Academic Life: Stress and Self-Care

  It's getting to be that time of year again - time to return to classes.  A lot has gone on during the summer.  I've gotten engaged, and my fiancé has taken on a position in a new program at work which will have him back working from home taking voice calls again for half of the week.  A lot is up in the air, though.  We don't know what his actual schedule will be, if it will be something consistent or vary day-to-day, or even when he might get a day off.  And, while I'm still teaching from home for another semester, there's a lot of uncertainty about the delta variant of Covid and what the rising positivity rates will mean in the next few months.  So much uncertainty doesn't set well with either of us.  And, our stress levels are through the roof.   For me, one way to deal with this is to exert some sort of control over my immediate space.  So, I always spend a day or so organizing and cleaning in preparation for the new semester. ...

This week my little terror of a cat decided to completely destroy one of the living room curtains.  Granted, she looked absolutely adorable enjoying her handiwork and the chaos.  But, replacing curtains wasn't really on my already long to-do list for this week.  I don't even have the energy to switch it with another curtain to hide the open gash behind the sofa.  Yep, energy levels are low.  This is completely expected for this time of the semester, though.  But, it got me thinking - how much of our to-do list actually needs to get done? This week, take a look at your list.  Divide it up into 3 categories - Must do, Should do, and Would like to do.  The must do's are things that you absolutely can't avoid.  The should's are things that you're expected to do and feel like you need to do, but it's not a life or death situation if they don't get done.  And, the would like to do's are things that you regularly let slip but would really like ...

Three weeks left in the semester, and I know I’m not the only one counting it down. With the end in sight, it’s easy to feel even more pressure to finish strong and simultaneously overwhelmed with more and more work coming due. This can lead us into routine patterns where our only escape is some comfort media. Watching the same tv show or following the same routine every day can be reassuring and relaxing, but it can also create the feeling of being in a “rut”. And, it tends to crush creativity and divergent thinking at a time when these are most needed. Last week I kidnapped my partner for a surprise trip to an undisclosed location. We were both really stressed out, and simply needed a change from our normal evening routine of binge watching another Marvel series on Netflix. So, after work we hopped in the car and drove to Norfolk beach. It was pretty cold, so we only walked around the beach for a little while. And, then we grabbed some dinner on a patio while were there befor...

It looks like the weather is finally changing over to Spring.   We have a few showers in the forecast, but otherwise this week is a great opportunity to get outside.   With the gyms either closed or at limited capacity, many of us haven’t kept up our exercise routines.   Yes, there are always things to do inside to keep in shape; but, fresh air and warmer temperatures demand our attention and encourage even the most sedentary of people to go outside for a walk.   So, now is the perfect time to refresh your existing workout routine, create one, or breathe fresh life into one that may have fallen by the wayside during the cold, grey winter days.       Exercise can be a tremendous help to dealing with stress as well as helping you stay physically healthy. It provides endorphins, vitamin D, and can improve your mood. And, if you’ve ever seen the movie “Legally Blonde”… "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't sho...

With just about a month left in the semester, most of us are feeling exhausted and ready for a break.   And, it’s very likely that very few (if any) of us are performing at our best.   So, what can do to help relieve some of the stress that comes from wanting to do our best when we simply don’t have the energy level or focus that we need?   I was talking to one of my nieces a few weeks ago, and she shared an amazing idea from her Citizen 410 class at Longwood University this semester. Each week the professor has everyone write down something that they will each give themselves permission to do for the week. These can be shared with the class, but they are usually just personal reminders to take a break and realize that every week in a pandemic can be a challenge. Some of the ones my niece has used are things like: “I give myself permission to not be so hard on myself”, “to have a self-care night”, “or to take a break from school for the rest of the day”. The idea is that ...

Sleep and stress… or is it stress and sleep? The two are often intertwined. When we’re stressed, it’s much harder to fall asleep. Our minds twirl and twirl and replay every interaction we’ve had during the day. And, once we’re asleep we’re more likely to have our sleep disrupted by dreams and restlessness. On the other hand, not getting enough sleep can also make us feel more stressed. It also can make it more difficult to deal with everyday situations which, in turn, can stress us out even more. It can feel like a never-ending cycle. We all know that most people need about 7-9 hours of sleep a night to be at their peak. But, did you know that having less than 6 hours of sleep on a regular basis means that your brain is working as if you’ve been up for 48 hours in a row (Doyle, Zakrajsek, & Gabriel, 2019)? Tests have actually shown that your cognitive processing, memory, and even reaction times are all severely impacted, just as if you’ve been up for two days straight! Now…. Think ...

Welcome to another exciting stress relief tip!  😉  This week is all about meditation and mindfulness. As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, mindfulness is about being in the present moment. We often feel this when we’re “in the zone”.  But, the formal practice of mindfulness is the act of meditation. Ideally, meditation helps train our brain to be more mindful. Meditation is where we develop the muscle memory that translates into mindfulness throughout our day. It is a practice – not a perfect. There’s no such thing as a bad meditation or a perfect meditation. There are times where we will struggle to quiet our minds in a formal practice; but, going through the motion is still training our brain. Think of it like this – if you go to the gym, you may not like the experience or may feel sluggish. However, every day you do it you are still training your muscles to get stronger or faster. Meditation is just gym training for the mind. There are a ton of different types ...