Professional and Personal Development Programs

Open to faculty and staff. Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/.

Getting Work Done; 11/10; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Throughout a normal workday, there are multiple distractions that can get many of us off task and behind on our to-do lists.  In this course, we’ll review tactics to help you stay on target with the many moving pieces of your role.  You’ll identify your biggest time sponges and ways to manage them, create priority lists, understand ways to delegate when not in a position of authority, and learn ways to achieve an acceptable work life balance.

Challenging Your Negative Attitudes; 11/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m. By challenging our negative attitudes, we have the power to take control of pessimistic perspectives and stressful situations. During this course, participants will learn to manage the impact of negative situations, deal with their own negative thoughts more effectively, and learn coping tools for dealing with change.

Work-life Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration.

Sharing the Caregiving: Managing Sibling Disagreements; 11/3; 1-2 p.m. Siblings can be our best friends and partners in crime growing up. But as adults, siblings can make caring for an aging parent challenging and stressful. You think Mom needs in-home care, your brother wants assisted living and Mom doesn’t want help at all! Sound familiar? How can you and your siblings get on the same page, help Mom find the right care and not get entangled in simmering past resentments? This webinar will discuss how to create a care team, delegating responsibilities, managing sibling conflict, and coping with your own stress.

Call up Calm 30 Minute Meditation; 11/5; 12:30-1 p.m. In these uncertain times, it’s essential to release fear and step into the calm. This call is offered for participants to have the opportunity to be led in guided meditation, practice letting go of stress, fear, and anxiety, and be present to having courage and resilience. The guided meditations will focus on breath, letting go negativity and fear, and allowing one’s self to feel inner reserves of strength, clarity, and intentionality. No experience necessary.   

Managing the Holidays During COVID-19; 11/10; 12:30-1:30 p.m. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many people are experiencing stress and uncertainty about their current situation as well as what is to come next. Even as some regions begin loosening restrictions, we still face an unknown future that can cause fear and anxiety. This webinar discusses tools and techniques to manage stress related to both ongoing and potential future challenges and maintain mental well-being during this difficult time.

Developing a Daily Practice for Calm; 11/16; 12:30-1:30 p.m. The mind is either creative or negative. How we think and feel becomes our habitual behaviors. In this class, you will develop a short daily practice for calming and establishing the priority of peace, ease, and relaxation for wellbeing and work-life balance.   This 75-minute experiential class offers participants:

• Journaling
• Breathing
• Noting mindset
• Establishing the awareness of acceptance, harmony and releasing fear

Caring for the Caregiver During the Pandemic; 11/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Whether you have always been caring for an elderly or disabled loved one or are newly doing so in a greater capacity, in these times of recommended physical distancing, it can be especially challenging. With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the emphasis on the elderly needing to exercise the most caution, more and more caregivers are finding themselves torn between self-care, caring for loved ones, and trying to counter their loved ones’ isolation. This webinar outlines the impact of the pandemic on the elderly and strategies for caring for the caregiver in the midst of this recent pandemic. It will help participants understand caregiver stress, and learn tips and coping strategies for the caregiver as well as isolated family members likely battling loneliness.

Radical Resilience: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance; 11/18; 2-3 p.m. The term “anti-fragility”, coined by NYU professor Nassim Taleb, takes the concept of resilience to the next level by asserting that there are conditions whereby we are not only able to bounce back, but we become even stronger as a result. This interactive workshop provides tools for increasing your ability to be super-resilient. Based on the work of Harvard educator Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration.

Corporate Wellness Nutrition Cooking Demonstration; 11/5; noon-1 p.m. Participants will learn healthy cooking methods while observing a tasty recipe being prepared by chef and Registered Dietitian Erin.

HIIT Strength; 11/6; noon-1 p.m. Come for a 45min High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout! Each week will be a different sequence of exercises, with a focus on strength training. This short workout will be a full-body blast, guaranteed to leave you sweating!

Mat Pilates; 11/11; noon-1 p.m. All levels are welcome! You will learn the proper technique of Mat Pilates, focusing on body connections, breathing, alignment, and awareness. Learn how to identify your own weaknesses and imbalances and work with them to restore healthier movement. The exercises are designed to align, lengthen, and strengthen the body in a unique way. Most movements are non-impact and non-weight bearing. All require focus and concentration. Every 45-minute-long class is in a small, personalized setting allowing us to meet each client’s particular needs.

Tax Strategies; 11/12; noon-1 p.m. Some tax strategies are easy to accomplish while others may take some planning. It’s important to know the basics and learn about ways you can save money by reducing your tax bill.  This workshop will help you identify some simple strategies from making the most of tax-deferred programs and diversification to maintaining accurate records and knowing the rules for home sales, charitable contributions, and childcare credits.

Chair Yoga; 11/18; noon-1 p.m. Plenty of people turn to yoga for exercise, but striking a pose isn’t for everyone. If you’ve been tempted to try it but don’t know where to start, it’s time to try chair yoga. Chair yoga is a more moderate form of yoga that’s done while sitting in a chair or using a chair for support. You get the same benefits of a regular yoga workout (like increased strength, flexibility, and balance) but don’t have to master complex poses. Chair yoga can even better your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your wellbeing. Ready to give it a try? Join us for a free Chair Yoga workshop. And don’t worry about your experience or flexibility—chair yoga can be modified for all levels! This workshop will be led by Judith Glass from UPHS.

Yoga Sculpt; 11/19; noon-1 p.m. Yoga Sculpt is a class that incorporates hand weights and cardio bursts into a traditional yoga class for an added challenge!

Gentle Yoga; 11/24; noon-1 p.m. Let your body reward itself with movement! Join us for this Gentle Yoga session and explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. During this session, you will flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders, and wrists. And as an added bonus, you’ll get a workout in the process.