Course GSNS Onboarding programme – workshop: Well-being and Work-Life Balance

Name of workshop: Well-being and Work-Life Balance

Course parameters: No. of contact hours/hours in total incl. preparation: 6/6 hours

Capacity limit: 50 participants

For more information about ECTS, see the GSNS website

Workshop content:

10.00           Welcome to the morning programme by Lynn Watson

                    Mind-body exercise

                    “What is well-being?” and “how does our mind and body respond in times of stress?”

                    What does science tell us about the benefits and challenges of living a busy life?

                    Presentation and exercises

10.45           Coffee break

11.00           Building your psychological tool box

How can you achieve work-life balance during your PhD and make your environment work for you? This session will give you the opportunity to consider your own work      schedule and how you can incorporate tools that might work for you.

                    Facilitated work in groups

12.00           Rounding off: reflections

12.15           Lunch

13.00           Welcome to the afternoon programme by Bodil Øster

A three-hour workshop (with breaks) focusing on what you can do yourself to increase your mental wellbeing by reducing self-doubt and being aware of how you perceive yourself and others. 

Self-doubt is something few people talk about and many experience. Being a PhD-student means you’re surrounded by highly talented people and at the same time you’re constantly learning new skills. In an environment like this, self-doubt can easily sneak in. As self-doubt and lack of confidence contributes to both stress development and to holding yourself back from opportunities that can help you grow and boost your academic career, we will take a close look at the imposter phenomenon.

What is imposter phenomenon?

Imposter phenomenon is a feeling of intellectual phoniness. It is common in all work settings and especially in academic settings where it affects all levels from undergraduate students to professors. Despite earned degrees and professional recognition from colleagues and respected authorities, you may find yourself feeling that you don’t deserve the success and fearing the day someone will reveal that you are not as smart as they thought you were.

Why is this workshop relevant for you?

The academic world is full of exciting challenges, and you may be so passionate about your research that you forget yourself and forget that self-care is crucial for being able to stay energized. It may also be the case that you feel you have to work harder than other people to obtain the same results, because you think everyone around you are smarter than you are.  In other words, finding a healthy balance in your work life in an academic setting can be a struggle.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide insight and tools to help you become a more balanced and powerful version of yourself to reduce self-doubt and stress levels and help boosting your confidence and future academic career.

16.00           End of the workshop

Name of lecturers:
Lynn Ann Watson, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, and Center on Autobiographical Memory Research (CON AMORE), Aarhus University and Bodil Øster, PhD, coach and stress coach

Workshop format:
Presentations, facilitated work in groups, dialogue, individual reflection, etc.

Literature: None

Onboarding programme:
The onboarding programme will introduce different work tools all relating to the process of initiating and doing a PhD project in the best way possible. These will be introduced through peer-mentoring groups and workshops with different topics. By participating in the onboarding programme the PhD students will be offered an insight into handling ups and downs during their PhD, and how to develop as a young scientist. The onboarding programme will also give the PhD students an opportunity to meet fellow PhD students and expand their network – both socially and academically. Read more here.

Time: 10:00 - 16:00 (Lunch included)

Place: Preben Hornung stuen, AU Conference Centre, building 1422, Fredrik Nielsens vej 2, 8000 Aarhus C

Please note that seats are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

- For questions relating to the content of the workshop, please contact:

Lynn Watson lynn@psy.au.dk

Bodil Øster, bodiloester@gmail.com

- For questions relating to administrative issues, e.g. registration or location, please contact: Sututhi Perrananthasivam sper@au.dk

Course dates:

• 17 April 2024 10:00 - 16:00