Mental and Emotional Well-being:
Stress Management
Emory’s Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) offers a variety of resources and services designed to support effective stress management, whether in the work place or at home. These include short videos and webinars accessible whenever you need them and covering topics that range from mindful breathing to strategies for increased resilience in stressful environments. The FSAP team also offers stress management workshops for your department.
You can find more information about stress management resources available through FSAP here: Stress Management Resources
Revisit Refresh from Stress:
The Refresh from Stress initiative, first offered in November 2017, is a 30-day program designed to improve emotional wellbeing and reduce stress through the completion of daily activities promoting self-care, mindfulness, and compassion. While the program only runs periodically, the Refresh from Stress calendar of daily activities can be accessed year-round here: Refresh from Stress calendar
Meditation and Mindfulness
If you’re looking to reap the benefits associated with regular meditation and mindfulness practice, there are a number of groups and resources available across Emory’s campus.
LITS Mindfulness Group:
Tuesdays from 12:30 – 1:00 PM
Thursdays from 4:30 – 5:00 PM
Robert W. Woodruff Library, Room 226B
All are welcome to attend the LITS Mindfulness Group, a secular mindfulness meditation practice group inspired by the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. No prior experience is necessary. The group meets on Tuesdays, from 12:30 – 1:00 PM, and on Thursdays, from 4:30 – 5:00 PM, in room 226B on the second floor of the Library.
To receive regular reminders and updates, subscribe to the LITS Mindfulness Group listserv. Leave the subject line blank and include the following in the body of the email: Subscribe LITS MINDFULNESS GROUP.
Cultivating Compassion: Meditation classes for the Emory Community:
Wednesdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Canon Chapel, Room 106
Join Emory’s Cultivating Compassion group for guided seated meditation practice; beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome! Led by Prof. Bobbi Patterson, these classes start with breath-based mindfulness practice and draw moment-to-moment attention toward focused concentration, calming the mind and cultivating non-judgmental awareness, a heart-felt recognition of equanimity, and increased compassion for self and all beings. The group typically practices for 30-45 minutes, followed by a short discussion, and is free and open to all members of the Emory community. Drop-ins are welcome. Cultivating Compassion meets year-round, except the first and last week of the year.
Guided meditation with the Emory Buddhist Club:
Thursdays from 6:00 PM
Canon Chapel, Room 106
The Emory Buddhist Club is a student-led group with a mission to provide a free, weekly, on-campus opportunity for anyone with any interest in Buddhism to meet, practice, and learn with senior Buddhist teachers from the Atlanta area. When the university is in session, the club meets every Thursday, at 6pm. Meetings are always free and open to the public. All are welcome, regardless of experience, point of view, or focus. At each meeting, the club hosts a senior teacher from one Atlanta’s diverse Buddhist centers. Guest teachers provide instruction, guide meditation, lead discussion, and answer questions. Tea and snacks are often provided.
The Emory Buddhist Club also coordinates periodic field trips to nearby Buddhist communities and centers. Additional information about the club can be found at their website: http://buddhistclub.org.
Cognitively-Based Compassion Training:
Information about course offerings and dates can be found here.
CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) is a method for cultivating greater well-being through the use of reflective practices. Developed at Emory University in 2004 by Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, CBCT is based on centuries-old techniques from the Indo-Tibetan tradition. Negi drew from the lojong tradition, a set of meditative practices designed to bring about ‘thought transformation,’ to create this contemporary and secular method. CBCT is independent from—and in many ways supportive of—any faith or belief system. Analytical mental exercises are used to progressively foster compassion through a process that begins with the stabilization of attention and awareness of mental activity. With increased calmness of mind, the practitioner can cultivate a greater sense of closeness and connectedness with others, strengthening compassionate concern while avoiding related distress from empathic fatigue.
CBCT® offers tools to expand compassion toward wider and wider circles. The practices support the growth of a number of mental states and behaviors valued across cultures, such as kindness, gratitude, generosity, and warm-heartedness. The fundamental premise is that compassion is a trait that can be developed and expanded. This view is supported by contemporary science as well as by most spiritual traditions.
The Emory-Tibet Partnership offers a number of CBCT® courses, and Emory employees and students are eligible for reduced tuition rates. For more information and to register for CBCT® courses, visit their Website: https://tibet.emory.edu/cognitively-based-compassion-training/.
Counseling and Support
Emory’s Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) offers a variety of counseling resources and services designed to support Emory staff and faculty. These can help staff dealing with challenges and problems related (but not limited) to stress and anxiety, grief and loss, anger management, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic/intimate partner violence, caregiver support, work-performance concerns, and pre-retirement support.
In addition to individual counseling services, FSAP offers couples counseling, family consultations, parenting coaching, and caregiver support. Staff and faculty can also complete an anonymous online self-assessment for private and immediate feedback about their personal wellbeing.
For further information about the services offered by FSAP, visit their Website: http://www.fsap.emory.edu/emotional-physical-health/counseling-services/index.html.
Work-Life Balance
The Emory WorkLife Resource Center provides resources and support covering a wide range of issues related to work-life balance, including (but not limited to):
- Parenting and child care
- Caregivers support
- Workplace flexibility, including:
- Telecommuting
- Compressed work weeks
- Flexible work hours
- Phased retirement
- Job sharing
- Financial programs
For more information, visit their Website: http://www.worklife.emory.edu.