First, McGonigal’s story of resiliency is a powerful motivator and I won’t spoil it for you. She has a real story of how resiliency can literally save your life. Start in the introduction, where her story and the very first games are introduced. The first games are are quick, simple, and fun. The introductory games help you in small ways to become resilient and introduce the four areas of resiliency.
The four areas of resilience are described below. Each chapter has games/exercises to build each of these. (McGonigal, 2015, p. 14-17)
- Physical resilience – how your body deals with stress and self-heals – pretty cool.
- Mental Resilience – building motivation, willpower, focus – who doesn’t need this?
- Emotional Resilience – ability to access positive emotions at will – even in stress or pain – wow, very powerful.
- Social Resilience – the ability to get support – from friends, family, colleagues, or even neighbors. – I call that using your resources with my clients.
The book has three parts
- Part one – Why Games Makes Us SuperBetter
- The science and introduction to games, and lots of exercises to get started and quickly see the effects. It’s great to involve the family or colleagues.
- Yes, video gaming has some positive benefits even if played remotely. It bonds us in a relationship. How cool is that?
- Part Two - How to be Gameful
- Educating on how to apply these skills in everyday life.
- This section has more stories, exercises and really gets into how to grow your gaming into an everyday part of life though challenges or quests as she calls them for each of the areas.
- Part 3 - Adventures
- Three real proven challenges ranging from 10 to 21 days for life transformation in the areas of love, body and time.
- The games start off easy and quick and as you move through the book they become more detailed and have a more profound effect. I like the fact that she provides scientific proof behind every concept and exercise presented.
I enjoyed reading this book, it contains enough science explained simply to help the reader understand why a particular game or technique works and will improve one or more of the resiliency areas. The success stories show how going on a quest or taking a challenge worked for someone else and how you might relate to it as well. Lastly, there are loads of games and challenges backed by science to improve your resiliency.
I have savored this book and will continue to re-read and keep working on more exercises and quests. It is fun to challenge yourself and build resiliency at the same time. The challenges and games she presents are fun and uses common video game terms relatable to all ages. It is a great reminder that playing games is fun and why it so great to play with your family. I wish I had read this book a long time ago and could have learned these easy fun ways to boost my own resiliency earlier. I will be referring this book to my clients looking to build resiliency as well.
Want to know more about Jane McGonigal, SuperBetter, and The Power of Living Gamefully? Click here: https://www.superbetter.com/ Check out the studies and updates at her site. Superbetter Show Me the ScienceWant to order the book – check it out on my Amazon Affiliate page below or at http://www.boldfulfilledlifecoach.com/books.html
I am not getting paid or rewarded in anyway for this review. I read the book, learned a lot about building resiliency in a fun and useful manner. I wish to share this with my readers and followers. Here’s to building YOUR resiliency today! Let's all be SuperBetter!
Looking for more resources on change or resiliency? Please see the resource list below.
Are you or someone you know wanting to build resiliency or thrive after a life change? I partner with motivated individuals who have been knocked down by life changes and losses who want to become resilient and move forward with life.
I also am available for speaking and webinars on Surviving Change and Building Resiliency. Check out my video below in resources.
Let’s connect. Check out my website or email me to learn more. If you want more resiliency, change, and loss tips register for my newsletter – to the right of this blog.
Peace, Love, & Blessings,
Teresa Bitner, PMP, M. Ed., ACC - Resiliency, Change and Loss Specialist
[email protected]
|
Resiliency Resources
10 Traits of Emotionally Resilient People 10 ways to become more resilient Surviving Change and Building Resiliency Ignite video - Teresa Bitner At the ICF Raleigh Conference 2016: Creating Cultures Of Conscious Conversations Be The Change You Want To C Teresa’s Free Resources on Resiliency and Change |