Happiness Basics
Your guide to being happier.
Our workshops will teach you the skills you need to live a happier life. Our empowering Happiness Basics program will help you understand how happy people think and what they do to create happiness.
Attend the 4-week workshop (a total of 8 hours) and learn 11 practical skills that can bring more happiness into your life.
Happiness is a state of mind that must be chosen and reinforced with action on a daily basis. Backed by the latest positive psychology approaches, Happiness Basics will help you build the skills you need to increase the amount of positive experiences, engagement, meaning and opportunities for achievement you have in your life. Taking part in this workshop, which was initially developed by the Red Deer Primary Care Network, has been shown to improve mood, vitality and energy, as well as physical and mental health.
Happiness Basics is for those aged 18 and older who want to learn how to be happier. You should be willing to attend all of the 2-hour classes for the entire workshop period. Happiness Basics is not for you if you are experiencing severe anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts or are in the midst of a personal crisis. For help with these issues, please talk to your family doctor or call the Distress Centre at 403.266.4357.
With Happiness Basics, you will have the chance to practice happiness skills in class, as well as at home. There is no expectation for you to share or talk about your past.
Other resources
Want to learn how much positivity you need to be happier? Watch this video by one of the key researchers in positive psychology, Barbra Fredrickson. The video is a great preamble to the first self test below.
Next, you can take this positivity self test to get a snapshot of how your emotions of the past day combine to create your own positivity ratio.
Happiness Basics is based on positive psychology, which aims to make normal life more fulfilling. What is positive psychology? Watch this video to find out more.
Another website you may want to visit is the Authentic Happiness website. Registration is free and your results add to ongoing research in positive psychology. We suggest you start with the VIA survey of character strengths and the brief strengths test. These questionnaires have been helpful for past participants in identifying their own strengths.
If you are having technical difficulties with registering online, please call 403-931-5121 for assistance.
IMPORTANT:
- Please read the confirmation email you will receive thoroughly as it contains the online workshop link and other important information.
- Your partner/spouse or support person is welcome to attend this workshop with you. In addition to registering yourself, you will need to complete a separate registration form for them now.
At this time, all in-person group workshops are limited in size to maintain safe social distancing. If you are registering for an in-person workshop, we do require continuous masking during the workshop.
HAPPINESS BASICS PARTICIPANT JOURNAL AND ADDITIONAL HANDOUTS:
Alberta Happiness Basics Participant Journal
- Week 1: 12 Habits for Making Better Habits
- Week 1: Basic Coping Skills — Taking Action Using a Problem-Solving Strategy
- Week 1: Five Questions That Can Change Your Life
- Week 1: Traditional Psychology Vs. Positive Psychology
- Week 1: The Top-Ten Positive Emotions
- Week 2: Agonize or Adventure
- Week 2: The Price of Pessimism
- Week 3: 11 Steps to Stop Ruminating
- Week 3: Brief Instructions for Loving Kindness Meditation
- Week 3: Five Excuses Not to Meditate
- Week 4: CDM SMART Goals
- Week 4: How to Savour Life
- Week 4: Words for Happiness