Educational Telenovelas
The weeks leading up to spring break can very emotional for educators, as evidenced by many schools that look like scenes from telenovelas (Latin American soap operas.) The combination of high stress and low tolerance levels often lead to power struggles – both in the school and home settings.
Keep in mind, as tensions rise, individuals’ rational brains shut down and their emotional brains take over. So, rather than responding to situations, they impulsively react to them. And in the process, people sometimes say hurtful things they don’t mean.
Words serve to convey crisis feelings. So when people are stressed, don’t obsess on the words they use. Focus instead on the feelings behind those words. This doesn’t mean you excuse the behavior, but by looking beyond the words, you will be less likely to react and inadvertently escalate the situation.
When confronted with drama, sometimes the best choice is to step away and let stress levels subside. The problem won’t magically go away when you do this, but if nothing else, it will give you time to think about how best to address things in a way that yields better results.
When it comes to your real-life telenovelas, just say “no.”