STUDENT LIFE

The Importance of Finding Your Work-Life Balance

Prioritizing and Balance: Work-life your career trajectory. deadlines and maintains great progress. balance is different for each individual, Scheduling Downtime and Connect- Loving yourself is caring for yourself, and depending on the amount of time they ing with Family and Friends: It is easy to sometimes all it takes is resolve and a need to recharge. As students and recent get overwhelmed in graduate school. You schedule. graduates, it is not always possible to may find yourself rarely sleeping, work- Mental Health: A Nature article by have an equal balance of work and life ing more than 8 to 12 hours a day and all Evans et al. (2018) reported that graduate at a given moment. However, we can weekend. This may feel like the normal students are six times more likely to suffer prioritize tasks when our workloads get way to operate, and any deviation may from depression or anxiety than others. more intense. Flexibility in work times and As graduate students, we face a unique location can enhance the perception of combination of mental health challenges, balance and positively increase family life including overwork, high pressure, finan- and a healthy working environment (Hill et “WE NEED TO DO cial insecurity, uncertain job prospects, al. 2004). Scheduling time away from work A BETTER JOB OF and isolation. Although achieving work- can promote stress relief, while traveling life balance is challenging, a UC Berkeley can promote creativity (Stone and Petrick PUTTING OURSELVES survey conducted in 2014 (Assembly 2014) 2013). In addition, stress reduction pro- HIGHER ON OUR found that most graduate students depend motes higher graduation rates and better on exercise, hobbies, and social support overall health (Pascoe et al. 2019). In our OWN ‘TO DO’ LIST.” for their mental well-being. However, ex- fast-paced world, finding your own balance —Michelle Obama, tracurricular activities may not always be by prioritizing tasks, being flexible, and former First Lady enough. Although mental health issues can scheduling time off can promote a healthy be heavily stigmatized, there is no shame and productive self. in seeking professional help. Consider Knowing When to Say Yes: Graduate your mental health professional akin to students are presented with many oppor- your primary care physician or personal tunities for extracurricular leadership and trainer, except that this person specializ- learning, which come with the potential for es in promoting your mental well-being. personal and professional growth. However, Most university campuses have counseling overcommitment can have the opposite services and other mental health resourc- effect, quickly leading to burnout and hin- es that you can utilize. Developing healthy dering degree progress. Before saying yes habits now will serve as a good foundation to something new, ask yourself: for future mental well-being. Remember 1. What is my current workload? Quan- that you are not alone, and many graduate tify the hours that you’re spending on students face the same issues. If you see research and/or teaching responsibili- one of your peers struggling, reach out and ties, coursework, and any other existing offer support. And don’t forget, graduate commitments. school will be over soon!—MSB, HQ, AD, 2. What is the workload of the new com- JH mitment? Talk with people who have previously served in the role to get an The Graduate Assembly, U.C. Berkeley. 2014. Graduate idea of the time it takes to excel in this bring feelings of guilt. It is okay to work student happiness and well-being report. University of new position. and then go home and rest, take “you California, Berkeley, California. 3. What is my desired work-life balance? time,” and bond with family and friends. Evans, T.M., L. Bira, J.B. Gastelum, L.T. Weiss, and N.L. Time for family, friends, and hobbies is According to Heemstra et al. (2019), it is Vanderford. 2018. Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nature Biotechnology 3: 282-284. essential for well-being. Consider how necessary to have downtime to maintain Heemstra, J.M. 2019. Self-care is not the enemy of per- much “me time” you need to be happy productivity. While extra work may some- formance. CHEMBIOCHEM. doi: 10.1002/cbic.201900285 and healthy. times be required, increased busyness Hill, E.J., A.J. Hawkins, M. Ferris, and M. Weitzman. Once you know the time necessary often happens in cycles. It may sound im- 2001. Finding an extra day a week: the positive influence to accomplish your work and recharge, possible, but being efficient and schedul- of perceived job flexibility on work and family life balance. Family Relations 50(1): 49–58. determine whether the new commitment ing downtime is the solution. For example, Pascoe, M.C., S.E. Hetrick, and A.G. Parker. 2019. The fits within your available hours. But don’t be one of your authors accomplishes as impact of stress on students in secondary school and too rigid! Sometimes the long-term benefits much as possible while at work. When higher education. International Journal of Adolescence of new skills or connections compensate she leaves, she spends time with her dog; and Youth. doi: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823 for being slightly too busy in the short term. they walk, play, eat, and then relax. She Stone, M.J., and J.F. Petrick. 2013. The educa- tional benefits of travel experiences: a literature Saying yes, when reasonable, exposes you finds that sticking to this schedule benefits review. Journal of Travel Research 52(6): 731–744. doi: to new experiences and could even shape her overall well-being. She meets project 10.1177/0047287513500588

AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST | FALL 2019 153 ENTEREST NEWS BITES AND NOTABLE FINDINGS

RESEARCH BRIEFS

“THESE RESULTS Spotlight on DEMONSTRATE THE Blow IMPORTANCE OF Greenbottle and bluebottle flies represent HAVING IN PLACE A some of the shiny jewels of the world. Unfortunately, these flying gems GENETIC MONITORING are often found in the most disgusting While the familiar greenbottles PROGRAM DURING of places, from rotting garbage to piles and bluebottles still form the of dung to decomposing corpses. This is heart of this familiar family of RELEASES OF probably why the budding entomologist flies, it has been the warehouse does not show off their bright metallic of a variety of odds-and-ends TRANSGENIC green and blue blow flies the same way groups that seemed to fit better they do shiny metallic beetles. But blow here than elsewhere. ORGANISMS flies do get respect, especially from the TO DETECT forensic entomological community, for their role in carrion ecology and the UN-ANTICIPATED information they can provide to criminal CONSEQUENCES.” investigations. are now much easier to identify than ever The of old is not the before, thanks to Jones, Whitworth, and Evans, B.R., P. Kotsakiozi, A.L. Costa-da-Silva, R.S. Calliphoridae of today. While the familiar Marshall, with the publication of their Ioshino, L. Garziera, M.C. Pedroza, A. Malavasi, J.F. greenbottles and bluebottles still form web-based pictorial key to the blow flies Virginio, M.L. Capurro, and J.R. Powell. 2019. Trans- the heart of this familiar family of flies, it of . Many of you may be genic Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transfer genes into a natural population. Scientific Reports 9: 13047. has been the warehouse of a variety of familiar with the excellent insect photogra- odds-and-ends groups that seemed to phy and books by Steve Marshall. Marshall fit better here than elsewhere. In recent received the C. P. Alexander Award from years, we have seen a number of these the North American Dipterists Society last distinctive side groups of blow flies moved year at the 2018 International Congress up in status to their own families. Cerretti, of Dipterology. This award recognizes him Stireman, Badano, Gisondi, Rognes, Lo as the “Greatest Living North American Giudice, and Pape provide compelling Dipterist.” His excellent insect photog- This month’s Enterest section was con- molecular and morphological evidence to raphy skills are evident throughout this tributed by the following authors: split off our old friend the cluster and new pictorial key. Note that an interactive its relatives into a new (or better stated, a pictorial key to the North American cluster AD: Aditi Dubey, member, Student resurrected) family, the Polleniidae. flies (Pollenia) was published in 2012 Affairs Committee; CW: Changlu The Neotropical family and can be found at the same Canadian Wang, president, MUVE Section; Mesembrinellidae has been recognized Journal of Identification web- DA: Diane Alston, president, P-IE as distinctly different from the core of site. A variety of interesting pictorial keys Section; DO: David O’Brochta, the Calliphoridae for a while now, moving to different kinds of can be found president, PBT Section; FS: Floyd from subfamily to family status. Whitworth there; it’s well worth checking out, if you Shockley, SysEB Section; GD: Gregory and Yusseff-Vanegas have produced a have not looked at this site before. —GD A. Dahlem, editor, Research Briefs; wonderful monograph on these beautiful flies. They include detailed photographs Cerretti, P., J.O. Stireman III, D. Badano, S. Gisondi, K. JH: Jocelyn R. Holt, chair, Student Rognes, G. Lo Giudice, and T. Pape. 2019. Reclustering Affairs Committee; KB: Kadie Britt, of the male and female genitalia of the 53 the cluster flies (Diptera: , Polleniidae). System- member, Student Affairs Committee; species, and photos of type specimens atic Entomology 44: 957–972. LB: Lina Bernaola, student and the labels on their pins. If you have Whitworth, T.L., and S. Yusseff-Vanegas. 2019. A revision of the genera and species of the Neotropical representative, ESA Governing Board; been down to the Neotropics, you may family Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea). Zootaxa MSB: Meredith R. Spence Beaulieu, have seen some of these large and brilliant 4659 (1): 1–146. member, Student Affairs Committee. metallic gold-and-blue flies. If you want Jones, N., T. Whitworth, and S.A. Marshall. 2019. Blow to know more about them, check out this flies of North America: keys to the subfamilies and genera DOI: 10.1093/ae/tmz057 publication. of Calliphoridae, and to the species of the subfamilies Closer to home, the familiar bluebottle Calliphorinae, Luciliinae and Chrysomyinae. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 39 (2 September 2019). and greenbottle flies in our backyards https://cjai.biologicalsurvey.ca/jwm_39/jwm_39.html

214 AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST | WINTER 2019