Dooley Noted: 10/1/2014
I rarely trust people that believe they are smart.
They are too comfortable.
They are already closed off from the idea they have much more to learn.
Yesterday, some of my students came into lab, feeling deflated. They were struggling with the autonomic nervous system pathways.
Fight or flight. Rest and digest.
They are smart. But they were uncomfortable.
As we discussed complicated pathways, I felt them starting to close off.
Their amygdalas were firing with anxiety, which inhibits short term memory formation and recall.
They were frustrated. They were starting to give up.
Then it happened.
They realized the exam would definitely happen, whether they knew the material or not.
The frustrations could inhibit their short term memories. Or, that energy could be transitioned to focus, learning one piece of the puzzle at a time.
One piece became two. Two became three.
At the end of the lab, they were showing me the complicated pathways, from origin to termination.
They transitioned frustration into brilliance.
Frustration leaves you in the dark.
Recognize it is there
Allow yourself to be uncomfortable.
Focus.
Open up to more ideas.
You’re still smart, even if you admit you’re uncomfortable.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley