personal – Page 5 – Katie Kearns

What I’ve been doing on my break

I’ve been on a mental health leave from my employment in graduate student professional development for almost two weeks now. I’m spending this time recovering physically and mentally from pandemic burnout. I’m sharing some reflections on my physical and mental recuperation. For graduate students reading, I hope my story helps you check in with how you are _really_ doing and gives you courage to ask for what you _really_ need right now.

Journey back to integrity: Why am I taking this leave?

I decided two weeks ago to take a seven-week medical leave of absence for my mental health. I have also decided to share some of that journey with you. I hope that my courage to share my vulnerabilities gives courage to graduate students and their mentors to check in with how they’re _really_ doing, decide what they need right now, and claim their right to have those needs met.

Back to “Normal”

I’ve been thinking about what it means to me to both move forward and return to normal in a psychologically and socially healthy way. And I’ve been thinking about how this transition relates to the work I do in helping graduate students make sense of their significant transitions during graduate school

Crossroads of heart and mind

I’ve witnessed a lot of distressing, prolonged, overwhelming, and inconvenient-to-productivity experiences among faculty, graduate students, and staff. Here I want to share some trauma-informed practices that promote individual and community healing and support interdependence.

Finding my voice/Finding your voice

I want to catch you up – for those who know me and those who are meeting me for the first time – with what I’ve been up to between 2017 and 2022 and what interests me now.

“Introduce yourself, Katie,” WordPress said…

Image: Diana the Huntress. Guillaum Seignac (1870-1924) Look at people’s profiles on their professional websites and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Notice how they describe themselves. What kinds of details do people share publicly with you? Many times it will be a description of what they do: the economic contribution they make,Continue reading ““Introduce yourself, Katie,” WordPress said…”