Life isn’t always the way we want it to be. During tough times, how do you overcome the challenges life throws at you? At the University of Macau (UM), Moon Chun Memorial College (MCMC) and Shiu Pong College (SPC) have organised a series of activities to teach students how to manage emotions, deal with difficulties, explore the meaning of life, and live life to the fullest.
Embracing Challenges in Life
Last semester, MCMC resident fellow Alice Hong organised a series of life education activities under the ‘Good to Be Alive’ life education programme, which aims to help students deal with losses and feelings of helplessness and live a life with purpose. During the programme, students learned how to overcome challenges, experienced what it feels like to be old, visited an elderly home, and read a picture book with children. 
Emily Li, a second-year student in the Department of Mathematics, was a participant in the programme. During the ‘My Lifeline’ activity, she reflected on her ups and downs while growing up. Li says that she was quite frustrated over her result of the national college admission examination, but she is beginning to feel motivated again at UM, where she has met many good friends and teachers. ‘Life is too short to let an occasional failure drag you down,’ she says. 
Ben Zeng, a third-year student in the Department of Accounting and Information Management, finds the ageing simulation workshop to be a sobering experience. During the workshop, he wore special gear that impaired his vision and restricted his movement, in order to experience the challenges faced by the elderly on a daily basis. ‘We walked in a shopping centre in that simulation gear,’ he says. ‘We didn’t walk very far, but I quickly became exhausted.’ From the workshop, he had a firsthand experience of ageing-associated limitations on daily living, which he says has helped him learn how to respect and empathise with the feelings of the elderly in the future. 
Participants also visited a community centre to read the picture book The Cat That Lived a Million Times with children in the centre. The book explores the meaning of life through the eyes of a cat. Hong put a lot of thought into designing the activities to ensure that each student would learn something from the programme. ‘Life is short and full of uncertainty, and we can never turn back the clock . If we understand this, we will know how to cherish every moment and live in the present,’ she says. 
Self-Awareness Is the First Step Toward Empathy
Earlier, SPC’s Dream Building Team invited Liu Naihua, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, to give a lecture in the college. During her talk, Prof Liu shared her views on how to deal with difficult people, how to understand negative emotions, and how to be more empathetic.
Prof Liu says it takes two steps to deal with negative emotions. First, we have to become aware of our negative emotions. ‘Don’t try to suppress your emotions. Instead, become aware of your sadness or frustration,’ she suggests.
The second step is to develop empathy. ‘When you encounter disagreeable people, try to put yourself in their shoes, and understand their perspective,’ says Prof Liu. ‘Only by thinking rationally can we express our emotions, empathise with others, and learn to forgive. Forgiveness is not an act of weakness. It helps us to avoid falling into a cycle of negativity.’
Text: UM Reporters Aki Xu and Aimee Liu
Photo: UM Reporter Aki Xu, Virginia Deng, Elsie Zhang, with some provided by the interviewees
Chinese Editor: Ella Cheong, Debby Seng
Source: E-My UM