Dr. J's Blog

When you think about your involvement with a group of students, do you plan to be involved with all of them, some of them, or just those who need your help? Do you devote most of your time to all students or just those who are struggling?

Teaching often takes a great deal of time and energy. When you are assigned a large class, the number of students and responsibilities vying for your attention increases and this can create a time crunch. If you teach courses in a traditional college classroom you know how much time it takes to develop lectures and grade papers or exams. Online instructors may not have to develop course materials; however, they usually have weekly discussions and feedback expectations that demand a significant investment of time. For example, one online school...

When you are faced with challenges in your career, how do you respond? When you experience negative emotional reactions about your job, can you control what you feel? Do you know what it means to be resilient?  The word resilience typically refers to a person's ability to bounce back from setbacks; however, as an educator and career coach I've learned that a person who becomes resilient has developed a success focused mindset.

Where resiliency matters most is on the job because this demonstrates to an employer that you are flexible and adaptable to changes and new situations. What it doesn't mean is that you are emotionally bulletproof as there are times when you have to take the emotional hit and work through what you are feeling as circumstances around you change. A resilient...

Do you feel knots in your stomach the moment you begin your work day? Does the phone ring and you immediately dread answering it? Or does your workday begin fairly well but become progressively worse, especially as the week continues and the demands never seem to let up?

There are many circumstances on the job that can have an adverse impact on performance, from poor working conditions to numerous responsibilities and an over-extended schedule. But there is one condition that can arise as a result of not responding well to circumstances, which can have a negative effect on a person's well-being, and that is the condition known as stress. While it may seem that there is not much more to be said about this topic, given how extensively the subject of stress management has been...

Do you ever give yourself time to do something enjoyable, a project or activity you might even consider to be fun? Many people have a list of ideas or projects they would like to complete, and the sentence which usually precedes the list is: If I only had time I would get started. Does that sound familiar?

Yes, everyone should have a hobby, especially those who work in an office every day and complete the same routine tasks. There has been a lot written about mindfulness and the benefits of meditation. This is based upon the idea of giving yourself time to be alone, away from your daily routine and responsibilities, to help regain a sense of balance and manage stress. But for many people, the idea of sitting in a quiet room and trying to suddenly become calm and focused without...