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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
FEBRUARY 24, 2022
52
OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Teen Talk
By Daniella Quinn
Dear Teen Talk,
Teen Talk , column in
a new
TJH, is geared to wards the teens in o ur commu nity. Answered by a rotati ng roster of teachers, rebbeim, clinicians , an d peers (!), te ens will b e hearing answers to many que stions the had perco y lating in th eir minds wished th an d ey had th e answers for.
I am in eighth grade in a really good school in town. I was always a good student and am conscientious about my work. I listen in class and do my homework. But since November I noticed that I feel like I can barely keep up. I come home with loads of work and am overwhelmed. I dread doing homework – I have work in almost every subject every night and we have a few tests every week. I also go to a dance class (which I love) but that also adds to my schedule.
I am still doing well in school but the feeling of being overwhelmed is still with me every night. Also, I am taking the math regent this year and am feeling really stressed about that. What can I do? Does it get any easier? Am I doing something wrong to make me always feel overwhelmed? No one else seems to be feeling this way.
W W W.T H E B J H . C O M
T
he first thing I would like you to do is realize that it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed. You have described a heavy workload from school, and it sounds like you value not only completing the work but doing it well. If I was in your place, I can only imagine the amount of frustration I would be feeling with all the work that has to be done sitting before me, and because of that, I am so proud of you that have not given up. In these situations, it may be tempting to stop trying altogether because we think that is what will make us stop feeling overwhelmed. The truth is, giving up doesn’t do us much good. I want to go back to where you mentioned that you are still doing well in school – right there, that’s where you told me that the issue is not that you are unable to do it. You are a bright and motivated girl who works hard and that is something you should be proud of. Many of us tend to forget our own strengths when we
are challenged, and we forget that these challenges are only meant to make us stronger. When we remember what we are capable of, we begin to believe in ourselves more and it becomes easier to tackle whatever it is we are dealing with. Of course, the fact that you are feel-
I think it serves a different purpose. Now I’m going to go on a bit of a food tangent, but stick with me, it’s all going to come together, I promise. Imagine I told you that we were going to be making chicken pot pie. It sounds like a very complex dish compared to
When we remember what we are capable of, we begin to believe in ourselves more and it becomes easier to tackle whatever it is we are dealing with. ing overwhelmed is never a good thing, but there are ways to deal with it. In this specific case, where the idea of everything you have to get done is just too much, I would recommend a to-do list. You might be thinking that there’s no need for a to-do list because you can remember everything that needs to be done without it, but
your average scrambled eggs or even a simple batch of cookies. However, when I hand you the recipe, the directions do not say to “make the pie,” rather it breaks down the process into simple steps which your younger sister could probably do. The idea that I’m trying to share with you is that when we have a lot that we know has to be done, the mere thought can bring a lot
