Description

Where Do I Put My Energy?
Navigating End-of-the-Year Exhaustion and Resetting for Summer

These last weeks of the spring semester are a particularly rough time for educators. Feeling exhausted and over-extended, everyone—students, faculty, and staff—are worn thin and on edge. Typically, sugar and caffeine become the way to pull through, as the countdown to summer begins. And this end-of-year exhaustion both exacerbates and is exacerbated by ongoing burnout, or more truthfully, burn-up: being used up, taken for granted, overworked, devalued, exploited, enraged, and inflamed.

In response, this workshop is designed to support you at this pivotal time of year: to hold space for processing in community and to share practices for navigating end-of-year exhaustion. It is part of the workshop series on practices for navigating burnout and part of our longing to find pathways through burnout.

Why this workshop?

Each spring conversations with academic friends and colleagues revolve around end-of-the-year exhaustion, frustrations, disappointments, and due dates.

The body anticipates and remembers this seasonal stress. Instead of noticing April showers and blooming flowers, we feel in our bodies such a wide range of sensations, from tense shoulders and tired head to racing heartbeat and elevated blood pressure. The body remembers that this season is about having too much to do, while wanting nothing more than to rest.

Though conditions stack up to make this time of year particularly rough, especially for academics facing everyday microaggressions and “conditionally accepted” in higher ed, there are ways to get grounded, to realign with commitments, and to recognize the conditions that make this time rough.

In response, this workshop attempts to hold space and provide support: from exploring exhaustion and energy loss to valuing embodied knowledge that disrupts the mind-body split.

During the time together, we’ll use contemplative practices and storytelling to ground and guide a conversation about how we’re experiencing, navigating, and meeting the individual and collective demands of this time. Together, we’ll consider the both/and of caring for ourselves and caring for others in these finals days/weeks of the academic year.

When will the workshop be offered?

Friday, April 26th at 4pm ET | 3pm CT | 2pm MT | 1pm PT

We’ll meet for 90 minutes (4:00-5:30pm ET).

After registering, you’ll receive information about how to join via Zoom. Participants are encouraged to join with video because workshops are interactive experiences. We’ll be a small group, so expect to introduce yourself and share how you’re navigating this time.

Because there’s often vulnerability and intimacy involved in talking about exhaustion/burnout, there will be no recordings. Thanks for holding space for your own process and for others as well.

What is the cost?

Registration is offered on a sliding-scale basis, reflecting our commitments to accessibility and community care. It’s important both that we are resourced to do this work and that no one is priced out of participating. The slider allows registration from $10 to $170.

Registration includes participation in a one-day writing retreat for support beyond the workshop. Retreats include time to connect in community and for tailored feedback through a brief one-with-one coaching conversation.

Pay what you can. And if you’d like to register at a different amount, just let us know. We regularly create custom invoices and include workshops as part of subscriptions.

Would you like to support a colleague or loved one by gifting this workshop?
Gift cards can be applied to this workshop. They are available here.

Who will facilitate the workshop?

This offering is co-created and co-facilitated by Beth Godbee, Ph.D. and Candace Epps-Robertson, Ph.D.

Beth Godbee, Ph.D. is a public educator, writer, and coach (previously tenured professor) with commitments to social, racial, and environmental justice. Beth left a faculty position in 2018 after years of burnout and has written about her experiences with both career discernment and burnout in Inside Higher Ed. Like Candace, Beth brings experience with and commitments to contemplative writing, meditation, and intuitive + embodied decision-making.

Candace Epps-Robertson, Ph.D. is a writer and educator who has also been a caregiver for most of her working life. She’s contended with various stages of burnout on the tenure track as a writer, teacher, and caregiver for aging parents with terminal conditions. Her commitment to helping others manage burnout is grounded in mindfulness practices, experiencing writing as a practice of self-discovery, and believing in the power of shared stories and experiences for transformation.

What do others say?

“For those in burnout (everyone?), I definitely recommend these workshops facilitated by Beth Godbee and Candace Epps-Robertson, both fantastic humans, writers, and academics. I’ve been working with Beth for over three years as I’ve navigated burnout, and I can’t express how important that work has been for my discernment and health. Candace and Beth facilitate weekly writing groups, too–which I’ve been doing for a couple of years–so if you’re looking for writing and community, definitely check their offerings. So meaningful in so many ways.” —Jenny in Austin

“I really appreciate Beth’s and Candace’s attention to people who are working in higher education contexts, focus on collective efforts, and practical guidance.” —Briana in Houston

How can I learn more?

Contact Beth with any questions, concerns, or accessibility considerations.

Or navigate over to Candace’s web page on support for writers.

And read our collaborative blog post: “Q&A with Candace Epps-Roberts: On Seasons of Life, Writing, and Career.”

If you know others who might be interested in this workshop, please share with them. 🙂 We really appreciate referrals, as this work happens through personal connections and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Thanks!