Feel Better Soon!
Getting Well
My semester just started up and I’ve been getting a lot of emails from students who haven’t been able to make it to class. Illness, family matters, and mental and emotional hardships are always on high as we get back into gear in the spring semester. I find myself replying “Don’t worry about the class. Take care of yourself. Feel better soon.” over and over. I’m not writing that to blow anybody off. I really mean it. In fact, I build wiggle room into the course via a gradual ramping up of assignments and graded material because I know that getting well and feeling strong and focused take time.
While we get to know each other and get stronger and more focused together, I have a chance to reflect on how I’m feeling too, and how I can improve my own state of mind. I check in with myself on my habits, my workflow, my balance of life and work. I Click Replace on what’s not working for me.
One thing that I have been working on a lot in recent months is monitoring my energy levels and taking my mind and body seriously. I have been listening to my inner voice, not just hearing it and chasing it away. I am also trying to stack my day with positive environmental inputs that are sustainable and sustaining—sustenance for my mind and body to last me through my day.
High on Life
If you follow me on TikTok then you might have seen me starting the day by gazing at the sun. I have chronic “Momsomnia” (mothering-inflicted insomnia) and so I try to kick my circadian rhythm into action with this simple suggestion by Dr. Andrew Huberman. I also jump into an icy shower to jolt me into wakefulness. I abstain from caffeine until my body has fully woken up on its own.
The great thing about doing these simple (and free!) tactics is that I get an added jumpstart to the dopamine reward system in my brain. My day starts on a natural high. Though parenting duties prevent me from doing much more than this, I have found a boost in my energy levels that sustains throughout the day.
Now, as the semester is underway, I’m finding the need for midday boosts as well. With my Momsomnia, caffeine is not an option. But energizing beverages like Golden Lattes (tumeric and ginger with hot milk) and my Indonesian Wehang Jahe (ginger and honey tea) are delicious boosts to my system. I call them “tings,” ting ting being an Indonesian slang way of referring to a little delight. For my husband Nick, it’s green juice and running. On my off days, for me, it’s going for a hike with the fam.
High on Love
But what helps me more than anything is the boost I get from sharing and giving…giving of myself more specifically, in a present here-and-now way. As I write in Rethinking Intelligence, there is a synergy to learning with those around you, whether it is co-workers, colleagues, your kids, friends, or other family members. Learning in a connected way gets those mirror neurons firing and helps you take in and cement more information. It can enrich your learning experience so that all can think better and more clearly.
I also find that I get a special natural high from being generous from my heart with others in a way that doing for myself cannot begin to compare. This happens a lot for me via mentoring, which is an unpaid part of my job and therefore more or less up to me to enact. I’ve found that I actually like the feeling I get from doing it well, knowing that my students or peers are growing in healthy ways. I see it too with my kids in their generosity toward each other—like when one of the big brothers reads to his little brother or when the little brother asks to get a treat for all the elder kin. Connecting with others through learning moments is a top notch way for us to energize and feel better all around.