Can You Ever Just Be Whelmed? #MentalHealth #EdChat

That amazing idea is a direct quote from the amazing movie, "10 Things I Hate About You". The reason I have this quote bouncing around my head is because I have been thinking about the state of education for me and for thousands of other teachers around the world. To answer Chastity Church's question, yes, you can be whelmed. 

I feel like many teachers, myself included, are in this state of being. We are not overwhelmed with stuff going on, but we are not underwhelmed either. It is almost like we are waiting for that one last thing to push us from whelmed to overwhelmed. In terms of mental health, this can also be an exhausting place to live in your head. Waiting for the other shoe to drop is a type of anxiety that many people live with on a daily basis. It is weird though. You'd think that just being whelmed would be awesome. You are not dealing with too much or too little at the moment. It sounds good, but I think teachers have been conditioned to expect the worst. 

I teach in a pretty awesome situation. I know my sense of being whelmed pales in comparison to other educators whose sense of being whelmed is teetering closer to over than under. All I can think about are the different ways that I can avoid falling over the edge to overwhelmed. I wish there were easy answers. I wish that we didn't have to have active shooter drills as part of our new normal. Writing about these things can be very helpful for me and I appreciate everyone that listens and shares their thoughts with me. 

For all of the educators out there, I hope you have the pieces in place to help you find the balance you need in life to avoid becoming overwhelmed at work and underwhelmed by the support that is offered to you.