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Motivational Monday

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • Today I am sharing three graphics with potential motivation for midterms: resting, the Phoenix, and the present moment

With midterms just around the corner (or maybe even starting, depending on the class), our students are probably starting to feel the pressure. If you talk to your Deac and think they might need a lift, here are three potential options you might wish to share with them. Click on any photo to enlarge.

Resting

On the importance of resting so you can do your most meaningful work

For college students, the mindset is so often grind, grind, grind – just work and keep working. Sleep can suffer (which is why we put so much effort into the Sleepin’ Deacon challenge and trying to help students improve their sleep hygiene). In many cases, students think they can’t sleep until they get X amount of work done. But in reality, the equation is backwards – you are not going to be able to get X done (and done well) if you don’t have enough gas in your proverbial tank to get you there. Sleep is that gas (along with good nutrition and getting a little bit of exercise). So help remind your Deac that it is smart to get enough sleep – and being well rested allows you to bring your best self to the tasks at hand.

The Phoenix

when you feel defeated, remember you can rise like the Phoenix

I happen to love this one, because we all have these moments where we feel defeated. And in those moments it is tempting (at least for me) to wallow in that feeling – be sorry for myself, use a lot of negative self talk, etc. So the notion of having a Phoenix inside you, just biding their time and waiting for the right moment to rise, is a reassuring one. If your Deac is feeling down, perhaps a reminder that they, too, have the Phoenix somewhere within.

The present moment

the present moment is where we live - don't waste your energy on the past that has already happened, or the future that is yet to be

This one is for all my fellow anxious Deacs, the worriers like me. One of the best parts about the Koru Mindfulness class I took at Wake was its focus on the present moment. In the present moment, breathing in and out and focusing only on what your body is doing, you are OK. It is not worth fretting over the past, because it can’t be changed, it’s done. It isn’t worth fretting over what could come to pass in the future – because some of what you fear might not come to pass at all. It is in the present moment that we live. Even when the present moment isn’t all wine and roses, you are here, you are present, you are alive. And even the difficult present moments will pass. So being here, in the moment, is where the good stuff, the real stuff is, because it is happening right now.

Hopefully one of these might be helpful to your Deacs. And if not, that’s OK too.

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