Wellbeing and Self-care in Higher Education – serie

The workplace has significant influence over our sense of wellbeing. It is a place where many of us spend significant amounts of our time, where we find meaning, and often form a sense of identity. Creating a Place for Self-care and Wellbeing in Higher Education explores the notion of finding meaning across academia as a key part of self-care and wellbeing.In this edited collection, the authors navigate how they find meaning in their work in academia by sharing their own approaches to self-care and wellbeing. In the chapters, visual narratives intersect with lived experience and proactive strategies that reveal the stories, dilemmas, and tensions of those working in higher education. This book illuminates how academics and higher education professionals engage in constant reconstruction of their identity and work practices, placing self-care at the centre of the work they do, as well as revealing new ways of working to disrupt the current climate of dismissing self-care and wellbeing. Designed to inspire, support, and provoke the reader as they navigate a career in higher education, this book will be of great interest to professionals and researchers specifically interested in studies in higher education, wellbeing, and/or identity.

The workplace has significant influence over our sense of wellbeing. It is a place where many of us spend significant amounts of our time, where we find meaning, and often form a sense of identity. Creating a Place for Self-care and Wellbeing in Higher Education explores the notion of finding meaning across academia as a key part of self-care and wellbeing.In this edited collection, the authors navigate how they find meaning in their work in academia by sharing their own approaches to self-care and wellbeing. In the chapters, visual narratives intersect with lived experience and proactive strategies that reveal the stories, dilemmas, and tensions of those working in higher education. This book illuminates how academics and higher education professionals engage in constant reconstruction of their identity and work practices, placing self-care at the centre of the work they do, as well as revealing new ways of working to disrupt the current climate of dismissing self-care and wellbeing. Designed to inspire, support, and provoke the reader as they navigate a career in higher education, this book will be of great interest to professionals and researchers specifically interested in studies in higher education, wellbeing, and/or identity.

Self-care involves taking action to support, protect or maintain wellbeing. Relationships have a significant influence on these acts of self-care and one’s sense of wellbeing. Relationships are fundamental to individual meaning-making and crucial to the world of academia.In this edited collection, authors navigate how they view relationships as a crucial part of their wellbeing and acts of self-care, exploring the "I", "We", and "Us" at the centre of self-care and wellbeing embodiment. Each chapter unpacks this idea in varying ways that demonstrate that relationships are a fundamental element of both work and personal life and how they intersect with wellbeing. The authors present critical discussion through visual narratives, lived experiences, and strategies that highlight how relationships, seeking social support, scaffolding opportunities to learn with and from each other, and changes in practise become acts of self-care individually and collectively. There has arguably never been a more important time to raise awareness of self-care and wellbeing as central to the nature of work in higher education. Healthy Relationships in Higher Education: Promoting Wellbeing Across Academia highlights new ways of working in higher education that disrupt current tensions that neglect wellbeing and will be of interest to anyone working in this environment.

Self-care involves taking action to support, protect or maintain wellbeing. Relationships have a significant influence on these acts of self-care and one’s sense of wellbeing. Relationships are fundamental to individual meaning-making and crucial to the world of academia.In this edited collection, authors navigate how they view relationships as a crucial part of their wellbeing and acts of self-care, exploring the "I", "We", and "Us" at the centre of self-care and wellbeing embodiment. Each chapter unpacks this idea in varying ways that demonstrate that relationships are a fundamental element of both work and personal life and how they intersect with wellbeing. The authors present critical discussion through visual narratives, lived experiences, and strategies that highlight how relationships, seeking social support, scaffolding opportunities to learn with and from each other, and changes in practise become acts of self-care individually and collectively. There has arguably never been a more important time to raise awareness of self-care and wellbeing as central to the nature of work in higher education. Healthy Relationships in Higher Education: Promoting Wellbeing Across Academia highlights new ways of working in higher education that disrupt current tensions that neglect wellbeing and will be of interest to anyone working in this environment.

This volume focuses on individual and collective practices of creativity, embodiment and movement as acts of self-care and wellbeing.Creative Expression and Wellbeing in Higher Education positions creative expression as an important act for professionals working in higher education, as a way to connect, communicate, practice activism or simply slow down. Through examples as diverse as movement through dance and exercise, expression through drawing, writing or singing and creating objects with one’s hands, the authors share how individual and collective acts of creativity and movement enhance, support and embrace wellbeing, offering guidance to the reader on how such creative expression can be adopted as self-care practice. This book highlights how connection to hand, body, voice and mind has been imperative in this process for expression, fl ow and engagement with self and wellbeing practices.Self-care and wellbeing are complex at the best of times. In higher education, these are actions that are constantly being grappled with personally, collectively and systematically. Designed to support readers working in higher education, this book will also be of great interest to professionals and researchers.

This volume focuses on individual and collective practices of creativity, embodiment and movement as acts of self-care and wellbeing.Creative Expression and Wellbeing in Higher Education positions creative expression as an important act for professionals working in higher education, as a way to connect, communicate, practice activism or simply slow down. Through examples as diverse as movement through dance and exercise, expression through drawing, writing or singing and creating objects with one’s hands, the authors share how individual and collective acts of creativity and movement enhance, support and embrace wellbeing, offering guidance to the reader on how such creative expression can be adopted as self-care practice. This book highlights how connection to hand, body, voice and mind has been imperative in this process for expression, fl ow and engagement with self and wellbeing practices.Self-care and wellbeing are complex at the best of times. In higher education, these are actions that are constantly being grappled with personally, collectively and systematically. Designed to support readers working in higher education, this book will also be of great interest to professionals and researchers.

This book focuses on the lived experiences of higher education professionals working in the face of stress, pressure and the threat of burnout and how acts of self-care and wellbeing can support, develop and maintain a sense of self.In considering the place of self-care in higher education, we are challenged with the tension that exists when it comes to the valuing of self-care and our individual and collective wellbeing. In Reflections on Valuing Wellbeing in Higher Education, authors present and explore the ways in which they manage and reframe their wellbeing and self-care, through mindfulness, compassion, connection to breath, ref lection, demonstrating individual and collective embodiment and resistance to neoliberalism and environmental destruction. Covering various contexts of higher education, such as learning and teaching, research, leadership and engagement, this book offers practical strategies grounded in literature and evidence-based research.The self in self-care is relational. It is not just about self. We need others for inspiration, motivation and, indeed, the act. This book will be of great interest to professionals and researchers specifically interested in studies in higher education, wellbeing and/or identity as well as those navigating a career in higher education.

This book focuses on the lived experiences of higher education professionals working in the face of stress, pressure and the threat of burnout and how acts of self-care and wellbeing can support, develop and maintain a sense of self.In considering the place of self-care in higher education, we are challenged with the tension that exists when it comes to the valuing of self-care and our individual and collective wellbeing. In Reflections on Valuing Wellbeing in Higher Education, authors present and explore the ways in which they manage and reframe their wellbeing and self-care, through mindfulness, compassion, connection to breath, ref lection, demonstrating individual and collective embodiment and resistance to neoliberalism and environmental destruction. Covering various contexts of higher education, such as learning and teaching, research, leadership and engagement, this book offers practical strategies grounded in literature and evidence-based research.The self in self-care is relational. It is not just about self. We need others for inspiration, motivation and, indeed, the act. This book will be of great interest to professionals and researchers specifically interested in studies in higher education, wellbeing and/or identity as well as those navigating a career in higher education.

This book provides innovative, practical tools to help combat declining personal wellbeing in the higher education workplace.Divided into two sections, the book looks at wellbeing from institutional and individual levels. It outlines a framework for how wellbeing in the higher education workplace can be evaluated and clearly sets out initiatives for what can be done to improve faculty wellbeing. The book also explores issues such as the once vocational nature of academia, the extent to which institutions can provide allied health care and examines initiatives that individual faculty members have introduced for themselves.Representing new ideas, perspectives and a variety of approaches to supporting and promoting wellbeing in the higher education workplace, this book will be of interest to academic staff as well as professional development personnel in higher education.

This book provides innovative, practical tools to help combat declining personal wellbeing in the higher education workplace.Divided into two sections, the book looks at wellbeing from institutional and individual levels. It outlines a framework for how wellbeing in the higher education workplace can be evaluated and clearly sets out initiatives for what can be done to improve faculty wellbeing. The book also explores issues such as the once vocational nature of academia, the extent to which institutions can provide allied health care and examines initiatives that individual faculty members have introduced for themselves.Representing new ideas, perspectives and a variety of approaches to supporting and promoting wellbeing in the higher education workplace, this book will be of interest to academic staff as well as professional development personnel in higher education.

Prioritizing wellbeing alongside academic development, this book provides practical advice to help students write well, and be well, during their PhD and throughout their career. In this unique book, Katherine Firth offers expert guidance on developing a writing practice and avoiding burnout, providing strategies and insights for developing a sustainable writing career beyond the PhD thesis. The book covers every stage of the academic writing process, from planning and researching, through getting words on the page, to the often unexpectedly time-consuming editing and polishing. Readers are reminded that writing a thesis is hard work, but it needn’t be damaging work. Each chapter includes a toolbox of strategies and techniques, such as meditations, writing exercises and tips to maintain physical wellbeing, that will help doctoral candidates start writing and keep writing, without sacrificing their health, wellbeing or relationships. Relevant at any stage of the writing process, this book will help doctoral students and early career researchers to produce great words that people want to read, examiners want to pass and editors want to publish.

Prioritizing wellbeing alongside academic development, this book provides practical advice to help students write well, and be well, during their PhD and throughout their career. In this unique book, Katherine Firth offers expert guidance on developing a writing practice and avoiding burnout, providing strategies and insights for developing a sustainable writing career beyond the PhD thesis. The book covers every stage of the academic writing process, from planning and researching, through getting words on the page, to the often unexpectedly time-consuming editing and polishing. Readers are reminded that writing a thesis is hard work, but it needn’t be damaging work. Each chapter includes a toolbox of strategies and techniques, such as meditations, writing exercises and tips to maintain physical wellbeing, that will help doctoral candidates start writing and keep writing, without sacrificing their health, wellbeing or relationships. Relevant at any stage of the writing process, this book will help doctoral students and early career researchers to produce great words that people want to read, examiners want to pass and editors want to publish.

Presenting a collective international story, this book demonstrates the importance of compassion as an act of self-care in the face of change and disruption, providing guidance on how to cope under trying conditions in higher education settings.Practising Compassion in Higher Education presents an opportunity to learn through story and by taking proactive action for our wellbeing. It highlights the need to protect and maintain the wellbeing of staff and students, positioning the COVID-19 pandemic as a major catalyst of disruption. The chapters connect theory with lived experience, exploring self-compassion in work and research, compassion in teaching practice and within the personal/professional blur. The book’s contributors bring a range of theoretical and personal perspectives from various global contexts, sharing their own approaches to self-care and how compassion has become a central and crucial element of this practice.This book takes a unique approach to navigating and surviving the higher education environment and offers valuable lessons for the pandemic era and beyond. This will be an essential resource for students and professionals working in all areas of higher education.

Presenting a collective international story, this book demonstrates the importance of compassion as an act of self-care in the face of change and disruption, providing guidance on how to cope under trying conditions in higher education settings.Practising Compassion in Higher Education presents an opportunity to learn through story and by taking proactive action for our wellbeing. It highlights the need to protect and maintain the wellbeing of staff and students, positioning the COVID-19 pandemic as a major catalyst of disruption. The chapters connect theory with lived experience, exploring self-compassion in work and research, compassion in teaching practice and within the personal/professional blur. The book’s contributors bring a range of theoretical and personal perspectives from various global contexts, sharing their own approaches to self-care and how compassion has become a central and crucial element of this practice.This book takes a unique approach to navigating and surviving the higher education environment and offers valuable lessons for the pandemic era and beyond. This will be an essential resource for students and professionals working in all areas of higher education.

Through a lens of self-care and wellbeing, this book shares stories of struggle and success from a diverse range of women in academia. Each story highlights how these women mitigated and overcame various barriers as part of their academic trajectory and provides practical strategies for maintaining self-care and wellbeing. Taken from lived experience, the autoethnographic narrative approach provides a deeper, personal understanding of the obstacles faced by women throughout an academic career and guidance on how these might be navigated in a way that avoids self-sacrificing. This collection goes further to illustrate the ways that higher education institutions can be more accommodating of the needs of women.

Through a lens of self-care and wellbeing, this book shares stories of struggle and success from a diverse range of women in academia. Each story highlights how these women mitigated and overcame various barriers as part of their academic trajectory and provides practical strategies for maintaining self-care and wellbeing. Taken from lived experience, the autoethnographic narrative approach provides a deeper, personal understanding of the obstacles faced by women throughout an academic career and guidance on how these might be navigated in a way that avoids self-sacrificing. This collection goes further to illustrate the ways that higher education institutions can be more accommodating of the needs of women.

This book provides an evidence-based approach to sustainable self-care, anchoring these strategies in individual academic workers’ core personal values. It teaches readers how to use their values to leverage self-care strategies into a workable, individualized, and effective map to wellness.Working in the demanding environment of higher education can leave little time for self-care, yet making space for wellness and self-care is essential to creating a creative and innovative environment for academic work. This book shows how to create and successfully implement realistic self-care plans. By identifying core values and using these to develop individualized self-care plans, Sustaining Your Well-Being in Higher Education pushes back against a one-size-fits-all approach while also discussing the role of self-care in academic labor activism and providing strategies for readers to become advocates for better self-care practices within their zones of influence.Designed to provide academic workers with the skills they need to develop workable and sustainable self-care plans, this book is an invaluable resource for students and professionals working in all areas of higher education.

This book provides an evidence-based approach to sustainable self-care, anchoring these strategies in individual academic workers’ core personal values. It teaches readers how to use their values to leverage self-care strategies into a workable, individualized, and effective map to wellness.Working in the demanding environment of higher education can leave little time for self-care, yet making space for wellness and self-care is essential to creating a creative and innovative environment for academic work. This book shows how to create and successfully implement realistic self-care plans. By identifying core values and using these to develop individualized self-care plans, Sustaining Your Well-Being in Higher Education pushes back against a one-size-fits-all approach while also discussing the role of self-care in academic labor activism and providing strategies for readers to become advocates for better self-care practices within their zones of influence.Designed to provide academic workers with the skills they need to develop workable and sustainable self-care plans, this book is an invaluable resource for students and professionals working in all areas of higher education.

This book illuminates international voices of those who feel empowered to do things differently in higher education, providing inspiration to those who are seeking guidance, reassurance, or a beacon of hope.Doing things differently comes with an awareness and curiosity to explore what can be. Increasingly, more and more professionals in higher education are choosing themselves, happiness, families, relationships, kindness, and compassion over arbitrary notions of institutional prestige, continuous pressure to overwork, and competitiveness with others. The chapters in this book do more than highlight flaws in the system, they call for proactive engagement in interrupting and reimagining what is broken. The authors share their own experiences as a way of encouraging readers to take small steps towards self-care, to notice their surroundings, and to embrace change as an empowering tool. The focus is on becoming the change we aspire to see, with a collective readiness to instigate positive transformations.Sharing ambitious ideas to encourage change, this book is a valuable resource for those seeking to enhance their self-care and wellbeing in the higher education context, and for those seeking to engage with others in support of these efforts.

This book illuminates international voices of those who feel empowered to do things differently in higher education, providing inspiration to those who are seeking guidance, reassurance, or a beacon of hope.Doing things differently comes with an awareness and curiosity to explore what can be. Increasingly, more and more professionals in higher education are choosing themselves, happiness, families, relationships, kindness, and compassion over arbitrary notions of institutional prestige, continuous pressure to overwork, and competitiveness with others. The chapters in this book do more than highlight flaws in the system, they call for proactive engagement in interrupting and reimagining what is broken. The authors share their own experiences as a way of encouraging readers to take small steps towards self-care, to notice their surroundings, and to embrace change as an empowering tool. The focus is on becoming the change we aspire to see, with a collective readiness to instigate positive transformations.Sharing ambitious ideas to encourage change, this book is a valuable resource for those seeking to enhance their self-care and wellbeing in the higher education context, and for those seeking to engage with others in support of these efforts.

Bringing together international perspectives, this book demonstrates the importance of reframing time in higher education and how we can view it as a resource to support wellbeing and self-care.Time is a central part of our lives and structures our days, and yet often we don’t think about the socially constructed nature of time or how we might reframe our relationship with time and our work in ways that support our self-care and wellbeing. Exploring Time as a Resource for Wellness in Higher Education suggests an alternative way to look at how we structure our time to better support our wellbeing. Drawing on a range of theoretical and personal perspectives, the authors advocate for a reconsideration and reconceptualization of our relationship with time. By sharing their experiences, the authors encourage readers to notice how they spend their time and offer strategies for an intentional focus on the relationship between time, self-care, and wellbeing. Whether it's making time, having time, or investing in time, this book explores strategies and reflections necessary to grow, maintain, and protect wellbeing.This book is a valuable resource for those working in higher education, offering individual, collective, and systemic suggestions and strategies for navigating the ways we see time and wellbeing.

Bringing together international perspectives, this book demonstrates the importance of reframing time in higher education and how we can view it as a resource to support wellbeing and self-care.Time is a central part of our lives and structures our days, and yet often we don’t think about the socially constructed nature of time or how we might reframe our relationship with time and our work in ways that support our self-care and wellbeing. Exploring Time as a Resource for Wellness in Higher Education suggests an alternative way to look at how we structure our time to better support our wellbeing. Drawing on a range of theoretical and personal perspectives, the authors advocate for a reconsideration and reconceptualization of our relationship with time. By sharing their experiences, the authors encourage readers to notice how they spend their time and offer strategies for an intentional focus on the relationship between time, self-care, and wellbeing. Whether it's making time, having time, or investing in time, this book explores strategies and reflections necessary to grow, maintain, and protect wellbeing.This book is a valuable resource for those working in higher education, offering individual, collective, and systemic suggestions and strategies for navigating the ways we see time and wellbeing.

With a focus on skills development, this book provides guidance on how to navigate transitions between career stages in higher education and how to maintain wellbeing in the process.In a fast-paced and ever-changing environment, a career path in higher education can demand rapid transition. This book provides comprehensive coverage of the kinds of transitions one may face in higher education and how to navigate them successfully while focusing on wellbeing and self-care. Centred around first-person accounts, the chapters illustrate the key issues around transitions and their impacts and provide suggestions for how to adapt through self-care. The authors offer insights from their own personal experiences, enabling the reader to develop an action plan of their own or to share with and guide students and early career mentees. The tools and strategies outlined in the book make up a library of resources that can be called upon at any stage of the journey.Written with all career stages in mind, this book will be an essential resource for new and experienced researchers alike.

With a focus on skills development, this book provides guidance on how to navigate transitions between career stages in higher education and how to maintain wellbeing in the process.In a fast-paced and ever-changing environment, a career path in higher education can demand rapid transition. This book provides comprehensive coverage of the kinds of transitions one may face in higher education and how to navigate them successfully while focusing on wellbeing and self-care. Centred around first-person accounts, the chapters illustrate the key issues around transitions and their impacts and provide suggestions for how to adapt through self-care. The authors offer insights from their own personal experiences, enabling the reader to develop an action plan of their own or to share with and guide students and early career mentees. The tools and strategies outlined in the book make up a library of resources that can be called upon at any stage of the journey.Written with all career stages in mind, this book will be an essential resource for new and experienced researchers alike.

Providing insights, ideas, strategies and compassion, this book offers a new way of looking at self-care for educators experiencing exhaustion and stress, or who may simply be feeling more tired than they should be.Drawing on personal experiences of burnout, as well as research in wellbeing literacy, self-care and positive psychology, Narelle Lemon presents a new framework for self-care. Designed especially for teachers of any discipline or sector, the framework is based on five key dimensions:self-compassion,mindful awareness,habits,time, andempowerment.Evidence-based and easy to follow, these dimensions scaffold the tools and strategies offered in the book, allowing the reader to create their own toolbox based on what resonates with them most. The book is designed to be flexible, so the reader is encouraged to follow the recommendations as closely as they wish, or to take inspiration for their own ideas, acknowledging that tools will change over time and across contexts. The practical tools in this book are further supported by reflective prompts, as well as opportunities for extension with tips for leaders, working groups and the education sector more broadly.Written by a teacher for teachers, this book gives you not only the tools but also the permission to look after yourself. It will show you that self-care is an act of self-love, self-compassion, and self-awareness, and that it is relational and you need to care for you in order to care for others.

Providing insights, ideas, strategies and compassion, this book offers a new way of looking at self-care for educators experiencing exhaustion and stress, or who may simply be feeling more tired than they should be.Drawing on personal experiences of burnout, as well as research in wellbeing literacy, self-care and positive psychology, Narelle Lemon presents a new framework for self-care. Designed especially for teachers of any discipline or sector, the framework is based on five key dimensions:self-compassion,mindful awareness,habits,time, andempowerment.Evidence-based and easy to follow, these dimensions scaffold the tools and strategies offered in the book, allowing the reader to create their own toolbox based on what resonates with them most. The book is designed to be flexible, so the reader is encouraged to follow the recommendations as closely as they wish, or to take inspiration for their own ideas, acknowledging that tools will change over time and across contexts. The practical tools in this book are further supported by reflective prompts, as well as opportunities for extension with tips for leaders, working groups and the education sector more broadly.Written by a teacher for teachers, this book gives you not only the tools but also the permission to look after yourself. It will show you that self-care is an act of self-love, self-compassion, and self-awareness, and that it is relational and you need to care for you in order to care for others.

This edited book gives voice to previously unheard narratives on wellbeing in higher education and provides novel implications for higher education policy and practice.Offering contextually sensitive and culturally responsive perspectives, the book problematizes wellbeing in higher education as it is currently theorized in the Global North, bringing to the fore perspectives and multi-disciplinary insights from the Global South region. Chapters present an alternative conceptualization of wellbeing in higher education based on stories, perceptions, and experiences of university students, faculty, and leaders from the Global South region, challenging a reductionist view of wellbeing and embracing its complexity, multi-dimensionality and context-sensitivity. The authors present an alternative non-Western approach to thinking, researching, and doing wellbeing in higher education, offering clear guidelines to support teachers, educational researchers, and leaders in fostering a more holistic teaching and learning experience.This volume will stimulate policy development and enactment, as well as university-wide interventions and practices that can make a difference in the lives of students in higher education.

This book takes readers on a journey into the experiences, struggles and triumphs of early career researchers in the humanities.In the spirit of guiding emerging scholars and researchers in higher education, the edited volume highlights lived experiences of researchers and ways to navigate the struggles and values of research in the humanities. Featuring 20 unique essays by emergent scholars who weave their personal lives into their research passions, this book offers a window into the experience of researchers in both professional and personal developments. The chapters are accompanied by letters of encouragement and advice from senior researchers who reflect on the role that research has played in their lives. Each chapter further engages with the literature relevant to the topic, firmly grounding the work in the academic field. The book also includes a section on how to use the book, providing prompts for discussion and reflection that encourage self-guided exploration and collaborative reading.Providing inspiration and deep insight, this book is a unique resource for postgraduate students, advanced degree and early career researchers, as well as their supervisors, in the humanities and beyond.

This book takes readers on a journey into the experiences, struggles and triumphs of early career researchers in the humanities.In the spirit of guiding emerging scholars and researchers in higher education, the edited volume highlights lived experiences of researchers and ways to navigate the struggles and values of research in the humanities. Featuring 20 unique essays by emergent scholars who weave their personal lives into their research passions, this book offers a window into the experience of researchers in both professional and personal developments. The chapters are accompanied by letters of encouragement and advice from senior researchers who reflect on the role that research has played in their lives. Each chapter further engages with the literature relevant to the topic, firmly grounding the work in the academic field. The book also includes a section on how to use the book, providing prompts for discussion and reflection that encourage self-guided exploration and collaborative reading.Providing inspiration and deep insight, this book is a unique resource for postgraduate students, advanced degree and early career researchers, as well as their supervisors, in the humanities and beyond.