Video: Finding Your “Pandemic Purpose”

Is a pandemic the right time to think about purpose? Most people are simply trying to get through the day, managing massive changes to our employment, relationships, childcare, and other responsibilities.

But Dr. Christine Whelan, Clinical Professor of Consumer Science and Director of the UW–Madison School of Human Ecology’s Money, Equality, and Relationships Initiative (MORE), thinks a clearer sense of purpose can in fact give our new not-so-everyday a meaningful framework. In the short video and worksheet below, she demystifies the concept of purpose through a guided reflection on one’s values, gifts, and worries.

Download Christine’s worksheet here, and view more mindfulness-related resources in the work of SoHE faculty, including:

Dr. Charles Raison, Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families (Dr. Raison was also a speaker as part of the Never Alone Global Mental Health Summit)
Dr. Larissa G. Duncan, Elizabeth C. Davies Chair in Child & Family Well-Being
Dr. Julie Poehlmann-Tynan, Dorothy A. O’Brien Professor in Human Ecology

These three are also affiliates of the world-renowned UW-Madison Center for Healthy Minds, which has further resources for people managing the stressors of COVID-19.

Please also see our collaborations with UW-Extension, including:

Resources for families struggling to manage their household finances, curated by Dr. J. Michael Collins, Fetzer Family Chair in Personal and Consumer Finance, and Financial Capability Specialist Peggy Olive, both with our Center for Financial Security
Tips for families with parents living apart and managing co-parenting under safer-at-home recommendations, from Dr. Margaret Kerr, of Human Development and Family Studies
Guidance for supporting food security, from Dr. Judi Bartfeld, Meta Schroeder Beckner Outreach Professor and Food Security Research and Policy Specialist