By Natalie Irons, Associate Director, Instructional Coaching Programs
Coaching Partnerships Blog
With the school year well underway, you may already be wondering when the next long weekend is coming! And yet, many of us know that our work supporting people gets us up in the morning; it’s our “why” and makes us feel purposeful, often putting us in a productive emotional state. And sometimes we need a little nudge to access that “vibe,” as my 21-year-old would say.
A podcast I often return to (10% Happier with Dan Harris) provides another look at emotions, particularly with regard to the neuroscience of emotion regulation. When we are asked to attend to students’ social and emotional learning, having our own internal regulation skills can be vital for everyone’s sanity. Think about the last time you were driving, and someone cut you off, or maybe it was you that cut them off, and they flip you off. These are classic examples of getting stuck in the reactive moment of stirred-up emotions. They are also opportunities to consider how productive the behavior is and where it is coming from — often from that organ in our skull trying to keep us safe, even though we are not exactly under attack.
Ethan Kross, professor at the University of Michigan’s Psychology Department and Ross School of Business, describes several emotion “shifters” — strategies for finding clarity, understanding and movement through the emotion, as opposed to trying to control or avoid it. Kross says that while people may know how music, for example, can change their mood and “make them feel good,” it is an often-underutilized tool.
So, music can be a mind shifter and this summer I found a song (Another Year Around the Sun) that helps me find a calm, easy breezy feeling. While summer may be over, music can bring it back. What music shifts your mind and mood? How might you incorporate music into your work as a “shifter”?
In Support,
Natalie