Vicky Blogs: COVID-19 (& beyond)

  As a personal update, THIS IS MY NEW PUPPY, PUCK.  Named after the main character in my favorite Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream , I know he will bring some magic and light into my life.  And his arrival is timely.  I've been feeling a darkness in my mood that makes me uneasy....  This little fluffball here can divert that energy into more positive things like getting him exercise and training him to be the best boy. My family had a golden retriever when I was growing up, Amber.  I begged my parents to get me a dog for most of my life, honestly.  I had a few Christmas mornings where I would wake up to find a dog toy or a dog bed, often with a note that said 'Puppy coming soon!'  My parents now laugh about this when we chat about it, saying that they realize that maybe wasn't the best way to let a little girl know that her parents were trying to decide if they could take on a puppy.  I had almost given up hope by the Christmas th...

  Most individuals can say that they have heard about the benefits of taking a break.  Whether it is from corporate work, school work, or even just personal decision making, taking a step back from our daily challenges can provide incredible relief.  Yet, many of us struggle to make the decision to actually take a break.  We feel compelled to keep going and working, pushing through whatever burnout we may feel.  The phrase 'I'll sleep when I'm dead' comes to mind when I think about this topic.  It's a phrase that I myself have said many a time. It's not very surprising that many of us have said something similar.  After all, Americans in general tend to be workaholics.  Our culture is all about squeezing every ounce of productivity out of an individual before discarding the husk of that person when they have burnt out.  According to SHRM, many employees cite three main reasons why they don't often vacation.  They are as follows. Fear Gui...

  The image above pretty accurately describes one of the initial feelings that many individuals might be dealing with right now as they seem to be in a perpetual job search during the COVID-19 pandemic.  CNBC reports that there are still tens of millions of Americans receiving unemployment benefits and there is about one job opening per every two people out of work.  They also cited studies that demonstrate that extended periods of unemployment or underemployment can have a negative long-term effect on the job seeker's mental and even physical health.   I, personally, am working in an internship capacity, without pay.  I am passionate about the work that I am doing and grateful for the opportunity to be involved.  However, the lack of pay contributes to my high levels of job search related stress.  Some weeks, the work I do for my internship cuts into the time that I have to do my weekly tasks for my job search.  I, like many, have been job ...