Psychology Today | Reopening Schools and Parental Dilemmas

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Can “proactive coping” help?

Master Your Success, a Psychology Today Blog by Wayne Baker, Ph.D.

America is embarking on an experiment of epic proportions: Reopening our schools, colleges, and universities. This experiment is taking place at a time when Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the trajectory of the pandemic and 7 out of 10 U.S. parents say it’s a risk to their health and well-being to return their children to school. A majority of American parents think it’s better to wait to open schools; parents of color are especially apprehensive.

Yet the experiment is taking place in one form or another.

For parents, it’s hard to know what to do. I feel this uncertainty personally because my family is one of millions participating in the experiment. This spring, our son graduated high school remotely. Now, he’s determined to move to a large state university, joining the vast majority (76%) of college students who want to return to campus. Should we let him go or compel him to remain home? If he goes, should he live in the dorms or off-campus? If he goes, what happens if the pandemic sweeps college campuses? …

Forbes posts Leadership Strategy article "A Smart 5-Step Strategy To Ask For Help"

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Carmine Gallo Senior Contributor for Forbes dives into the topic of asking for help in the time of a pandemic and why this topic is so important now to leaders.

“I think there is good reason to believe that people will want to help others now more than ever,” Baker says. 

The article offers a look at the five-step strategy, the SMART way to ask for help. 

Nurse Marketing | The Business of Nursing Podcast | Wayne Baker

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Wayne discusses obstacles that healthcare workers face in overcoming the fear of asking for help and compassion fatigue with host and registered nurse, Amelia Roberts.

“Asking is a habit which means it’s something that can be learned. And it's learned by education and practice, the education part is to realize what commonly makes us reluctant to ask, like, we think no one can help, or that we're going to appear to be incompetent, or we want to just rely on ourselves anyway, to realize that if you can overcome those barriers, then you can be more productive, more efficient and less likely to suffer burnout.” -  Dr. Wayne Baker

Beyond 6 Seconds Podcast with Wayne Baker

On this episode, you will hearCarolyn Kiel interview Dr. Wayne Baker about the following:

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  • How his research led him to realize that the main obstacle that prevents people from getting the help they need, is their willingness (or unwillingness) to ask for help

  • The importance of asking for what you need to developing your career and finding success in your life

  • Some examples of how he has asked for help

  • The importance of maintaining human connection in the time of COVID-19

Psychology Today 'Essential Reads' Column: Meaningful Connections in a Virtual Meeting During Social Distancing

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How to Connect Meaningfully in a Virtual Meeting

10 guidelines to promote meaningful connections in a time of social distancing

Belonging is a fundamental human need. From infancy, we are driven to connect. Connections with others are vital for our mental and physical health and wellbeing. That’s why—in a time of social distancing—it’s more important now than ever before to connect meaningfully in a virtual meeting or gathering.

What is a meaningful connection? It’s an interaction in which we feel accepted, understood, and supported. We feel heard and cared for. We have a sense of belonging. An interaction that engenders these feelings is what my colleague Jane Dutton calls a “high-quality connection.”

A meaningful connection is a “human moment.” Harvard psychiatrist Edward Hallowell coined this term, saying that a human moment requires two ingredients: physical co-presence and focused attention. The first ingredient is not possible when we are socially distancing. Is it possible to create virtual human moments?