And just like that, Fall 2025 is drawing to a close. Over the past semester, you’ve published articles, presented at national and international conferences, completed—or begun—the ACUE Effective Teaching Certification, experimented with GenAI, made your courses more accessible, and shared your ideas and expertise with students and colleagues—all helping to make USC Upstate a more enduring, informed, and future-focused community. As you move into the winter holiday and reflect on your achievements and discoveries, here are 5 practices to support your winter well-being and rejuvenation. 

Try an Office Hour Refresh

If you find yourself thinking about spring semester over the break, consider redesigning your office hours with well-being in mind. You might:  

  • Move one office hour session a week online to reduce commuting stress  
  • Offer a “group check-in” session for students to talk about current assignments, upcoming assessments, or general management of their course workload 
  • Try walking office hours if chatting about general course material. This trend has resulted in more honest and productive conversations and when possible, a good dose of Vitamin D.  
     

Start a Micro-Reflection Habit

In our recent ACUE Faculty Showcase, several faculty enrolled in the Effective Teaching Certification mentioned how valuable the module reflections were. Try incorporating a 30-second reflection into your workday to write about or record:  

Illustration of a snowy winter park with a wooden bench, bare trees covered in snow on either side, and a city skyline in the background under a light blue sky with falling snow.

One teaching, research, service, or leadership moment that went well.  

One  teaching, research, service, or leadership moment you’d like to tweak moving forward.

Creating a habit of micro-reflection can lead to meaningful professional growth without feeling like “one more big thing.” 

Host a “One Small Thing” Gathering

Early in the fall semester, the CAIFS Ambassadors decided they’d like to encourage colleagues to try “one small thing” to introduce new tools or practices into their teaching. If you’re interested in talking with others about trying out the AI tools in Blackboard, exploring Ally accessibility scores together, or an active learning strategy that really motivated your students, invite a few colleagues to a winter picnic or coffee shop to share some ideas. Whatever you chat about, gathering and connections are always a powerful antidote to winter isolation and blues.     

Curate a “Winter Inspiration Folder”

If you’re feeling crafty this winter, create a physical or digital folder where you collect small sparks of inspiration – an article that excites you, a great quote from your course reviews, a screenshot of some valuable feedback, a lesson or strategy you’d really like to try, or a research project you’d like to begin. Tuck it away and then pull it out when you’re looking for a pick-me-up and need a burst of professional sunlight.  

Create a Gentle Boundary for the New Year

Choose one small boundary to protect your well-being and energy when you return for spring 2026. For example:  

  • No new lecture/video/powerpoint building on (day of the week). 
  • No emails after (time of day).  
  • Pause and reflect before saying “yes” to a new commitment.  
  • Designate a meeting-free afternoon to protect your focus and reduce cognitive overload.
     
  • Set a target number of committees or projects you’ll serve on this spring and try to stick to it.  
A pattern featuring illustrated brown coffee cups filled with lattes, each topped with white latte art in a heart design, arranged on a dark green background.

With a few well-placed practices to anticipate the spring, winter can become a quieter, more reflective time that supports both your well-being and your long-term growth as an educator. If you try one of these practices – and make it your own – I’d love to hear how it goes. However you spend your winter break, we are wishing you all a restful, restorative holiday filled with the space and time to breathe, reset, and return refreshed.