Staying at home can feel gloomy and discouraging — but taking care of ourselves can make a big difference. In our new podcast, KSPC talks to members of the 5C community to gather tips on how to stay at our physical and emotional best throughout the pandemic, whether it’s staying busy, meditating, getting creative, or just keeping a positive outlook.
You can find all the latest episodes of Making It Work here, along with resources about each topic. Also, tune in to KSPC to hear new episodes on Sundays at 11:30 a.m.
Episode 1: “Life Athletics”
If you’re trying to find ways to learn how to take care of yourself, it turns out that the world of sport is a great place to start. Pomona Professor of Physical Education JoAnne Ferguson tells us about some “sports life coaching” tools to improve your personal wellness while you stay at home, including “emotional cardio,” the ten moments, and her four core tips for P.E. students and athletes.
Episode 2: “Getting Scrappy”
Creative, green reuses of your food can benefit your body, your mind and the earth. The farm managers at Pomona’s Organic Farm explain how some of the techniques they use can work in your home, too – including regrowing vegetables, making a stock from scraps, composting and growing basil.
More resources from this episode:
- The Minimalist Baker’s vegetable stock recipe
- Pomona farm blog — how to save your veggie scraps
- Pomona farm blog — composting
- Pomona farm blog — saving herbs
Episode 3: “Make Up Your Mindfulness”
Meditation and mindfulness practices don’t require you roll out the yoga mat or clear your mind perfectly every time — they’re about centering yourself in whatever ways work throughout the day. Pomona assistant dean Paola Ruiz-Beas talks about how she learned to incorporate mindfulness throughout her own life and leads us in a guided meditation.
More resources from this episode:
Episode 4: “Surround Sound”
Life is full of sound, and it’s easy to tune most of it out — but taking some time to listen to the world around us can help us reflect on what we’ve been missing all along. Pomona music professor Alfred Cramer and student Benjamin Cote talk about exploring soundscapes and how you can presence yourself through a soundwalk or any kind of listening experience, right where you are.
More resources from this episode:
Episode 5: “Turn Down the Dial”
Some of the new situations we face in the course of the pandemic might be emotionally taxing or cause more anxiety than usual. It can be helpful to understand where these emotions come from, how they affect us and what we can do about them. Pitzer professor of psychology Marcus Rodriguez suggests some tips for responding more effectively to strong feelings and difficult moments.
Episode 6: “Loaf Story”
Staying at home gives us a chance to reset some of our food habits and try new things — there’s no better time than the present to rethink how we eat! Pomona nutritionist Liz Ryan explains some principles of mindful eating from the shopping cart to the stove and the snack drawer. Plus, Pomona student Makeda Bullock Floyd recounts her own food learning experience in quarantine.
More resources from this episode:
Episode 7: “Break the Screen”
Not all Zoom calls are created equal! We’re living so much of our lives online these days, but creative approaches can help make these meetings less strained and more engaging. The Hive’s Shannon Randolph and Fred Leichter fill us in on some of the ways they’ve experimented with improving their remote interactions, like mixing the “virtual” and “real,” incorporating online tools and taking advantage of new opportunities.