I am overwhelmed with the emails that flood my inbox on a daily basis.
Every email that comes in with a new and improved way to teach math isn’t all it’s cracked up be. If I am honest with myself only a fraction of what I receive each day is worth my time. So, yes, I am starting to unsubscribe like crazy…again.
But this is about more than email overwhelm. This is about feeling the need to pay attention to everything because I don’t want to miss anything. So, I grab onto everything that I see – the good, the bad and the ugly.
And, it’s just too much.
Although there’s a lot of great stuff out there, there’s also a lot of fluff. And, in my zealousness, I open my arms and bring it all in.
I need to be discriminating rather than worrying about what I might be missing.
I’m suffocating.
I’ve tried to unsubscribe from everything.
I’ve tried not reading emails older than a week.
I know why this is happening. It’s part of my imposter syndrome.
I’ve tried adding blogs to my WordPress reader rather than getting email notifications. But after awhile I forget. So, I resubscribe to keep up with every shiny, new gadget.
It’s easier to consume because creating is risky. Creating means bearing my soul.
What if it’s not good enough?
What if no one sees it?
What if I really do suck?
Cross posted to The Two Writing Teachers March Slice of Life Story Challenge.
Elisa Waingort 
What if that Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO!) is really a Fear of Massive Overload? 😉 I suspect that the discriminating tastes you mention in the middle of your slice can, over time, get you where you want to be. Meanwhile, have you heard of: https://unroll.me/?
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Brian, I love thinking about FOMO as the Fear of Massive Overload! So true. I’ve tried unroll me, but it just makes me add more and more. LOL! Less is what I need.
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Your slice captured so many of our feelings these days. I too feel overwhelmed right now and I feel like I can relate to your piece. I too need to be discriminating instead of feeling like I miss something as well. I am going to try to be more discriminating to help me become less overwhelmed. Thank you for this!
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Thank you for your comment. Good luck with being more discriminating. I’m right there with you!
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Oh I love the comment it’s easier to consume because creating is risky! So true.
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Yep. Austin Klein is who I think about when I think of consuming and creating. He is such an advocate for creating.
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First, you don’t suck.
Second, there is so much crap that comes into our email accounts on a daily basis. I try to purge my email, by unsubscribing to as much as possible, but it never seems to be enough. I get antsy when my inbox goes above 15, which means I’m forever looking for ways to purge my inbox.
Finally, I came across this piece on Grammarly today about late email responses. Not sure if it’s going to help, but I figured I’d share it just in case.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/sorry-for-the-late-reply/?utm_campaign=B2C&utm_content=link_MP&utm_source=Facebook_org&utm_medium=social&utm_id=e67XFv2BuSJjQh&fbclid=IwAR33zjrPOpkGXOdKYpSXOLLAx0oo0W9M_fk6bqBtFuXbvVsyDDK4JbgAgMs
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Thank you, Stacey for the “you don’t suck” comment and the link. I will be reading it tonight.
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I understand completely. We are in a season of teaching where we’ve had to reexamine every single thing we do. There are some great innovative ways to do this “new normal” way of teaching but there are a lot of people just trying to make money or make a name off this time. It’s so hard to wade through it all. I’m kind of at the “maybe I just suck” part of the school year, too. You don’t suck, btw. But maybe go back to your notebook and writing… I bet you’ll find proof there that you don’t suck. Look for the moments when things worked, when there was joy, replicate those moments. I’m offering that advice to myself right now, too.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I use writing as a way to reflect and discover all of the things that are clouding my mind. It’s my free therapy! LOL!
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There’s a paragraph in The Anti Racist Writing Workshop called Mothering Myself where Felicia Rose Chavez writes statements she’s worried about across the page and then says “but I will write anyway.”
I worry about all the things you listed. So many people do. You’re wonderful and thoughtful and do not suck. Tell yourself that exactly. Mother yourself! Right now is hard. There’s too much content to consume and it’s unclear what’s best and worth it anyway.
Breathe. Do you. That is exactly enough.
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Thank you, Nawal. I recently got that book, but it’s clear from everything everyone is saying about it that I need to put it to the top of my reading list. Yes! “Write anyway!”
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