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The Three-minute
Mental Makeover (3MMM) is an expressive writing activity that was developed at
a Chicago area children’s hospital. The goal of the program was to “reduce
perceived stress and improve communication for patients, family members, and
health care practitioners.”
The health care practitioner and the patient/family wrote at the same time, using the following prompts: “1. Write 3 things you are grateful for (be specific). 2. Write the story of your life in 6 words. 3. Write 3 wishes you have.” After writing, the practitioner invited the patient/family participants to join in sharing what they had written. Sharing was optional.
A study was
conducted with some of the 3MMM participants, and it found that individuals
reported a significant reduction in stress and an improvement in communication
with the other participants. The study supported previous findings that
expressive writing can improve mental health and decrease stress.
The
Three-minute Mental Makeover stands out as an example of an expressive writing
activity that does not require a huge investment of time but demonstrates a
high level of efficacy. In other words, you don’t have to commit to writing ad
infinitum to reap the mental health benefits of writing.
So, have you
got three minutes?
The health care practitioner and the patient/family wrote at the same time, using the following prompts: “1. Write 3 things you are grateful for (be specific). 2. Write the story of your life in 6 words. 3. Write 3 wishes you have.” After writing, the practitioner invited the patient/family participants to join in sharing what they had written. Sharing was optional.
• Cupola Corner sells a selection of handmade and handbound journals that would be perfect for the Three-minute Mental Makeover.
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