8 tips to enjoy the season even if you are an academic

enjoy the season

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”~Winnie the Pooh, aka A.A. Milne

The mid-winter holidays will soon be upon us, and I am finding the need to practice more yoga, not less before I feel absolutely frazzled. I know how stressful it can be, making it difficult to enjoy the season.

It’s easy to get caught up in the stress of preparing for the season, from gift buying to food preparation. For academics, it’s often additionally stressful. Tests may have been administered and grades turned in, but now all the other personal stuff you put off is coming down the line. Not to mention you may be heading to a conference to give a talk, participate in a panel, or even interview for a new job. That’s a lot of pressure on top of everything else that needs to be done.

Here are 8 tips to help you get through the next few weeks and enjoy the season

  1. Be present. Remember there is a good reason for the long break. You need to give yourself time to rest and decompress. You have been pushing hard to finish the semester, probably a lot harder than people outside academia know. Spend time with your loved ones when you have the luxury of not preparing for the next class. Yoga is great for helping you learn to be present. Your mind can run around like crazy, but you really can’t be anywhere except on the mat. I find that even when I cannot hold a pose, it’s useful to practice (that’s why it’s called a practice) being still in the midst of movement.
  2. Let go. Don’t ask yourself to do too much…and make sure you lower the expectations of those around you. Buy less. Wrap less. Cook less. Get off social media and stop comparing your life to anyone else’s. Use the time available for true relaxation. If you feel compelled to make it feel productive, call it reflection time. Mulling things over a longer period of time can lead to some interesting insights. Think of the time as a “purposeful pause.”
  3. Breathe with intention. Seriously breathe with intention, taking long, slow, deep inhalations and exhalations. Focus on extending the exhalation as long as possible, breathing in deeply then exhaling for maybe twice that amount of time. It’s a way of cleansing your mind and refreshing your body that you can do anywhere at any time. There’s plenty of research out there showing that even three breaths in and out can reduce your stress hormones and increase the oxygen to your brain for clearer thinking and reduce fatigue.
  4. Prepare if necessary. If you are giving a paper or interviewing for a job, you will have to spend more time preparing yourself. Once you’ve written the presentation, prepared the slides and practiced the talk, it’s time to breathe (see above). It’s a handy skill you can use anywhere at any time. When you’re stressed, your breathing tends to become shallow.
  5. Avoid overpreparation. If you are heading to a meeting, make sure you don’t overprepare. I’m a prime example of someone who spends too much time preparing. If you are simply participating in a panel or attending a conference listen to other people’s work, just pack some business cards and use your calendar. The business card should have links to wherever people can find your academic work, so you don’t have to carry it around with you. Use the calendar to know who you want to connect with, and when you will do it.
  6. Be grateful. I know I am deeply grateful to be alive and to have a mind that works well. If you are doing deep intellectual work, you can probably be grateful for that, too. Thank yourself as well as those around you for all you have accomplished over the past few months, whatever it is. Perhaps you got a new article started or managed to teach a topic new to you. Maybe you experimented with teaching styles in your classroom. If you stepped out of your comfort zone in any way and did not fall flat on your face, you have a reason to be grateful.
  7. Get some bodywork done. Academics spend a lot of time in their heads. But if you do not take care of your body, you will not be able to use that powerful brain of yours. Make an appointment for a massage, acupuncture, reiki, cranial-sacral therapy, or chiropractic. Physical stress cues like back pain, muscle tension, elevated heart rate, or shallow breathing all indicate a need to take care of your body.
  8. Sing. Preferably a happy song. Preferably loudly (it’s an alternative to screaming). It’s easy to get depressed around the holidays when you feel overwhelmed with “to do” lists and all kinds of emotions charging in from your past without warning. The critic can come in full force, and let you know you aren’t doing something right, whether it’s preparing for the holidays or preparing to give a conference paper. Sometimes singing can drown out that negative voice. Happy songs can make you smile and smiling can make you feel better. Go for it. There are plenty of places to sing privately from the shower to the car with the music of your choice.

Taking care of yourself this way helps you take care of those around you. You build kindness, compassion, gratitude, and trust to send out into the world. What better gift can you give the world than being grounded and centered to keep yourself focused and enjoy the season. I’m off to my mat and practice some more rejuvenating yoga!

Let us know on our Facebook page how you intend to enjoy the season.

 

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