From our Director, Christine Wise.
I came across my copy of the wonderful Feeling Wheel, developed by Gloria Willcox. It’s a great way to drill down and put a name to what you’re experiencing. It’s a tool I used a lot when my kids were little, and likely something I’ll be bringing back out now that we’re all at home for virtual learning. The start of a school year always comes with a lot of feelings and a virtual start has added in some new ones.
Lately I’ve been skewing to the purple, red and orange side of the wheel. And I’m assuming that many of you, and your children, are experiencing those feelings as well. We all know how difficult 2020 has been and yesterday I had a mentor tell me “Hard is not bad. Hard is hard.”
This IS hard. It is hard deciding what is best for your family. It is hard deciding what is best for the school. It is hard not having things “be normal.” It’s hard having favorite events canceled. My home, like yours, has felt the loss of many things this year. You have likely needed to voice your feelings when you receive a notice of yet another change to your life. And that’s the best part about the Feeling Wheel.
Not only does the Feeling Wheel give us names for our Feelings, but it also gives us the “opposite” feeling. (Look directly across the wheel.) We look across when we’re having a purple, red or orange feeling to see that we can have two feelings at once. It is okay to feel two completely different things about the same event. One feeling does not negate the other and all feelings are valid. ( Over the last few days I have felt a bit helpless while my two kids have been doing e-learning–but I have been putting my trust in their school, administrators and teachers that they are doing their best to educate my children.)
My hope is that you can use The Feeling Wheel in your home and that it brings you more clarity on your feelings as we continue to move through the year.
Yours in parenting,
Chris
Feeling Wheel, developed by Gloria Wilcox.
