I encourage students consistently to avoid hyperbole in the form of "literally," and yet at the end of some days, I feel like I (literally) spent the day running in circles. Back and forth, as I pace while questioning and listening and redirecting. Up and down, as I hop onto my director's chair and hop back off to make a point at the board or bend over to point to a journal or in peals of laughter when that darn 4th block, B Day class cracks me up yet again. Here and there, as I start copies, run back to the 400 hallway to check on the darlings, tripping on the splayed legs and straining for the harp's peaceful notes to calm my nerves, and forget the copies I left on the machine three hours before until I don't have them when I go to pass out the handouts to the third section of the same prep I've taught that day.
Are you dizzy yet?
I spend my days with bright, motivated, and articulate young people. I teach alongside some of the finest teachers in the instructional game who work their asses off. They're some of my best friends on the planet and we genuinely love what we do. When we occasionally crash into one another (literally), we laugh for a moment about the pace or the panic or the profession and then we're off again, racing to meet the next deadline or drama or dinner date with another stack of practice papers.
My head is spinning.
Sure, I see my friends. I spend time with my family. I take hot baths and drink a glass of wine and watch (don't judge) 3+ seasons of Scandal in a seriously short period of time. I go to yoga and occasionally even make dinner. However, when it matters most, I become this whirling dervish who barely takes a breath while she's click-clacking down the hall with a kid trailing me, asking about forensics or her Extended Essay or the latest edition of the newspaper. I'm planning and grading and meeting and questioning (always with the questioning) and yet, I completely miss the balance or the care required to be my best self, the happiest, healthiest version of myself especially in my work environment. And I'm often a dizzy, drowning mess (not literally).
So, this November I challenged myself to a gratitude endeavor. Of course, always the educator, I dragged the entire freshman class along with me as well as the staff. The Freshman Focus, initiated by a colleague-friend and myself, intends to promote well-being and skill-building among the newbies in an effort to make their first year experience less daunting and more welcoming. In my time with them today (the fourth freshman-only Passport time this semester - eight of us each have a small group of 9th graders), we discussed the power of intentional activities, positive thinking, and commitment to dwelling on "the good stuff". We watched a portion Shawn Achor's TED talk entitled "The Happy Secret to Better Work" and each committed to one of the five behaviors research indicates will make us happier leading to well-being, gratefulness, and maybe even a more balanced approach. A bulletin board on the main hallway showcases these commitments to inspire the ripples to spread.
Here's the thing: research shows that happiness, success, and productivity breaks down this way: 50% is completely biology, 10% is our circumstances, and 40% is intentional activities. I cannot change the fact that I seem to be naturally anxious, determined, perfection-seeking, and Type A++ (despite having THE most laid-back parents ever and as hard as I try to breathe deeply and laugh at all these things about myself). The world isn't going to change dramatically in terms of pace. We live a dizzyingly fast-moving existence which cannot be controlled so there's another uncontrollable 10%. I can, however, send an email, snail mail note, or shoot a text to someone highlighting what inspires me or challenges me in a positive way or demonstrates gratitude. It's a small moment in my hectic day and yet, I'm committed to its potential to create ripples of happiness in my world because (clap along if you feel) happiness is a truth!
If you want to create these ripples out of your life, here are tried & true suggestions from The Happiness Advantage (see above link) for increasing happiness.
- Ten minutes of exercise reminds your body of all that good stuff which comes rushing in when your heart rate increases and the flow to the brain improves.
- A random act of kindness such as praising or thanking someone via note or email not only improves that person's day but also contributes to your well-being.
- Add three things to a gratitude journal each night concentrates your thoughts on those (rather than the one irksome item on which you focused.
- One quick journal entry about one positive experience before you go to sleep leaves you thinking about it lastly in your day.
- Five minutes of meditation removes you even for a short time from the ADD mentality of culture
Get happy (literally)!
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