By Liz Fox, DHS English Teacher & Collaborative Teacher I know April is a stressful month for teachers, but this feels different. I’ve caught myself wondering if something’s wrong with me–have I really lost my love of teaching? Then Shannon Horton shared with me a podcast that helped me make sense of how I’ve been feeling. The transcript starts in this way: “The light at the end of the COVID tunnel is tenuously appearing — yet many of us feel as exhausted as at any time in the past year. Memory problems; short fuses; fractured productivity; sudden drops into despair. We’re at once excited and unnerved by the prospect of life opening up again. Clinical psychologist Christine Runyan explains the physiological effects of a year of pandemic and social isolation — what’s happened at the level of stress response and nervous system, the literal mind-body connection. And she offers simple strategies to regain our fullest capacities for the world ahead.” Reading that intro alone validated my concerns, and learning about ways to feel more like my normal self was comforting. Runyan explains that threat is always detected at the level of our nervous system. It keeps us safe and alive, and it’s really sensitive. When it detects threats, it helps prepare the body for fight vs flight. When the threat subsides, the parasympathetic nervous system helps to calm us down. Here we are - a year later - and the threat never went away. Add to that the many stressors that come with teaching during a pandemic–our energy levels have been depleted due to many circumstances. The state of apathy and numbing is our body protecting us, a natural variation of our system. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” - it’s healthy to understand this is a normal consequence of the situation we are in. Here are some suggestions Runyan shared to help feel better: Be curious - be compassionate: especially to yourself. 1. Name it; it will leverage your thinking brain. It will help quiet your nervous system. 2. Take a breath, especially a long exhale. 3. Scents help bring about pleasantness as does music. Both send messages of comfort and safety. 4. Work with your body - intentionally send a message of safety to the nervous system. Something as simple as putting our feet flat on the floor and pressing the balls of the feet to the floor. 5. Make contact with yourself: put your hand on your heart. Our superpower is our self awareness: stepping out of autopilot and pause. Runyan quotes Viktor E. Frankl: She closes by sharing that compassion and gratitude helps us to push away the natural response of looking for what’s wrong.
Listening to this podcast allowed me to navigate these sensations of overwhelming depletion of energy and feelings of doubt and inadequacy. It’s allowed me to stay open to the ways that teaching brings me joy, and that came as a huge relief. I hope this information helps others in similar ways. There is light at the end of the tunnel: we can do this! (For those days when my energy is still at a low, I found helpful this article listing five strategies for salvaging an unproductive day.)
8 Comments
Sarah Zbornik
4/22/2021 06:12:15 am
I am unbelievably grateful for this blog post - thank you Liz (and Shannon).
Reply
Tyler
4/22/2021 06:17:45 am
Thank you for sharing this with us. I wish I was a podcast enthusiast so having a quick and thorough summary, like the one you shared, is great! I read that your brain is scanning for threats 5 times per second. This was a true "whoa" moment after processing what that means for people who do not feel safe in their environment (students and adults).
Reply
Rachelle Branum
4/22/2021 07:20:30 am
Yes! All this. Thanks.
Reply
4/22/2021 09:04:59 am
Thanks for the blog. I have gone from complete doubt to pure enjoyment, this year. This opportunity has really opened my eyes again to the love and satisfaction of teaching young students to be successful students.
Reply
Michelle N
4/22/2021 09:48:54 am
Spot on! Yes! Yes! Yes! What a year we've all traveled! Thank you for this post.
Reply
Shannon K Horton
4/22/2021 11:56:01 am
Thank you, Liz! I also found this recent article from the New York Times really validating: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html
Reply
Rachel Breitenbach-Dirks
4/25/2021 03:05:48 pm
Thank you for this reminder and support!
Reply
Andrea Knaack
4/26/2021 11:18:24 pm
I really appreciate the focus on the power that we all harness in our response. No matter what happens, we always get to control our reactions. And honestly...that is literally the most powerful thing I can think of! Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom!
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsDCSD Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Learner Advocate, and Collaborative Teachers Archives
April 2024
Categories |