Catherine Rawn

The first few weeks of summer term have been glorious. The weather has cooperated for the most part, and I have been able to take some time to breathe. March and April were more hectic than I anticipated they would be, including a surprise “proofread the entire textbook in the next four weeks” while teaching 8 different classes a week, including a new prep (stats), on top of the two full-textbook reads I expected to complete. [If you don't know what I'm talking about, I've been working for about a hear and a half on adapting the Cozby research methods textbook into a Cozby and Rawn Canadian Edition.] I’ll write more about my reflections on the year later, but for now I wanted to simply express how thankful I am that I’m in such a peaceful place right now.

After running the Vancouver Marathon two weeks ago, I’ve taken some time off of running. Instead, I’ve been doing a bit of swimming (our condo has a pool) and I signed up for an intro pass at Open Door Yoga. I’ve practiced yoga sporadically since moving to Vancouver 9 years ago (!), but never regularly. It seems like a wonderful way to develop strength, balance, and peace – both inside and out – so I’m giving it a whirl this summer. I’ve also been reconnecting with my friends and husband. It’s challenging for me during the school year to fully, truly relax. There’s always another lesson to prepare, another email to deal with. It’s been lovely just enjoying unscheduled time and laughter and wine with these lovely people once again.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope your summer is starting off at least as enjoyably as mine has.

A year ago I was — decidedly — not a runner. I was a walker. I had walked an entire marathon in fact (2008 BMO Vancouver Marathon with Team in Training). But, I had taken a year off of taking care of myself after burying myself in my new job, and I knew something had to change. AND we had just bought a condo with a gym right downstairs from us, so there was no excuse. With the co-commitment of my husband and our good friend Lesley, I started walking again. Then something weird happened. One day on the treadmill I felt like running. So I did. It was only for a couple of minutes that first day, but I didn’t die! I was ok! It actually felt good!

Fast forward a year, and along with some sage advice from the amazing instructor and personal trainer Andrea Perrino, as well as a lot of sweat along the way, Lesley, our friend Lara Aknin, & I ran the full 10k of the Sun Run today! We *ran* it! The whole time! I can hardly believe it! It was the longest distance I had ever run without stopping, and we completed it in 1:01:41. We had a hunch we might do it in an hour, but we didn’t have a watch among us so we weren’t sure. But we did it! Well, just about… and now we have our next goal: to complete in under an hour!

It feels great to complete this accomplishment and to own this new identity as a runner. This school year I feel like I have really been putting into practice what I teach so often: take care of your physical & mental health, take breaks from work, cultivate social connections, set SMARTER goals, and implementation intentions to acheive them. I’m looking forward to keeping up my progress this summer as I write my textbook and prepare for next year’s adventures. Look for me next year teaching Psyc 100 (6 credits), Psyc 217 (research methods), Psyc 218 (stats), and my custom course Psyc 208: Psychology in your life: How social psychology can help you succeed).

Ah the dawn of a new term! Living in an academic world means every four months is an opportunity for renewal. January can be an especially tough transition because of the remaining fatigue from Term 1. Thankfully, we also get Spring Break to catch our breaths. I’m very much looking forward to Term 2. I have had a fabulous time with my Intro Psyc (Section 006) students so far and I look forward to teaching and learning with them as we venture into the more “social” side of scientific psychology.

Psyc 208, Section 002, will begin anew on Tuesday. Here is a copy of the syllabus for those of you interested in checking it out early. This is a refreshed version of the course that was featured in UBC Reports last August. Based on feedback from students and my TA Jelena, I have revised the course to focus more on making teamwork work well, alongside personal development of skills such as self-control, goal-setting, and stress management. An open mind and a willingness to actively engage in learning will be assets to any student joining us in this course. Looking forward to meeting you on Tuesday!