Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1421945
3 Patti Barrows, PhD Part-Time Facult y, Department of Psychology I am grateful to be here at NCU and being given the opportunity to share some information about myself. I have been instructing at the collegiate level for over twenty- five years. I earned my B.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in May of 1995. I completed my PhD in Psychology at Texas Tech University (Spring 2003). I currently work (private practice) as a Licensed Psychologist in the Tampa, Florida area. I am abundantly grateful I have been able to carve out a career that dovetails my love for clinical work and teaching. On a more personal note, I enjoy living in Tampa, Florida. I enthusiastically spend my free time working out, traveling, hiking/trekking, doing and living yoga, which includes meditation, engaging in artistic pursuits and other hobbies, and spending time with family and friends (hopefully outdoors)! Although I was asked to share information about myself for the faculty spotlight, I wanted to also share teaching tips with my colleagues. So, I put a lot of thought into what I would share for teaching tips. I could rely on what the science says about how to be an effective instructor. I could rely on what my experience says about being an effective instructor. I decided to go in a different direction, so hang in there with me. As someone who works in the field of health psychology, I advocate for the mind/body connection. I believe that the way we do anything is the way that we do everything. If we put in the time to take care of ourselves, mind and body, that will have positive implications for all the areas of our lives, including our personal and professional endeavors. So, my teaching tip is meaningful self-care, which has extra relevance during these extraordinary times living with COVID-19. Having an effective, meaningful, and personalized self-care plan is part of the key to my ability to be an effective instructor at NCU. My self-care includes nurturing my important relationships, time in nature, high quality sleep, great nutrition, exercise/movement, meditation, contemplation time, a variety of hobbies, meaningful time with those I care about, and immersing myself in the mysteries of the natural world. Although that may sound like it has nothing to do with my teaching, it has everything to do with my well-being, which impacts my teaching. Because the way I do anything is the way I do everything. So, when I embrace myself wholeheartedly and take care of myself the best that I can, I will have the ability and energy to be the best teacher I can be at NCU. But most of all, my self-care is important for me so that I have a happy and meaningful life because this is the only life that I have in this moment. So, I encourage all of us to find our unique path for self-care so that we can be the best instructors that we can be at NCU, but most of all finding that unique path for self-care is most important so that we can have the best experience we can in the entirety of our lives. Thank you for indulging in my self-care version of teaching tips. SPOTLIGHT Faculty