THE EDUCATORS of Cebu Normal University received tips on how to create work-life balance amid the pandemic through a webinar organized to help them cope with the challenges of online learning.

The webinar, entitled “Creating Work-Life Balance,” was spearheaded by Bachelor of Secondary Education Program Chair Dr. Janet Mananay, and was attended by CNU College of Teacher Education and Integrated Laboratory School teachers.

Rhoderick John Abellanosa, director of Human Resource of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, was the guest speaker.

Abellanosa provided techniques and coping mechanisms to create a balance between work and personal life.

He said that it is difficult to accomplish work-life balance individually but it should be planned and managed collectively as departments, as colleges, and as a university.

“Anything that would make you feel tired would no longer make your life meaningful and at some point, it has to be stopped at least temporarily in order to regain balance,” Abellanosa said.

Work-life balance, he added, is tied  to mental health.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ethel Abao, CNU-CTE Dean, told her fellow academicians that it is important for teachers to have a coping mechanism and that they must not neglect their own needs while serving others.

“In this time of pandemic, as our academic tasks are suddenly shifted remotely, our focus has been stirred as well, personal needs are somehow overlooked in favor of serving others,” Abao said.

She stressed the need to capture or recapture certain coping mechanisms for teachers, parents, spouses, children, and community leaders for them to be proactive in life and work amid the challenges brought by the health crisis.

Dr. Daisy Palompon, CNU vice president for Academic Affairs, said the webinar was designed to be an avenue for teachers to gain insights and acceptance on the realities that the demands of work and home responsibilities are pushing and pulling them in different directions.

The webinar ended with Mananay encouraging her fellow teachers to remember to enjoy life and to be each other’s keeper.