SEAHO Report - Winter 2018 - 29

SEAHO Features

Juggling Your Life and Life as a Student Affairs Professional
By Tyler Casey, Lynn University
SEAHO Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee

Time is valuable - how we use time valuably is where our diverse backgrounds begin to paint very unique
pictures. Work life balance is something that every professional should strive to advocate for, but what is
balance? In order for balance to be achieved each day would have to have the same set of inputs and outputs,
and those of us in Student Affairs are fully aware that each day brings a new set of tasks in the workplace. This
doesn't even begin to bring into account our personal lives and the role that they play in the use of our valuable
time. Whether you are a new professional straight out of graduate school or a seasoned professional we all face
the same dilemma: it seems that there isn't enough time in a single day to complete all that we set out to do.
This is when sacrifices start to take place and most of us unfortunately look to our personal life to make the
necessary cuts as opposed to looking at our professional plate and seeing what portions can be let go. In order
for us to begin to delve into what it takes to achieve a healthier work life balance we must first understand our
diverse selves and make the time and space to decipher what in our lives are essentials versus expendable.
Practicing Self-Care through Self Discovery
Self-care has recently been buzzing through Student Affairs and in theory it is wonderful concept but what
exactly does self-care even mean? Dan Thurmon, renowned speaker and President of Motivation Works, brings
to light the five spheres of influence: work, relationships, health, spiritual growth, and personal interests. He
argues that instead of fighting to get balance in these fives spheres we need to challenge ourselves to learn how
to juggle them. There are days that require you to give your all in one sphere and inadvertently that will take
away time that would have been designated towards other aspects of your life. Far too often in the work place
we are expected to sacrifice relationships, interests, spiritual growth, and sometimes even health all in order to
better the workplace. If we are not taking the time to give ourselves what we need to thrive, we cannot give our
best selves to our students and institutions.
With self-care it is important to take a moment to sit down and go through a period of self-discovery. More
often than not we are guilty of losing track of what brings us joy, whether it be a spiritual connection through
a church or group, or simply taking the time to partake in interests such as gardening, a sports league, or book
reading club. Personally at the bottom of my list has always been my health, if there is one thing I am quick
to cut out of my life it is the time designated each week towards anything physical or fitness related. Recently
I challenged myself to ease back into yoga and noticed the profound impact it had on my mental health. I
noticed myself being less anxious at work and more relaxed as I was getting ready for bed at night. Typically, I
would go over everything that still needed to be done tomorrow during the time I spent brushing my teeth and
I would psych myself out. Now I find myself focusing solely on brushing my teeth and not worrying over what
tomorrow would bring.
When it comes to self-care we as professionals can be guilty of using time as our excuse. It is easier for us to tell
ourselves that there isn't enough time in the day rather than accepting that we aren't utilizing time management
skills that we often preach to our students and staff. Thurmon states, "effective time management is less about
squeezing hours and more about seizing moments." The key to this is to be able to identify what those moments
we want to seize are. So although your mind may shoulder tap you to rush through to the end of this article so
you can pick up that pen and mark this as a completed task on your checklist, take a moment to pause your day,
seize this moment and engage in the following self-discovery interactivity.
Slow down and quiet your mind, turn off the sound to your computer if need be so that you are not distracted by
the dinging of your rollercoaster-rising email. Answer and reflect on your responses to the following questions:
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SEAHO Report Winter 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Winter 2018