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October 16, 2020
"There is no such thing as as work-life balance - it is all life. The balance has to be within you."     
- Sadhguru
Red Med is providing flu shots to all employees by appointment. The link to schedule an appointment is here.
Check out the upcoming events hosted by the Mindfulness Center at the University Counseling Center, including a 2-night Compassion & Connection event for first-year students Oct 21 & 28 & a 4-part Coping with COVID Chaos workshop beginning Nov 2.  

If you have any announcements that you would like to be included in next week's newsletter, reach out to olivia.griffin@utah.edu.  

Finding Balance

 

As we conclude Week 8 of this busy semester, we are reminded how helpful it can be to designate time in our lives to pause. Engaging in reflection and discussion with your GA or supervisor regarding the newsletter's weekly topic can create that pause and allow you to build connections that can benefit your working relationship moving forward. This is especially appropriate considering this week's topic--balance. 
We often hear about the importance of [school-]work-life balance, especially in the field of student affairs. But now that many of us are workly remotely, with different routines and schedules, finding this balance has become even more important. This is why we've compiled a list of tips and their sources for you to consider and read more about as you strive to find balance in your own lives. 
Six Tips for Improved Work-Life Balance:
  1. Define balance for yourself.
  2. Set limits.
  3. Understand the implications of lack of balance.
  4. Plan ahead & empower others.
  5. Leave on time (when possible).
  6. Talk the talk & walk the walk.
A Few Tips for Balance During COVID-19
  • Stick to a routine.
  • Get outside at least once a day.
  • Check-in authentically.
  • Notice the good in the world.
  • Separate space for work & relaxation.
  • Find something you can control & control it.
  • Do something active for at least 30 minutes.
  • Watch something funny each day.
  • Give others & yourself the benefit of the doubt.
Which tip is your favorite? How do you practice balance and self-care? 

Supervisor Spotlight

Name: Valerie Green 
Hometown: Hartley, Iowa (population: 1,127)
Undergraduate: Business Administration, Dordt College
Graduate: Educational Leadership & Policy, University of Utah
Position: Associate Director of Resident Life, University Student Apartments
Hobbies: Writing, Reading, Exercising, Traveling, Intercultural/Cross-cultural experiences
Thoughts on Balance: I am definitely a “work-in-progress” in this area!  Finding balance while trying to be available to my fabulous student staff in housing can be a challenge!  I grew up on a farm where you “make hay while the sun shines” so you get the harvest in before the weather changes.  However, in Student Affairs, there is always more work to do and so much more to learn, so the work/harvest is never really done.  I have to make a conscious effort NOT to check my emails 24/7 and to calendar time for exercise, friends, and reflection.  My 17-year old daughter and I take long walk & talks and we recently decided to cook some fancy meals together with our phones OFF each weekend.  I believe it takes great self-discipline to create a healthy work/life balance. In the long run, I’m much more effective at work if I give myself some time to play!  

GA Spotlight

Name: Diane Lê Strain (she, her, hers)
Hometown: Orange County, California
Undergraduate: B.A. in English Language and Literature, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
SA Experience: Gender equity, violence prevention, community service, Greek life, & housing
Assistantship: University Student Apartments
Hobbies: Baptiste yoga, running with my two-year old German Shorthaired Pointer, & reading lots of novels
Thoughts on Balance: Finding a balance is challenging – I know that I struggle with this every day. Between academic papers, research projects, long meetings, and work tasks, being a graduate student is hard. Right now, a global pandemic, increased visibility for racial justice, and an election unlike most others are adding to our long list of stressors. Finding small things to relieve this stress has made balancing everything a bit easier. Deleting the Outlook app from my phone, committing to certain hours of the day to look after myself, and finding a little bit of joy in everything I do has made finding a balance a little easier.

GA Spotlight

Name:  Daniel Frentress (he, him, his)
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Undergraduate: B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish, Oregon State University (go Beavs!)
SA Experience: Resident Assistant, Academic Learning Assistant, Residential Conferences Assistant, Disability Access Services, Student Accreditation Advisory Council 
Assistantship: University Student Apartments
Hobbies: Baking, painting, & reading. Also a big fan of making/drinking coffee.
Thoughts on Balance: Finding a good balance between multiple competing priorities can definitely be a challenge, especially in the midst of this pandemic. I’ve found that scheduling out set periods of time each week for specific tasks helps me to avoid feeling overwhelmed. I’ve learned that it’s also super important to set healthy boundaries for yourself, and be willing to say “no” to things when your schedule is already full. Some other things that have helped to find a better work/life/school balance are creating small moments throughout the day for self-care, finding people that I can check-in with, and working ahead on projects when I can so that I have more time available later.  

Screen Time

Recognizing the need for and implementing balance can be even harder when most, if not all, of our communication is through a screen. 
That's why we recommend scheduling breaks between or during meetings, turning off your camera when it is not needed, hiding your video so you can stop staring at & critiquing yourself, and taking notes by hand to give your eyes a break whenever possible.
Check out the link below to read not only more tips for combatting Zoom fatigue, but also for engaging more positively in meetings online based on your personality type!
Zoom Tips & Tricks
FORWARD TO A FRIEND

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Salt Lake City, UT | 84112 US
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