Academic Life: Stress and Self-Care

  Welcome back from Spring Break! If you're like me, it was way too short.  About the time I started finding my center and remembering to breathe, it was ending.  But, just because break is ending doesn't mean our perspectives should shift.  What perspective were you able to find during break?  I remembered that it's better for me (and my students) if I put self-care first.   How long did that perspective last?  About 5 minutes.  Actually, it would have lasted about that long, but I ended up scheduling an early lunch with a friend that I've been out of touch with during the pandemic.  Normally I dive head first into work and knock out as much as possible on Mondays.  But, with an early lunch planned, I only got a few things done before having to leave to make the date. And, it was the best thing that could have happened.  I had a leisurely lunch for about 2 hours and then returned fresh to deal with my to do list.  I'm now very...

  Today I rediscovered my yoga practice after more than 6 months off the mat.  Was it what I wanted it to be? No. My body doesn't want to move into the positions it previously found easily.  My butt was in the air for child's pose rather than resting on my heels.  And, rather than being a long energetic practice filled with heat and movement, I chose to do a brief yin practice filled with slow floor poses and gentle stretches.  As I laid in savasana (resting pose) at the end of my practice, a thought entered my head - Acceptance.  Today was all about letting go of control and accepting where I am now, right in this moment.   Accepting the present moment can be challenging.  I find this to be especially true when I'm super-stressed or simply in a competitive mode.  At these times I'm reminded of what one of my favorite yoga teachers used to say in class whenever he saw us pushing too hard: "Yoga is not a competition - not even with yourself." ...

  Yesterday was the first day of meteorological Spring.  Today's weather is expected to be 67 degrees, and there's an 80 degree day in the forecast for the weekend.  Spring fever has set in!  I'm counting down the days until Spring Break and readying my porch and garden for their Summer look.  This is about the time that many people start thinking about doing some major cleaning out and cleaning up.  But, sometimes that can be a bit daunting.  There's always too much to do and not enough time. So, if you want to start decluttering and doing a little Spring cleaning but don't know where to start, here are some tips: 1) Start small.  Clean off one counter in the kitchen.  Clean out your school/work bag.  Anything is progress. 2) Crank up the tunes!  Music makes everything better.  Put on something that makes you smile and dance your way to a cleaner space. 3) Recruit help.  See if you can talk a friend into helping or keepin...