Counselor’s Corner Issue 13

My friends,

Okay, confession time...
On Wednesday, I met with my general practice physician for a regularly scheduled Telehealth appointment. As part of her mental health wellness check-in, the doctor asked a series of questions to gauge my anxiety level. "It's a stressful time of year," I conceded, "but I think I'm managing it really well." When the appointment concluded, I smugly hung up the phone, confident that I was resilient during a year of extreme pressure.

Fifteen minutes and one situation-out-of-my-control later, my self-assurance in mental stability was shattered when I snapped at my husband, stormed around the house in frustration at my kids, and shot off a fiery email. Clearly, my stress-management was not as surefire as I had proudly proclaimed moment before.

Maybe you can relate. During this time of extreme pressure, it's easy to be overly-confident that personal stress management will remain stable amidst global instability. However, without regular check-ins, it's easy for stress to boil over (*see above Mindy-meltdown for details). Thus, the Covid Connection Circle has been designed specifically to provide a regular mental health wellness forum. This ILC teacher's virtual support group will create a safe place to explore the pandemic's impact on your teaching practices, personal and professional life, and student implications. Please be sure to join us starting on Monday, January 11 at 7pm (and you get professional development credit to boot)!

Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have some apologies to make...
Mindy