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How YOU doin’?: Simple ways to add rest and renewal into your busy day

lisamooregcc

Congrats! As of this week, we have all officially made it to “The Holidays.” If a semester is a marathon, then we are entering the final stretch, and many of us are increasing our efforts to keep our students on the road. We may be “messaging students who” through our Canvas grade books and giving students a positive nudge to “hang in there” via email. We are also likely to see an increase in students who visit us during support hours looking for help (or a Hail Mary.)

But how are YOU doing this week?

As much as this is a difficult time for our students, faculty and staff also feel increased stress at this time of year, and in fact, we may be stressed out all year long. (According to the American Medical Association’s survey “Stress in America” (2023), 58% of individuals between the ages of 35 and 44 show evidence of long-term stress.)

A few weeks ago, while attending the POD conference in Chicago, I joined in on a workshop titled “Recover from Burnout–Then Recover Again” presented by Karyn Z Sproles from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. As the title of the workshop suggests, in our time together, we discussed chronic workplace stress (AKA Burnout) experienced by faculty and staff in higher education.  According to The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision, burnout is a syndrome that results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by…

Do you identify with any of those descriptions?

I asked around, and it turns out that spending the rest of 2024 on the couch with a cozy blanket over one’s head isn’t an option, so what CAN we do to mitigate our own experience of stress and burnout?

Sproles shared that when we feel stress throughout the day but don’t give ourselves time to rest and recover from that stress, we add to our burnout through a “cycle of depletion.” Instead of pushing ourselves to go, go, go, we can build small moments of renewal into our day in order to mitigate the impact of workplace stress on out health and welbeing.

Here’s how you do it:

First, build five extra minutes of transition into your schedule between meetings and activities. 

In these spaces of time that you’ve set aside for yourself, try a quick renewal strategy such as box breathing, taking a moment to stretch, or taking a walk before your next meeting or task. Connect to your senses. What do you hear, see, smell, feel? (I know you’ve heard this advice before, but these simple strategies actually do improve our welbeing! You are welcome to try them out of spite in an attempt to prove me–and Science–wrong.)

Next, consider what kind of renewal you need most today: Rest? Connection? Or Self-compassion? If you are able to set aside a little more time today to focus on rest and renewal, consider trying out one of these activities (recreated from a handout provided in “Recover from Burnout–Then Recover Again”).  What activities might you add that you know help you to rest and recover?

I know, I know. That stack of final exams isn’t going to grade itself, but Sproles contends that we can manage our stress even if we cannot reduce the stressors. When we carve out of our day a few minutes for rest and renewal amidst our hectic schedules, we tell our bodies that we are no longer being chased by that proverbial ancient stress bear, and we can–deep breath–chill out a little bit. 

If you are interested in digging deeper into the science of stress and renewal, here are some excellent resources to get you started:

The race is almost over, friends. Keep your eyes on the prize.

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