RECAP: Navigating Rest and Reentry in Times of Transition

On May 26, 2021, The Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) hosted the first session of our summer workshop series, Navigating Rest and Reentry in Times of Transition. Led by CSIS Program Manager, Anna Dausman, the session created a space for over 100 participants to reflect on what went well in the last year, what was difficult, and what habits and actions can support the process of reentry during times of transition — whether now or in the future. 

The session involved two learning activities: (1) a step-by-step guide to conducting a wellness audit and (2) guided introspection about the personal road to reentry.

Auditing Your Wellness

Each participant had the opportunity to score themselves 1-10 in each of the following eight areas, following a series of prompts:

Physical Wellness

• (e.g) Do you get enough sleep or rest to support your health?

Environmental Connection

• (e.g) Do you regularly connect to nature whether indoors or outdoors?

Financial Well-being

• (e.g) Do you feel prepared for expenses, including short-term, long-term, and unexpected expenses?

Creative & Intellectual Inquiry

• (e.g) Do you take time to explore new hobbies or deepen existing hobbies?

Emotional Resilience

• (e.g) Do you have a strategy for when you get stressed?

Professional Development

• (e.g) Do you find joy and meaning in your work?

Social Wellness

• (e.g) Do you connect well with others and foster healthy friendships? 

Spiritual Awareness & Empathy

• • (e.g) Do you have a tradition, practice, or ideas that connect you with a sense of a larger purpose and meaning.

Once determining each area’s level of wellness, participants were directed to reflect on the two highest and lowest areas on their personal audit. This reflection process involved creating space as a group to process these new found findings and identifying how to improve individual and collective wellness. These improvements were broken down into short term actions and next steps. 

After debriefing the wellness audit, the session turned to a conversation on transitions.

A Conversation on Transition

The conversation opened up with acknowledging the pervasive role transition plays in all areas of life, and what participants may have learned through previous transitions

Through conversation, the session offered five guiding tips to help participants during this time of transition:

1. Identify and express feelings.
2. Identify values and goals.
3. Identify support networks.
4. Take your time, and take breaks.
5. Keep some things consistent. 

Anna provided guiding questions around these tips, and invited participants into small breakout groups to discuss common themes and points of resonance. The session concluded by participants identifying one step they could each take today to support themselves in the process of rest and reentry. 

Watch the recording of this conversation here.