Welcome Back to Spring 2025: Nurturing Wellbeing for a Thriving You 

Welcome back, most valued NOVA Colleagues! As we embark on the Spring 2025 semester, the Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing (OEWW) warmly welcomes you back and invites you to prioritize your wellbeing alongside your professional aspirations. Our collective success as an institution thrives on your energy, resilience and dedication. This semester, let’s build on our current foundation to further cultivate a culture prioritizing personal wellness as a cornerstone of individual growth and institutional success.

This article serves as the opener for a four-part series aimed at equipping you with practical strategies to enhance your wellbeing throughout the academic term. We can achieve a fulfilling and productive semester by embracing intentionality, prioritizing self-care and maintaining sustainable habits. Let’s take a closer look at how to manage energy, enhance productivity and foster a supportive community that thrives on collective care.

In this first installment, we’ll explore “Recharging Your Energy: Strategies for Sustained Wellbeing”—guidance for holistically understanding and managing your energy. This approach supports your professional performance and ensures that you can show up as your best self in all aspects of life.

Recharging Your Energy: Strategies for Sustained Wellbeing
Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr, in The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, highlight research showing that professional effectiveness is closely tied to how well we manage our energy reserves. Think of your energy as a dynamic system that thrives on consistent care. Just as elite athletes carefully manage their training cycles, professionals can optimize their performance through strategic energy renewal. Rather than pushing through exhaustion, deliberate rest periods actually enhance productivity and creative thinking. Even small, intentional changes can significantly enhance your energy, productivity and overall sense of fulfillment. Taking purposeful breaks boosts productivity and provides valuable moments to reassess priorities and realign your efforts with your goals.

Practical Strategies for Daily Renewal

• Strategic Microbreaks

1. 1. 1. Apply the “50/10 rule“: 50 minutes of focused work followed by 10 minutes of renewal.
      2. Incorporate movement, hydration or outdoor exposure into your breaks to refresh both mind and body.
      3. Try desk stretches, back strengthening exercises or standing between tasks, using reminder apps to stay consistent. 

• Deep Engagement Activities

1. 1. 1. Immerse yourself in hobbies or activities that bring joy and create a “flow state,” such as painting, gardening or learning a new skill. 
      2. Schedule regular physical activities, adult play and creative pursuits that challenge and inspire you. Add a new interest monthly to maintain excitement.

• Mind-Body Integration

1. 1. 1. Practice evidence-based breathing techniques like the 4-7-8 method.
      2. Incorporate mindfulness moments into your day, such as deep breathing during natural pauses throughout the day (i.e., waiting for a meeting to start or transitions between classes).
      3. Ground yourself with brief meditative exercises (e.g. grounding exercises or deep breathing) between tasks.

• Community Connection

1. 1. Strengthen relationships with colleagues through regular team lunches, virtual coffee chats or regular check-ins.
   2. Engage in departmental social activities and include hybrid or remote colleagues to ensure inclusivity. Participate in collegewide and departmental wellness and fitness and wellness challenges. NOTE: Save the date for spring 2025 NOVA Walk Week (April 1 through 4, 2025).
   3. Share successful well-being practices during team meetings. Acknowledge and celebrate colleagues who actively contribute to fostering a positive work wellness culture.
   4. Build a network of support within and beyond your workplace. Visit this National Public Radio article that discusses how to socialize outside during winter for ideas to keep the outdoor socializing going all year long.

Do one or more of these strategies resonate with you? Consider trying one.  

Looking Forward
As we move forward into the spring 2025 semester, we invite you to take the next step in prioritizing your wellbeing by implementing one or more of these strategies into your daily routine. View wellbeing not as another task but as the foundation for success in all areas of life. Your wellness matters not only to your individual performance but to the vitality of our NOVA community as a whole. Reflect on your needs, set achievable goals and connect with your colleagues to foster a community rooted in care and mutual support. Remember, small, consistent steps toward wellness can have lasting impacts. Start with one strategy and build your personal wellness toolkit over time.

Wishing you a fulfilling and balanced spring 2025 semester. The Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing (OEWW)  is here to support you with resources, guidance and community initiatives.

Submitted by:
Dahlia Henry-Tett, Chief Wellness Officer (CWO), employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu