As students hit mid-semester with its midterm exams and increasingly significant assignments, many experience rising anxiety, sleep deprivation, worries about grades, and the imposing weight of coursework overload. If we are lucky enough to see them in a coaching meeting, the number of issues they bring to the table can result in our own feelings of overload. Give a stressed-out student the opportunity to unpack their concerns and you may discover far more layers than you had anticipated. 

Trying to help a student sort out and prioritize amidst a host of issues can leave a coach feeling minimally helpful or even ineffectual, especially when a student is facing challenges outside of the coach's purview and control such as financial problems, family strife, or mental illness. If you find yourself focusing more on what you cannot do than what you have done, it may be time to rediscover a fair perspective on what you do for your students. 

What can you do to restore and refresh your perspective on the effectiveness of your work?

• Try out a practice of taking a moment at the end of each day to write down one positive accomplishment.

• Ask yourself: How did I bring relief to someone today? 

• After you meet with a student, consider: How might their course have changed for the better after meeting with you?

• Schedule coffee or lunch with a colleague and take a moment to reflect on each other's recent good works. 

• Imagine how a day would have gone without your interactions with everyone who crossed paths with you. 

One more action of self-care you can take is expanding your coaching practice with a LifeBound training. Register for our next 3-Day Inclusive Coaching class.

3-Day Inclusive Coaching

April 12, 19, 26 (Fridays)

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