Stress …. Just thinking about it causes our body to tighten, our heart to beat faster and our breathing to become shallower. April is stress awareness month so it is the perfect time to talk about stress and identify strategies and resources we can use to manage it.

A couple of years ago I read a fascinating and very practical book called “Positivity” by Barbara Fredrickson, PhD.  In the book, Dr. Fredrickson discusses her Broaden and Build Theory of positivity and the power of positivity to transform our lives.  Her theory states that positive emotions such as love, joy, and gratitude, promote new and creative actions, ideas, and social bonds which open us up to new possibilities and that these positive emotions can be drawn upon in times of stress to enhance our resilience and well-being. 

Over the last eighteen months, many of us have settled into life as remote workers.  While we had concerns at first as to what remote work might look like, we found that remote work brought significant benefits for our work–life balance, allowed for improved work efficiency, a greater sense of control over our work and more time with our families.  Now, just as we’ve gotten accustomed to working from home, it’s time for us to return to campus. 

Heading back to campus means we will have to adapt to and cultivate new routines yet again.   Our schedules might look different as we will have to commute again.  The time we’ve been able to spend with our families will be impacted.  We may experience challenges around child and/or eldercare as well as stress and anxiety associated with the uncertainty that this change might bring.  What will it be like to be face-to-face with our coworkers and students again?  Will norms in how we interact be the same or different?  How will we maintain the self-care routines we’ve worked so hard to establish?  These unknows can be overwhelming but we are resilient, and we will find our groove again.

Here are some strategies to help facilitate the transition and put you at ease:

1. Get vaccinated: Getting vaccinated against Covid is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your coworkers.  The vaccine is safe and effective and will enable you to get back to doing the things you enjoy without having to wear a mask or practice social distancing (except where required by federal, state, and local law).  Click here to learn more about Covid vaccine and where you can get a vaccine.  
2. Share your concerns and needs with your supervisor:  Your supervisor wants you to thrive at work and wants to do everything he/she/they can do to help you be successful.  Your school has policies in place which may include telecommuting and flexible schedules to support your work-life balance so explore these options with your supervisor. 
3. Take advantage of resources to support your mental and emotional well-being:  Your EAP program and Cigna offer a suite of benefits to support all domains of your well-being.  EAP services are available to everyone in your household as well so if someone in your home is struggling encourage them to reach out.  
4. Make your well-being a priority:  Allocate time each day to your self-care if even only for a few minutes.  Whether it be a walk, yoga or a fitness class, time knitting or reading, journaling, practicing mindfulness or engaging in a creative project, we all need to recharge.  Subscribe to the GMHEC well-being newsletter to stay in the know about the events happening virtually and on your campus. 
5. Start adjusting your schedule before you return to work:  Think about how you will need to adjust your schedule and start making those changes now. Set your alarm earlier to account for your commute time. Practice meal prepping and packing a lunch.  If you have been enjoying a lunchtime workout, consider where your workout will fit into your day once you go back to the office. Think through the little changes that may disrupt your flow and how you can adapt to them now.  By easing into the return to campus you will likely find that once you do return it will be a much smoother transition.

Transitions can be difficult but with a little planning and a little support they don’t have to be.  Act now and make your re-entry a seamless and positive experience.

It is not news that there is a mental health crisis in our county.  We have been hearing about it a lot lately.  In August of 2020, the CDC reported that among U.S. adults, symptoms of anxiety had tripled, and symptoms of depression had quadrupled since 2019.  Pandemic fatigue, job losses and loss of income, living in a constant state of uncertainty about the future, worries about the health and well-being of our loved ones, a loss of the way of life as we had known it, living in a virtual world, and being constantly connected to our screens, juggling work and parenting…. it’s no wonder that our mental well-being is suffering.

I have been enjoying a lot of time alone in the woods lately hiking up mountains, breathing in the cold, crisp air and being in awe of the magical wintery scenery unfolding before me.  These forays into the wilderness have afforded me the opportunity to reflect on 2020 and consider what I want for 2021.  For many of us 2020 was one of the most challenging years of our lives.  We saw or experienced egregious acts of violence, unrest, and suffering.  It was a year plagued by unbelievable hardship.  But 2020 may have also given us a most precious gift, the gift of reminding us of what we most value and how we want to live our lives. 

I am about five years old and am sitting on my dad’s shoulders in my one-piece red snowsuit and big winter boots.  I’m waiting with great anticipation for the parade to start.  My dad said Santa will be here!  It is Thanksgiving and we are at the parade of all parades, the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.  The energy is palpable.  The crowd is thick.  I’ve never seen so many people in one place.  There are people as far as I can see.  People are clutching cups of hot chocolate to keep their hands warm.  Street vendors are selling balloons and hot pretzels.  Steam is rising from the subway grates and the noise of the crowd is almost deafening.  I hear the music of the marching band coming our way and I see clowns on roller skates and they’re throwing confetti.  The balloons are huge, and the floats are so beautiful.  My dad is grinning from ear to ear and I love to see him so happy.