Mindful Minutes Keep UTO Centered as ASU Enters Hybrid Modalities

Read more Remote Resilience stories.

By Antonio Miranda, UTO Training & Quality Manager

We are all experiencing high levels of stress today. We are working remotely and can’t get out of the house to do most of our normal day-to-day activities. Our social life has been impacted tremendously; we can’t be with our friends, colleagues and even family members. We are feeling more isolated, and while returning to our physical workspace is on the horizon, it is not coming fast enough for some of us. 

Home is where the heart is, but so is everything else. Our homes have become our new work, meeting, school and “everything else” space. Everything is done at home; it feels as if we are connected 24/7. We are teachers, network engineers, Zoom specialists and much more. How do we differentiate our work space from our home space? It looks like a lot of people are having trouble doing this. As Bloomberg Business reported, “employees are logging three hours more per day on the job” now that we are working from home. We are spending more time at “work” and some of the results are pretty clear: stress, anxiety and burnout from employees.

So what are we to do? Meditation is one great way to help with stress, lengthen attention span and be present in the moment. Exercising is another great way to help with stress. It has also been shown to help with one’s energy, mental health and mood. Another great way, here at UTO and ASU, is Mindful Minutes.

Mindful Minutes participants come together Tuesdays and Thursdays and share ideas and practices being implemented to reduce stress, anxiety and feel connected to others. Mindful Minutes is another great way to get us centered, relaxed and focused. Participants take the time to reflect and connect for bite-sized 15-minute increments, a reminder of Remote Resilience that can be carried forward into the new world of hybrid modalities and the slow return to our previous returns.

Find out more by joining the #mindful-minutes channel in Slack.

As ASU continues to monitor COVID-19, the university has transitioned from in-person teaching and learning to remote options. In this challenging time, however, the collective innovation of ASU faculty and staff has demonstrated remarkable adaptability. As a method of celebrating the good during uncertain developments, the University Technology Office is gathering success stories of “remote resilience” from the ASU community. The situation globally and across the country is changing daily, but we also plan to share these stories to keep pace.