Monday Motivation #15 (8/24/2020)

Happy Monday!

My birthday is this week, and as an early gift my folks offered to keep the kids for two nights. So I turned on my vacation email auto-response and enjoyed three days of rest: actual sleep, but also tv, knitting, and takeout food. All from the comfort of my own home, without anyone demanding to be parented.

It was a much-needed reset, especially as we head into a busy fall semester that will look a lot different from previous years. Last week’s “practice” of the new school year routine with the kiddos at home was…ok. Not great, but not completely awful either. And we learned a few things that will hopefully help our days of school-and-work-at-home go more smoothly this fall.

MSU classes start in 10 days; I hope that you are able to take some time to rest before the semester marathon begins!

Katy

Three Things to Try This Week

Learn about Gratitude — the pandemic has caused chronic stress for many of us, and while an “attitude of gratitude” won’t cure COVID-19 it can help reduce stress and improve our outlook. Learn more through these TED talks.

Enjoy Summer Freebies — get outside and enjoy some of the best free fun in greater Lansing while the summer sun is still shining!

Shift Your Perspective — in recent weeks, several major companies have extended work-from-home policies into 2021 and even announced that they were abandoning their physical office buildings. While campus will always be an important part of MSU, the pandemic has challenged all of us to rethink how work “works” and how to meet the needs of our diverse community in a largely virtual setting. Check out this blog by Dr. Barbara Roberts, Director of the MSU WorkLife Office, about the keys to understanding and adapting to these changes.

More Resources

• Check out the new Involve@State site to explore events and student organizations that match your interests — and find some (virtual!) connections this fall!
• Learn about the biomechanics of walking, running and stretching safely from our local “Good Form” experts at PlayMakers.
• Learn more about MSU’s health and safety plans for this fall at the “Together We Will” website: https://msu.edu/together-we-will/