I was in a meeting today that upset me, and by “upset me” I mean that I mean that it made me want to hire a rickshaw to run me around the whole world while I sit in the back with a giant blowtorch, setting everything that comes in my path ablaze.
I have noticed that on Bad Meeting Morning days, I tend to be really grouchy with my students. This is unfair because I believe that no one should see my wrath unless they’ve really earned it. So, I have created a
routine for myself to transition back to normalcy after I am frustrated, and I would like to share that routine with you now.
1) Cover your eyes and take 15 deep breaths.
![](https://i0.wp.com/loveteachblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/coveredeyes.png?resize=377%2C335)
This makes me think I’m back in the womb, where it was dark and where actually I had time to take deep breaths.
2) Listen to nature sounds
How can you be mad at anything when you’re hiking* through a rainforest or near a babbling brook? If you are a teacher, put nature sounds on while your students are doing anything. If you’re not a teacher, just put a pair of noise-cancelling headphones on and tell people you’re sorry, you can’t remove them because you’re having your ears dilated.
3) Look at my Pinterest board for baby animals.
![](https://i0.wp.com/loveteachblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/mini-donkey.jpg?resize=400%2C342)
4) Eat some peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets.
![](https://i2.wp.com/loveteachblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/targetnugs.jpeg?resize=321%2C321)
Tip 1: Imagine them as the heads of the people who are annoying you.
Tip 2: ration yourself so that you don’t accidentally eat half of a family-sized large plastic barrel in one sitting.
5) Think about the adults who are annoying you as merPeople who have been banished to an aquarium at a local restaurant and must perform for their food.
If this is too weird for you, think of them as baby versions of themselves.
6) Smell something nice.
If I was rich I would keep a bottle of lavender essential oil in my desk, but since I am poor I spray some purple Febreze, which is also lovely. Side note: once I saw an episode of a TV show where a woman was addicted to smelling the head of a baby doll. You may do this if it pleases you.
I hope that you remember these things the next time you have a Bad Morning Meeting, or whatever in your life makes you want to go on an international blowtorching rickshaw excursion.
Love,
Teach
*I almost spelling this “haiking”! What a day.