Academic Life: Stress and Self-Care

  Saying no is not my forte.  But, this week I've had to start making some hard choices.  I was asked to join a hiring committee.  I know we're short staffed and need to staff the committee, but I just don't have anything else to give.  Teaching 6 classes, multiple committees, planning a wedding, planning a celebration of life, and multiple other projects and to-do's have me simply overwhelmed.  It's even gotten to the point where my stress is showing up in random hives.  Whenever your mental health starts impacting your physical health, that's never a good sign.  And I ignored previous warning signs that things were getting out of control.  So, here I am.   I know I'm not the only one who is dealing with high levels of stress.  Life can be challenging in its day-to-day changes and situations.  One thing a lot of us keep forgetting about, though, is that we're also in the middle of a pandemic.  I'll say it a bit louder - WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC.  

  Ahhh... midterm season.  The time when papers, exams, projects, and well... everything comes due at once.  It's also a season filled with fun opportunities to celebrate with Halloween parties, basketball games, football games, and Fall celebrations.  With so much going on, it's easy to get overwhelmed.  And, for many of us, getting overwhelmed means that we start to shut down, avoiding people and avoiding what we need to do.  So, how do we deal with this?  How do we get everything done? First all, it may not be possible to get everything done. It is possible to simply have too much on your plate.  If that's the case, it's time to prioritize.  Take your to-do list and put it into 3 piles:  Must do, Should do, Would like to do.  And, then proceed accordingly.  Get rid of everything that isn't a high priority.  And, say "No" to adding anything else to your plate that isn't a Must do. Second, start small. Find the smallest thing or least overwhelming thi

  So, how did meditation go last week?  Did you try it?  Did you manage to do it every day?  If not, it's ok.  Self-care can look like a lot of different things for different people.  And, it can even be different for you at different points in time.  So, try to think about what you need today. Take some time to check in with yourself - to truly check in.  Check in with your body.  How does it feel? Are there places in your body that are experiencing pain or discomfort?  What can you do to make those places feel better?  Are there places in your body that are comfortable and feel good?  It's important to acknowledge those parts as well.  Our culture tends to put more focus on the negative things in life rather than the positive.  But, by focusing on the positive we can create more positivity in our lives.  And, this is true for our bodies as well as our minds.   Check in with your mind.  In a non-judgmental way, look at how you are feeling and that pattern of your thoughts.  Ar

  Last week absolutely sucked... full blown stinky, icky, wtf monkey feet.  We lost a member of our family mid-week after two weeks of intensive care and back-and-forth in the hospital.  My brother was and is a huge part of who I am.  I became a psychologist in part because of him.  I admire his kindness, his strength, and his depth of compassion and devotion to service.  He is very missed. The last two weeks have been a roller-coaster of emotions, and I'm finding myself dealing with both the psychological and physical symptoms of anxiety and grief (ie. lack of motivation, lack of focus, headaches, heartburn, etc.).  So, it's time to find stillness...again.  My meditation practice has very much been one of hit-or-miss the last two years (mostly miss).  The pandemic has had me, like many of us, focused on surviving rather than thriving.  And, I've let things slide in favor of less productive coping mechanisms.  But, now that I'm having physical manifestations of my stres