Description
Subject is social work and not psychology
Assignment: Sit Spot
Your assignment for this week is to go out and do a sit spot! To do this, you will want to find some place where you can be in a natural setting. The best option, if available, is some kind of wilderness-like setting where all you can see and hear is the natural world, without obvious intrusions of human development or human activity. If you don’t have access to a spot like this, a backyard is often a good option, or a public park. Any place outdoors can work; choose one with as little human distraction as possible.
Go to this place at the time of your choosing and sit still for at least 20 to 30 minutes. An hour is great. Your task in this spot is to observe the natural world around you. Relax and try to notice your mind trying to take you back to your busy life, the things you have to do tomorrow or what you did this morning. When you catch yourself, bring your attention and your senses back to observation of your surroundings. What do you hear? Smell?
What do you see in the sky, on the ground around you? What does the weather feel like on your skin; in your bones? If you can be still and silent for at least 20 minutes or so, notice the behavior of any birds or other wildlife that you might see. Do they seem to get used to your presence after awhile?
After this experience, write a reflective paper about your experience in 2 to 4 pages. Share what the place was like, including details about what kinds of plant life, animal, or bird life may have been present. What did you notice about the weather, the wind, clouds, etc?
What kind of internal response did you notice? How did you feel when you first got there? Did you have fear or anxiety about this activity?
Did the experience change how you felt by the time you were done? Did you notice any effects on how you felt or went about your life afterwards?
Note: Many people find a way to squeeze a 20-minute sit like this into their busy schedules every day, in all seasons. If you sit in the same place at different times of day, different times of year, and different weather, the amount you will learn about that place and yourself is astounding.
