JumpStart Chocolate Mint Day (2/19/24)

Chocolate Mint is so delicious, I thought it was from, y’know, the Cradle of Civilization. Wrong! Peppermint Patties weren’t developed until the 1940’s, and Girl Scout Thin Mints (1953) helped propel the flavor combo.  The best ice cream flavor ever wasn’t developed until 1973 by a culinary student, Marilyn Ricketts (how do I nominate her for sainthood?).

How do you feel about chocolate mint?

Big Idea:  Last week, I was asked to pop into a virtual session for new teachers, who are reporting that they are feeling overwhelmed, to conduct a breathwork session that they could also do with their students.  

I asked if I could have some more time to address this feeling of overwhelm, because when you name it, you tame it.  I also feel that February is a good time to talk about the feeling of overwhelm, since I often experience it this month myself.
When you look at the word overwhelm, there’s a root word, whelm, which I don’t think I’ve ever used.  Google says that it’s archaic, and it means ‘to cover or engulf completely’.  Add the prefix ‘over-’ on top of that and you get… well…  a lot.

Overwhelm is a common feeling these days.  As jobs get bigger, our usual response is to work harder and put in longer hours.  Add onto this the fact that our own kids’ lives are getting bigger, too.  The result is that the complexity of our world has surpassed our brain’s complexity circuits.  

This doesn’t mean we’re stupid, it just means we need to re-evaluate how we are making sense of this new world that we live in.

The cognitive impact of these feelings can range from forgetfulness to a racing mind. We can also become worn out - what scientists call cognitively fatigued - which presents itself as more easily distracted (i.e. picking up your phone more often), or ‘snail brain’ when it seems that decisions are harder to make.  Emotional regulation is more difficult, too, often making us more fragile than usual.
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This week, try this: The next time you feel overwhelmed, have a think and pinpoint the primary source of your overwhelm.  Then ask yourself these questions:  1) How soon can I get rid of this one thing? 2) Is it something I can even fix/do? 3) Am I being a perfectionist? (Done is better than perfect!).

Quote:  "Overwhelm happens when we lift our gaze from the path in front of us and believe that all the starts in the galaxy are our responsibility."  (Matt Weld)

Educator Resource:  SUICIDE PREVENTION - Free Training - From ISBE.  Training in the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Protocol.  These trainings meet the requirements related to mandated training for school personnel.  You can get PD Hours or CEUs at no cost. Asynchronous OR Virtual. Register by 3/1/24.  INFORMATION & REGISTRATION

Dad Joke:  For Valentine's Day, my wife gave me a deck of sticky playing cards.  I'm having a hard time dealing with this!