Our office is returning to campus in mid-August. Our directors have wisely scheduled time for us to meet to have a chance to work through our transition. It will not be easy and it should not be something to be rushed. The director of our office, Lisa Lenze, shared these two articles with us to consider as we make this transition.
My first post-Covid conference showed me we need to prep for the campus return
- This article was written by Flower Darby and it’s a great coincidence because she just met with the LDSC 2021 attendees as our keynote speaker!
- “This has been a taxing time” – and differently for different people. The pandemic has been utterly devastating for some and a relatively minimal impact for others (according to them). While those who have not been affected as seriously as others would probably not be offended if you were to approach them more carefully, it can be a challenge to determine the range and breadth of impacts for an individual.
- “we must acknowledge the weirdness… acknowledge the trauma”
- “be prepared to extend abundant compassion and grace” – and for me that includes understanding those who have chosen not to wear protective equipment and are not caring of those that have chosen to do so. In addition, while I held some apprehensions about the vaccines in the early days, I am trying to understand those that still choose not to get the vaccine when there isn’t a pre-existing medical situation.
Return To Work Anxiety? You’re Not Alone.
- “we have collectively adapted to the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic” – what behaviors have I had to evolve to thrive? Be patient, try to understand, act safely, learn to communicate in different ways, learn to implement technology in new ways.
- “Create space for processing and sense-making” – this is something I will need to work on.
- “Don’t ignore warning signs of distress” – this is something else I will need to learn how to do better. I often focus on the work and have to remember the human experience and why that is more important.