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

Description

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

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 year—in the midst of the pandemic and all the uncertainty, change, and grief that this time holds—exhaustion is sure to be exacerbated.

This webinar is designed to support you at this pivotal time of year: to hold space for processing and to share strategies for navigating end-of-year exhaustion.

Why this webinar?

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

Though I left higher education in 2018 (transitioning from a faculty position into starting this small business), I’ve so deeply internalized semester rhythms that I associate spring with embodied stress. Instead of noticing April showers and blooming flowers, I feel in my body the sensations of tense shoulders, tired head, and racing heartbeat: my 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 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 webinar 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 others in these finals days/weeks of the academic year.

When will the webinar be offered?

Currently, I’m offering one session:

Friday, April 24th at 4pm EDT | 3pm CDT | 2pm MDT | 1pm PDT

If you’d like to support this work, consider subscribing via Patreon. Patrons provide support for public writing and community education (like this and other offerings).

If you’d like to drop into a session without joining Patreon, then consider contributing $10 (like a class drop-in fee).

After registering, you’ll receive information for joining a private meeting room in Zoom.

Who will facilitate this webinar?

This program is offered by Beth Godbee, Ph.D., a public educator with deep commitments to social, racial, and environmental justice.

How do I “gift” this offering to someone else?

If you’d like to register a friend or colleague, be sure they’re interested and able to attend one of the scheduled webinars. If so, feel free to complete registration, and provide their email address when checking out. Thanks for inviting friends and colleagues.

How do I schedule a webinar for my group?

I’m happy to host additional webinars and to tailor sessions for groups of educators, including K-12 teachers, departmental colleagues, writing program faculty, and friends working across institutions. Feel free to reach out with inquiries.

How can I learn more?

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