Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Durham

Love is the spirit of this community
and service is its gift.
To dwell together in peace.
To seek knowledge in freedom.
To serve humanity in harmony with the earth.
Thus do we covenant together.

Welcome to our new members who joined our congregation this week!

Our community is already stronger for your presence. We are so happy to share this journey together!

What if we could could train our brains to look for glimmers of good each day?

This is what Dr. Mary Morrison spoke with us about this week, and I think we all came away with some excellent strategies to try!

What she offered us wasn't about toxic positivity or forcing ourselves or others to "just be grateful". Rather, it was science backed, simple tips that feel really actionable and allow us to meet each other where we are.

For example, the What Went Well and Why technique invites us to write down at the end of each day 3 small things that went well that day. Maybe you got to your appointment on time, or got to eat your favourite breakfast. The key step is to also write down why it went well, which builds in gratitude and self-efficacy. Perhaps you'd already put gas in the car yesterday, or your husband bought bread the other day.

Doing this for just 2-6 weeks has been shown to have beneficial results for up to 6 months in terms of increased overall happiness and decreased depressive symptoms, so this kind of preventative mental health exercise feels really doable - why not give it a try and schedule it into your yearly routine a couple of times a year?

What is one thing that went well for you today?