Brain Break

This blog post is not necessarily about teaching, more about life in general,  but comes in handy as we approach the end of the school year. Our alarms go off each morning, and our heads hit the pillow each night, in between those times we find ourselves doing many of the same things. It is at this time of year especially that we need to work on giving ourselves a “brain break” of sorts. According to Dr. Judy Willis, a routine of high stress problem solving can lead to burnout. She supports that we look for ways to rewire our brain from “survival” mode to “ignite” mode (How to Rewire Your Burned-Out Brain). Partaking in something that provides pleasure will release dopamine, and “improve your circuitry,” building access to higher cognitive resources when problem solving.

Where do we find the time to do the things that bring us enjoyment? On top of my job as a teacher, I have kids to run here and there. I have a paper for my Masters class, papers to grade, and dinner to make somewhere in there too! My friend Dr. Brian Bullis would tell you that you have to “carve it out.” We are all busy, but doing something we get pleasure from will help us get at least a little closer to achieving that balance we are after. As Dr. Bullis suggests, if we don’t at least work toward finding balance and “re-calibrating,” we will miss things we did not mean to (The Pursuit of Balance: A Moving Target).

So what is something that we enjoy that will fit in between trips to the grocery store and soccer fields? Between putting the kids to bed and going to bed ourselves? Or even between fork fulls of last night’s leftovers out of the Tupperware dish during our lunch period?

The answer: a book. You see there is a secret weapon called a bookmark that enables you to start and stop at will. There is no WiFi or energy source needed. If you get a few five minute slots here and there, poof, by the end of the day you will will have done something that you enjoyed and was mentally stimulating for 15 minutes!  Reading a book for enjoyment is totally different than researching content for a class, or grading essays, or even reading an article your principal gave you at the last PD session. It does, however, need to be the right book for the situation. If we are going to use it as a compelling brain break we need it to appeal to our interests, and we need to be able to dive in and out of it at will.

If you have an interesting book in mind, stop reading.Otherwise, I might suggest a few books for this exercise. These particular books work because they meet two basic requirements that will lend success to you “carving” out five minutes here and there. Number one, you can stop at any point and pick back up without totally losing your flow. Number two, the books all have Iowa connections, hopefully peaking your interest. There is nothing we love more than tracing some sort of celebrity back to our state.

#1 Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead by: Frank Meeink told to Jody M. Roy, Ph.D.

Have you seen the movie American History X with Edward Norton? It was loosely based on the life of  Frank Meeink. An empowering story of a boy that came from an impoverished background in Philadelphia. It appeals to your humane senses as Frank struggles with the turmoils of drugs and hatred. Frank now lives in Des Moines with a wife and children, coaching in youth hockey leagues.

#2 A Wrestling Life by: Dan Gable with Scott Schulte

Even if you are not a wrestling fan, you probably know about Iowa’s native son, Dan Gable. He shares anecdotes from throughout his public and private life that will make you laugh, cry, cringe, and feel inspired.

#3 Methland; The Death and Life of an American Small Town by: Nick Reding

This book chronicles the rise of methamphetamine use in America with a unique focus on Iowa, specifically towns like Oelwein and Ottumwa. One of my favorite books in the last ten years because it made so many connections to the state I grew up in. Explores the country’s meth problems from multiple views and paints a whole new picture of some of the problems we face going forward.