Thrive This Summer | Week 5: Feel It to Free It

I'm putting the finishing touches on this week's newsletter from Manny's Parkside restaurant in Manitowish Waters, WI. It's a beautiful day in the Northwoods.

I hope wherever you are, you are feeling free and relaxed.

Now, on to this week's email.

"What we don't need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human." — Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Teachers are emotional first responders.

We hold space for anxiety, frustration, grief, and anger — sometimes all before 9 am. And while we're doing that, we're managing our own. Tucking it away. Not because we don't feel, but because there's no time, no space, and honestly — no permission.

So we keep going. And the feelings don't leave. They just go underground.

They show up later as irritability over something small. Fatigue that sleep doesn't fix. A flatness that's hard to name. Burnout doesn't announce itself — it accumulates.

What's actually happening in your body

An emotion, left alone, lasts about 90 seconds in the body. Ninety seconds for the physiological wave to rise and fall — if you let it. What extends it isn't the feeling. It's the avoidance.

Neuroscience research on affect labeling — simply naming what you're feeling — shows that putting words to emotions activates the prefrontal cortex and dials down the amygdala. Saying 'I feel overwhelmed' out loud is doing something real.

Dr. Kristin Neff's research on self-compassion adds another layer: talking to yourself the way you'd talk to a struggling friend significantly reduces anxiety and improves emotional recovery — particularly in high-stress professions. Teaching qualifies.

Try this week

Three moves. None of them require more than a few minutes.

Name it without judging it. Take thirty seconds to ask: What am I feeling right now — and where do I feel it in my body? Not analyzing. Just noticing. "Anxious — tight in my chest." "Frustrated — jaw is clenched." That's enough.

Let the wave move. Emotions rise and fall. Try staying present with one — breathwork (four counts in, six counts out), a short walk, expressive writing — without trying to fix or rush it. The key is staying present, not being perfect about it.

Use compassion as an anchor. After naming a feeling, try saying: It makes sense I'd feel this way. This feeling is allowed. I can feel this and still move forward. That's not weakness. That's how resilience actually works.

The Thrive This Summer workbook on Ko-fi has this week's full emotional check-in log, guided reflection prompts, and anchor phrases — all in one place.

👉 Get the Thrive This Summer Workbook

Feeling is not falling apart. It is how I find my way back.

You don't have to hold it all together. You just have to stay with yourself — moment by moment.

See you next week — Jeremy