UCL Learning Portfolio

This workshop will examine how stress impacts the mind and body. We will discuss a range of stress-reduction techniques that can be incorporated into your daily routine.

Do you believe stress is an inevitable part of being an academic? With the pressure to publish, mounting administrative responsibilities, demands from students, and competition over limited research funding, it is no wonder that academic staff are experiencing higher levels of stress. This workshop will examine how sustained periods of stress impact the mind and body. Participants will be introduced to a range of techniques to help reduce the symptoms of stress.

Dr Serena Sharma has spent two decades in higher education. In addition to her academic qualifications, Serena has studied wellbeing for over a decade and is the founder of AcademEase, an organisation dedicated to enhancing wellness in higher education.

This session will cover:

• The stresses surrounding academic life

• The physiology of stress (The Fight versus Flight Response mechanism)

• The role of thought processes in contributing to stress

• Tools to minimize the symptoms of stress

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Understand the link between stress and physiology

• Reflect on the sources and triggers of stress in your life

• Identify unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to stress

• Draw upon specific tools and techniques to help reduce stress