It’s February Friends.
Can you believe the first month of the year has already come and gone? Time seems to be operating at warp speed these days with no intentions of slowing down. Though the nanoseconds are somehow becoming more nano, there’s still work to be done both professionally and personally. Thank goodness it’s a leap year! It’s the gift of 24 extra hours. How will you use them? We’ve set resolutions for the year that can easily occupy the additional day. We’re busy crushing goals and #winning! Or maybe we’ve already been derailed by circumstances. Our inner critics may be shouting loudly at us and trying to fill our minds with negative self-talk, but life happens. It’s ok to take a pause, extend grace to ourselves, and recalibrate. Don’t worry. There’s still time to get back on task, but let’s approach it differently. This time around let’s invite self-kindness and silence the inner critic while doing so. We may only be gaining 24 hours, but we can use it to give ourselves the gift of self-love and self-care. We’re special. We’re one of a kind and we’re definitely worthy of it.
Did you know?
February 2nd is National Wear Red Day! The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has joined together with other institutions all around the country to bring awareness to heart disease. So put on your Ball State red not only for Spirit Day but for National Wear Red Day as well. If you’d like to learn more about preventative steps, join the NHLBI at 12 p.m. EST on Facebook Live at the following link https://fb.me/e/gi5wkp8Lb.
News from Our BA Leaders
The sustainability field has a high level of anxiety and burnout. Perhaps this is similar to your field. For us, it can be hard to bounce back when we experience, read, or see so many sustainability-related tragedies around the world like flooding, wildfires, consequences of extreme cold and heat, or pollution. It is challenging work that seems impossible at times because of its scale and scope. Considering burnout affects us all at some point, I wanted to share some beneficial self-care practices that I’ve recommended for the past 10 years. Try one or try a combination of them if you haven’t already.
- Take walks in nature.
- Practice gratitude exercises where you focus on things you are thankful for in your life.
- Focus on the benefits of stress since we often hear about the negatives. I’ve found the book The Upside of Stress by Dr. Kelly McGonigal to be very helpful.
- Practice meditation.
- Practice breathing exercises.
- Practice Yoga.
- Consider art therapy methods like coloring books, writing poems, or a similar creative outlet.
- Spend time interacting with animals through Animal Therapy. Baby animals like puppies and bunnies are popular.
- Serve others through community service.
- Unplug and have some set time of silence whether alone or in community.
- Eat healthy, plant-based meals for a set time.
- Try to get 7 to 8 hours of undisturbed sleep.
If you would like more information on any of these or if you want to share your successful practices, please feel free to contact me at Margaret.lo@bsu.edu.
Celebrations
Join us as we congratulate Heather Bright, Randy Ulrey, and Melissa Wormer on their recent graduation from LEAD! Congratulations and well-done!
Happy Birthday to Darrell Clark (AVP for People and Culture), Linda Pennycuff (Associate Human Resources Partner), Susan Schlensker (Senior Human Resources Partner), and Scott Stachler (Associate Vice President and Chief Budget Officer)! We hope you all enjoy your special day and personal new year!
Enduring Values
It’s that time again! This month we are highlighting our enduring value, Courage. We’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and honor our Ball State Police Officers who help to make our campus a safer place. Thank you for your bravery and commitment to serve! We also recognize that not all of the courageous wear uniforms. Whether inside or outside of the workplace, take time to tell those whose courage you’ve seen in action or admire how inspirational it is to you.
Courage. We commit to set ambitious goals and to take the risks necessary to achieve those goals.
Each Monday in February, a courage prompt will be shared on our LinkedIn company page, Telus Health, and under the Enduring Values tab right here on our blog. Let’s chat about it!
In case you missed it
On January 9th, the President shared the news about our upcoming Employee Engagement Survey. This is one of the steps we are taking to transform our human resources to focus on People and Culture. We are committed to making our University an even better place to work and to helping you and your coworkers have even greater fulfillment in the work you do.
You will receive a link to the Employee Engagement survey on February 12th in an email from Gallup. The survey should take about 10 minutes or less to complete. Your responses will not be identifiable and will be combined with other responses in your department. The survey is voluntary, but your honest response will help us improve the employee experience and the work environment at our University.
Please answer this short survey so that we can continue to implement strategies that support our people and enhance our culture.
Quote of the month
You can’t pour from an empty cup, take care of yourself first. – Unknown
Questions & Feedback
Do you have quotes, recommended books, recipes, photos from departmental festivities, an exciting life event you’d like to share, or just want to provide feedback? Send your contributions or comments to Kcwebb@bsu.edu. If you’d like to be recognized for your birthday or workiversary, please complete the Business Affairs recognition form here. We’d love to celebrate you!
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