-Being,” it was held online on a website called Coursera. It was created by the

faculty member, Laurie Santos and according to the courses syllabus the total program length is

about eighteen hours. These hours are split into different weeks with most weeks having two

hours and others having one or three hours for the week. I split my time in-between two days

instead of weeks and I completed about eleven hours between two days.

Despite the short time frame of completion, I think this experience was very valuable.

When I first began this course, I thought it would be the typical speech about how mindset,

exercise, and sleep will aid your well-being, but I was surprised to find that I learned much more

than this. In fact, this course gave me a new perspective on what is happiness and how the brain

operates. One way it has altered my thinking is that I have always thought I would be happier

with more money or financial stability. Through this course I learned that money does not

correlate with happiness, and it can make one more unhappy. As a result of this, I learned that I

need to change my perspective when it comes to what I think will make me happy. Beyond my

mindset, I learned that our minds have “annoying features” that cause our brains to misinterpret

information around us and what we want in life. I feel as though through my self-care journey, I
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need to recognize these annoying features as they alter my perception of myself and impact my

happiness. For example, in class I often feel as though I am not as smart as other individuals,

which is due to an annoying feature that causes our brain to create our feelings based on

reference points. In other words, I am comparing my happiness in my performance in class based

on the performance or accomplishments of my peers instead of prioritizing my own

accomplishments.

For my future career, I would utilize this experience by taking care of myself and my

own well-being. As a future nurse and student, I know that one can easily set aside their own

well-being when taking care of others. This course has taught me foundations in how the brain

operates when thinking about our own well-being. By knowing more about the brain and how it

perceives well-being, I will be able to prioritize my own care, which will allow me to take care

of patients better. This self-care and self-awareness are important to continue to utilize through

my nursing career because it is unrealistic to believe I can care for the well-being of another if I

cannot care for myself.

I would recommend this activity in the future because I think self-care is extremely

important. For many years I had neglected myself and it has really harmed my mental well-

being. As a result, I think taking a course to learn about how the brain operates and how we think

about self-care is very valuable to those who have a hard time understanding why they feel the

way they do. I think this course really opened my eyes beyond the typical knowledge that “self-

care is good for you.” I feel as though I understand myself a little more and can begin to move

forward in a positive direction with my own self-care now that I understand how my brain is

operating in relation to my well-being and thoughts.