On Wednesday December 2nd, Jane presented and drew upon a powerpoint presentation she had developed following an idea discussed by the group some months ago .  Titled 'The Psychological Dirt on Gardening', Jane reflected upon her experiences of gardening during the Covid-19 periods of social isolation in terms of psychological principles and practice..  

Jane drew upon and recommended a source, '10 Mental Health Benefits of Gardening' developed by Seth Gillihan, a licensed psychologist specializing in mindfulness centred Cognitive Behavioual Therapy.  

If you like podcasts, there's  an interesting podcast in which Seth interviews Joe Lamp'l, who is mentioned in the article.  Here's the link  Ep. 46: Joe Lamp’l — How to Renew Your Mind, Body, and Spirit in the Garden | Seth Gillihan, PhD clinical psychologist cognitive behavioral therapy CBT

Is time flying by oddly quickly during Covid for you? Or does time seem slower than a wet week in winter?

I am sure Xmas was only 4 months ago. Yet here we go again. My mind is struggling to make sense of the pace of time this Covid year. I am certain the Xmas decorations on display are leftovers from Xmas 2019. Familiar?

​On the other hand, you may have experienced 2020 time as “slower than a wet winter”.
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Either way, the following article might interest you. The author confirms what many are reporting – time warping.
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Is time flying by oddly quickly during Covid 19? Here’s why you may feel that way.  (Rachel Schnalzer, Audience Engagement Editor. Los Angeles Times. May 1, 2020).

A few weeks ago (it seems) in April, the Demystifying Psychology group ran an experiment to find out how zoom could work for us as a “meeting” tool. In May about 12 U3A members and guests began fortnightly “meetings”. Mastering Zoom was fun – “Unmute … can’t hear you.” “Move the screen. Love your fridge, but we want to see you”. We picked up most of our skills from experience held within the group, pulled up our sleeves and started exploring, discussing, and having fun.

​I am indebted to participants for generating an enticing menu of discussion topics. This year we have researched and discussed:
Forensic Psychology including stalking, psychopathy, sociopathy, forensic interviewing, eyewitness reports, how to spot a liar, and theories of crime.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his family of origin, his psychological profile, Trump supporters and why they support him.
Fake news including the main types of fake news, its role in U.S. elections and on-line dating, and how todays parents and teachers support children to evaluate real vs fake news.
Psychology of religion, theoretical perspectives, spiritualism, and religion as “social control”, “ritual”, “virus” and “mother”.

Bev Lee has been a wonderful support by loading the discussion group content on to the U3A website. (Thank you Bev).   So, it is there if a topic piques your interest.

Back to “Covid Time” – given the range of topics covered it seems logical that Xmas 2019 was not 4 months ago! Still, emotionally time still seems to have warped. How have you experienced time in 2020?

I hope this has been a valuable year for you. Perhaps we will “meet” in 2121 to discuss many more interesting topics in Demystifying Psychology?

Thanks everyone for your contributions to discussions. Stay safe, enjoy catching up with friends and family, and Merry Xmas!

Jane