Campus Dining Today - NACUFS 2023 - 37

" You have this exchange of awesome, happy
feelings-this is what we call a virtuous positive
emotion cycle, " Blankson explained.
Meditation has a variety of known benefits. One
is that it allows us to pause from the culturally
hyperactive world we live in where we are
multitasking constantly, she said.
" I call it the tyranny of the urgent, " Blankson said.
" Meditation takes us from multitasking to singletasking. "
Finally,
exercise is one the most well-researched
activities we can do to contribute to happiness,
on a physical, emotional and neurochemical level,
Blankson said.
A JOB VERSUS A CALLING
" One of the most challenging things during the
pandemic was hanging onto that sense of passion "
as it relates to our jobs, she said.
A major contributor to our sense of passion, or lack
thereof, is how we see our jobs-whether they are
a paycheck, a steppingstone in a career trajectory,
or a calling-something we are personally, deeply,
meaningfully connected to, Blankson said.
She shared an anecdote about a janitor at a hospital,
who, unlike most of the other hospital staff, viewed
his job as a calling-taking extra care, considering
the experiences of patients, and connecting
personally with the patients and medical staff alike.
The outcome was that people put in requests to
work and to receive care on his floor.
" He saw himself as part of the medical team-and he
absolutely was, " Blankson said. " He was a source of
morale and inspiration. ... It was the janitor creating
the culture for the floor. everyone knew it was his
calling. "
DIGITAL WELLNESS
The U.S. is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness,
and the U.S. Surgeon General in May announced a
major government initiative to combat loneliness
and isolation caused in part due to the rise of
technology.
On college campuses, the dining hall is a centerpiece
of everything students do, Blankson said-it's
where they meet, share stories, recuperate from the
day, and it can contribute to the culture students
experience across campus. Increasingly, not just
in campus dining, but in restaurants and homes
across the world-people are spending more time on
devices rather than connecting with each other.
" One of my fearlessly positive visions is to create
digitally well campuses " Blankson said. " Meaning,
what if the dining hall became the center point of
reconnection, of mindfulness, of mindful eating, of
mindful tech use-what would that look like? I know
that that's an audacious goal, given the tenor of
what's happening in the world today. But that's what
fearless positivity is all about. "
Blankson's Digital Wellness Institute has partnered
with virginia Tech, making it the first certified
" digitally well " campus in the world. They're bringing
digital wellness into dining and residential halls using
marketing messages, banners, a box on tables to put
phones in, and conversation cards. The concept is
also reinforced in lectures with slides for professors
encouraging a mindful moment at the beginning of
class and by having physical spaces on campus that
are distraction free.
" virginia Tech is so far ahead in terms of bringing
together a digitally well campus culture using the
dining hall, " she said. " I really believe that there's
something amazing here. "
The goal is not to eliminate tech use, which can also
be a source of connection, she added, but rather
to recognize there's a continuum between digital
addiction and digital detox-the place of flourishing
is somewhere in the middle.
" That is where you're controlling the tech-not the
tech controlling you, " Blankson said.
Blankson is looking for innovative
approaches in her vision to help
foster more digitally well campuses.
To share your campus' story or best
practices, email Blankson at
amy@digitalwellnessinstitute.com.
KeYNOTe SPeAKer: FeArLeSS POSITIvITY MeeTS DIGITAL WeLLNeSS
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http://U.S.SurgeonGeneralinMayannouncedamajorgovernmentinitiativetocombatloneliness http://U.S.SurgeonGeneralinMayannouncedamajorgovernmentinitiativetocombatloneliness
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