As an academic, I have been a regular consumer of posts by "Pandemic Pedagogy", a social media page that provides a platform for professors to share resources and to vent. One common conversation surrounds the false notion that because many of us are working from home, we have 'more time' to do our research, serve on committees, and develop incredibly innovative ways to teach online.
While the latter might be something many invest extra time in each week, the other ideas are just not realistic. First, it is a flawed assumption that because we are not commuting to work or sitting in our office every day we have 'more time'. Second, even if we DID have more time, most of us, professors or otherwise, are experiencing the surge capacity or pandemic fatigue that this blog is specifically designed to help us combat.
For many academics, their may be clear or implied pressure to do more research, writing, or service work because of this flawed assumption that you have more time.
For others, it may be taking on extra projects at work, or doing more around the house. Please, I beg of you, do not fall into this trap.
Do not put undue pressure on yourself to do 'more' because you are home, cannot socialize, etc. And if asked to do more, by a coworker, boss, or person you live with - think twice about this.
This is a recipe for disaster.
Amidst a pandemic and civil unrest, we must recognize the degree to which we experience stress and fatigue just trying to manage our daily lives. Our current world situation has been ongoing for nearly a year now, and does not seem to have an expiration date any time soon. This sort of prolonged stress is incredibly taxing for our body's regular functioning. I have written before about pandemic fatigue, and the dangers of its cumulative impact on our physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being. This is not the sort of situation we 'adapt' to, and become more adept at handling, like riding a bicycle or learning a new task at work. Surviving during a pandemic does not get easier the longer it continues. That said, I recognize it is likely many have become more accustomed to the absence of a meaningful and engaging social life, and all the fun one experiences from it. But we still lack the stress relief that comes from it, the distraction from our challenging realities, and the concerns over our health and that of our friends, family, and coworkers.
Stress research tells us that daily hassles are some of the most damaging for our physical and mental health: dealing with the daily challenges like commuting to work (many of us don't have this one right now, thankfully), managing an illness, paying bills, or in 2020, remembering your mask, activating your social distancing radar when you step outside, and maybe learning how to work in very different ways. These sorts of stressors accumulate and can cause significant damage to our hearts, our endocrine system can become fatigued, and our emotional state can become stunted, blunted, or depressed.
Additionally, stress research indicates that our ability to problem solve and think creatively is thwarted by stress. Brain areas related to problem solving and creativity show diminished activity when we are under stress. Similarly, research on learning and memory aligns with this: we learn best when we are not stressed out, so having a teacher/professor who is compassionate or funny is much better than one that is stern.
So, don't minimize how difficult 2020 has been and continues to be. Recognize that the longer we live in the chaos, the more we need to protect our time and our energy. We all need to say 'no' to the expectations, real, implied or inferred, that we need to do more because we have 'more' time. No. No. No. Be good to yourself. Lower your expectations for yourself and those around you, so that WHAT you do, you can do well, and allow yourself to recognize that 2020 is a real shit show with very different experiences and should thus have very different expectations.
I am not saying 'don't do your best'. I am saying to do your best, you must do less. Do less, well. Be great at just a few things right now. And then go for a walk in nature, connect with someone you love, and have a celebratory cup of tea that you made it another day.
Be well, stay safe, and take care.
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