Residence life professionals often joke about the perennial stress of the job: late-night duty calls, back-to-back meetings, endless emails, and an overwhelming list of responsibilities. While humor can be a healthy coping mechanism, it also hints at a larger cultural issue (one that certainly has been highlighted by work culture during and since the pandemic but is longstanding). Stress has become not just a byproduct of the profession but a badge of honor. We equate our exhaustion with dedication, our overcommitment with passion, and our burnout with worth. This needs to change.
This blog series features different writers responding to the prompt, “What is one practice ResLife departments need to let go of?”
One practice residence life departments desperately need to let go of is glorifying being overwhelmed. The stress culture in our field often starts with good intentions. We want to create meaningful experiences for students, respond to crises effectively, and support our teams. But somewhere along the way, the line between dedication and unhealthy overextension blurs. We stop asking, “How can we do this sustainably?” and instead push ourselves and our staff beyond reasonable limits.
Consider the impact this has on resident assistants (RAs), professional staff, and even senior leadership. When stress is normalized, it sets a dangerous precedent. RAs feel pressured to sacrifice their personal time and mental health to meet departmental expectations. Professional staff, watching their supervisors model this behavior, internalize the idea that self-care is secondary to the job. Over time, this approach leads to disengagement, high turnover, and staff who are less equipped to serve students well.
Letting go of the stress-as-a-badge-of-honor mentality starts with leadership. Supervisors and directors must intentionally model healthy work-life boundaries and normalize conversations about workload and capacity. It means asking hard questions: Do all these programs and initiatives serve a core purpose, or are they remnants of “what we’ve always done”? Can we empower our teams to say no to non-essential tasks? Are we building time for reflection, recovery, and genuine connection into our operations? As a supervisor, I know this is hard and I am constantly trying to unlearn patterns I picked up as a new employee so that I don’t demonstrate these to my new folks! We embrace a growth mindset for our students, and I am trying to get there for myself with this practice of balance.
Mindfulness practices can be a powerful antidote to stress culture in residence life. Integrating mindfulness into the workplace can help staff and student leaders cultivate greater awareness, manage stress more effectively, and approach challenges with clarity and resilience. Simple techniques like guided meditation, breathwork, or even mindful walking during breaks can create moments of calm and presence amidst a hectic day. Departments can incorporate mindfulness into staff meetings, training sessions, or retreats to reinforce its importance and provide practical tools for daily use. By fostering a culture of mindfulness, we signal to our teams that their well-being is a priority, and we encourage a more intentional, grounded approach to work.
Finding fulfillment outside of the job is another critical component of breaking free from stress culture. Residence life professionals often pour so much of themselves into their work that they lose sight of hobbies, relationships, and personal goals that exist beyond their roles. Encouraging staff to reconnect with what brings them joy—whether it’s pursuing a creative outlet, spending time with loved ones, or simply taking time to rest—can lead to greater satisfaction and resilience. Departments should actively support this by respecting time off, discouraging afterhours work communication, and promoting a culture where stepping away from the job is seen as a strength rather than a weakness.
It also means rethinking how we celebrate success. Instead of lauding the colleague who pulled an all-nighter to finish a project, why not celebrate the one who created an innovative solution during regular hours? Recognizing balanced excellence, rather than burnout-driven heroics, shifts the narrative of what it means to succeed in residence life.
Residence life professionals are often drawn to the work because they care deeply about students and communities. But to sustain this care, we must also care for ourselves and each other. Letting go of stress culture doesn’t mean caring less; it means being more intentional about how we work so that we can serve our communities for the long haul. It’s time to wear something new as a badge of honor: balance, sustainability, and a commitment to thriving—together.
