Resources to Help You Navigate Fall Semester 2020

When we first began to socially distance in order to flatten the curve, few among us thought that come the fall we would still be weighed down by the coronavirus like we are. We had no way of knowing that the clearly disproportionate impact of COVID19 for people and communities of color and the brutal murder of George Floyd would spark a social uprising that would sweep the nation calling for an end to systemic racism. We had no way of knowing that there would be a backlash to this uprising that would enflame an already highly contentious election. This is just some of the national context in which we embark on Fall Semester 2020.

Here at MSU we are continuing to transition to new leadership during a crisis that brings a substantial amount of uncertainty and change. Some MSU faculty, staff, and graduate student employees have experienced salary reduction, furlough, layoff and/or unemployment. Some of us are parenting/educating/working from home 24/7. Some of us are confronted with new and growing elder care concerns. Some of us are working through grief and loss in the middle of a global pandemic, sometimes in total isolation. Some essential workers have still been reporting to work and shoulder more responsibility in their buildings/departments due to staff shortages. Some of us are dealing with all these variables at the very same time.

The circumstances we are facing are constantly changing and have tangible impact on our ability to navigate our work and personal lives. There are essential skills, including emotional resilience, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and mindfulness that can help us navigate these difficult times.

We invite you to participate in one or more of the webinars designed to support you through these difficult times, and hope you will make a commitment to your own health and wellbeing as we navigate fall semester together.

Essential Skills for Navigating Difficult Times

This 7-week webinar series will present the core concepts of our resilience training model and offer practical skills for regaining your balance and perspective in difficult moments. The course is designed to help you find your way forward, day to day, with wise, value-guided, committed action. To register click here https://cvent.me/YgOrZ5

Deepening Your Essential Skills

This course is for people who have previously attended either the Sustainable High-Performance course through MSU HR or who have attended an previous offering of Essential Skills for Navigating Difficult Times. This webinar series will take place every 2 weeks on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30.

If you have taken the pre-requisite courses feel free to register for these follow up discussions by clicking the registration link in the box below here https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WKZoxmxESmC5uG9gUrSuWA

The MSU Grief and Loss Support Sessions 

Please spread the word about this on-going, weekly support group

If you are experiencing grief and loss related to the death of a spouse/partner, child, family member, neighbor, friend, colleague, or other significant person in your life you might find it helpful to participate in our weekly, on-going grief and loss support session. The group is facilitated by two grief counselors and is something you can join in at any time and come for as long as you find it helpful. “You don’t have to go it alone. We were never meant to.” Brenè Brown

For more information visit our website here: https://health4u.msu.edu/courses/msu-grief-and-loss-support-group

To learn more about the programs offered to you by the MSU Health4U program visit our websitehttps://health4u.msu.edu/ or sign up for our program updates on the bottom right hand corner of this webpage.

Please also remember that free, confidential, short term counseling is available to faculty, staff, graduate student employees, retirees, and the benefits eligible family members of these MSU employees. For more information visit the MSU EAP website: www.eap.msu.edu