Today, I have a new article published in Inside Higher Ed: “Honoring Ourselves and Each Other Through Burnout.” Here’s the opening: In the past few months, nearly all my conversations have focused on burnout. One friend is running on fumes, another wonders how to keep teaching when her body says no and still another rattles off a near-endless list of what’s not getting done. Such stories are nearly endless, too. The recent Inside Higher Ed opinion piece “Academe, Hear ... Read more ...
habits
Small-Group Coaching: Aligning Career with Commitments
This summer I’m hoping to try something new: small-group coaching focused on career discernment. After several years of facilitating “Career Discernment for Academics: Aligning Career with Commitments,” I’m reflecting on how career discernment can be a lonely experience. This is true even while many people are experiencing similar frustrations and asking similar questions. How do we shift time toward priorities? How do we navigate unjust workplace conditions? How do we ... Read more ...
Interrupting Writer’s Block: Writing (and Pausing) Through Resistance
This blog post responds to a question I received recently and offers some ways to interrupt writing resistance or writer’s block. My hope is that it offers support for writers (because we all face resistance, right?), while also providing a glimpse into one-with-one coaching. I offer this post with gratitude for the writer who shared permission to use the question and response. And I offer many good wishes to writers feeling the pressure of due dates. The Question: ... Read more ...
Commitment Statements: Questions and Answers Pointing Toward Action
Commitment statements are living documents: a way to clarify deep dedications and priorities and to make them actionable both in everyday life and for the long haul. For several years now, I’ve been working with commitment statements as a way to better understand my own commitments and where I’m out of alignment with them—and, importantly, to realign and strive toward justice. This work has grown out of my collaborative research on “Making Commitments to Racial Justice ... Read more ...
Journaling and Drawing Exercises for Times of Transition
Recently, a Patreon subscriber wrote to me with the following question: Could you share a few journaling or drawing exercises to help find focus/calm/mindfulness during a time of big transition and change? I found myself nodding when reading this question, reflecting on how much feels in flux for me as well. As we’re heading into the third year of the pandemic, we continue to live with a lot of unknowns and uncertainty, a lot of change asked of us regularly, and a lot of ... Read more ...
New Year Reflections: Hanging by a Thread Is Better Than No Thread at All
In these weeks leading up to the new year—during the holidays and covid surge—I’ve found myself saying, “I’m hanging by a thread.” And friends have reminded me that one thread is better than no threads at all. It’s true. I’ve witnessed spiders suspended in air by a single thread. I’ve seen them descend to the ground gracefully with that same thread and use it as a first step to rebuilding webs. (Spiders teach me a lot!) As we welcome the new year, I’m reminding myself ... Read more ...
The Holidays Are Hard: Naming What’s Hard and Offering Support
The holidays are always hard for me, as I know they are for many of us. There are so many expectations, longings, memories, disappointments, and things to grieve. At the same time when the days are shorter and seasonal depression kicks in, there are additional demands on our time and emotional capacity. There are broken boundaries and boundary violations. Family conflicts and forced happiness. Over-consumption, over-indulgence, and over-exhaustion. Loneliness, ... Read more ...
Walking Meditation for Writers: A Contemplative Writing and Walking Practice
Sometimes serendipity and unexpected connections make for excellent contemplative writing moments. To close this series of posts on contemplative writing (for now—more posts are sure to come in 2022), I want to share another guided meditation: a walking meditation for writers. I was presented with the unexpected opportunity to record this meditation during a recent writing retreat. A participant asked for guided meditation during a mid-day walk. I love walking and ... Read more ...
What Is Contemplative Writing? A Definition and Guided Meditation for Writers
What is contemplative writing?What is not contemplative writing?And why do I want to prioritize contemplative writing in my life? While teaching the “Contemplative Writing” workshop series this October, the importance of definitions has become increasingly clear. “Contemplative writing” invokes a range of interpretations, so this blog post defines the term and shares questions for exploring your relationship with writing. From there, I offer a guided meditation for ... Read more ...
Contemplative Writing: Journaling and Other Practices for Reflection, Mindfulness, and Intentionality
This October, I’ll be teaching “Contemplative Writing,” a series of writing workshops offered through the Fayetteville Public Library and sponsored by the Brown Chair in English Literacy at the University of Arkansas. Much gratitude to Professor Eric Darnell Pritchard (the Brown Chair) for initiating and sponsoring this collaboration! As an extension of this workshop series, this blog post launches a series of posts (more will come throughout the month of October) ... Read more ...
