The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to all of our lives. As faculty, your personal and professional lives have likely changed significantly. From moving to online learning to navigating testing protocols, it can be exhausting to handle all of the changes that have come your way. New schedules and operational policies are only a few of the changes you have probably made. In these challenging times, it is more important than ever to practice self-care and maintain your well-being. Here are several self-care practices that can help you take time for yourself in this ever-changing landscape:
Set Boundaries
It can be daunting to learn new technologies, alter your teaching methods, and adapt to all of the changes this pandemic has brought about. However, it is important to take time for meals, self-reflection, and decompression. Try to set boundaries such as setting a limit on working hours per day and breaking for meals. This will allow you to have the time in your day for metacognition and relaxation.
Take Physical and Mental Breaks
Remember to take frequent breaks during the day, away from screens and stress. Try to exercise as you can and get ample sleep to ensure your continued physical wellbeing. Take advantage of resources already available to you, such as those through MyLifeExpert.com which provides counseling services, legal and financial assistance, webinars, and a live chat feature (during registration, use the company code: regis).
Recognize Those Things that are not in Your Control
It can be frustrating to alter your habits to accommodate social-distancing and balance online vs in-class learners. However, these are decisions out of your control that can lead to worry and anxiety. Instead of focusing on these, try to think about what you can control, such as the pacing of your class, your workload, and your attitude towards change.
Reduce Stress
Knowing that these are very stressful times for everyone, there are things you can do to reduce that stress. Review and simplify your syllabus to remove any unnecessary activities, while ensuring that essential learning takes place. Prepare for either you or your students not being able to attend class by populating your Moodle classroom and posting as much information there in advance. Consider a “flipped” classroom approach that allows in-person time, which might have been reduced, for reflection, discussion, and questions.
Foster Flexibility and Humor
Be open and honest with students about the changes that you are going through and allow humor to help ease some of the strain. Also realize that not every new plan will work seamlessly, so allow flexibility in teaching, workload, and personal obligations.
Practicing these tips can help remove some stress from your day and help you remember that challenging times, such as these, can breed ingenuity and resilience. For help with any of these tips, please contact the instructional design team.