Some words from Elizabeth Gilbert on how to re-ground yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed in your teaching, or in the state of the world:

"I think if you can't think of what to do right now, I would suggest doing what you used to do when you were 10 years old that made you feel happy and relaxed, and that's often creativity and play. And for many of us who were anxious children -- and I was an anxious child -- we learned at an early age that we could sedate ourselves with our curiosity and with our play, and then, usually around adolescence, the world taught us that there were faster and more immediate ways to bump out of that anxiety through...distraction or workaholism or whatever we did and not have to sit with ourselves. And I think right now is a really good opportunity: you actually were on the right track when you were 10, whatever it was. So, you know, get some LEGOs. Get some LEGOs, get some coloring books, just get your hands in the mud, do whatever it is that will actually ground you into this, again, to take you out of the futurizing and the future-tripping that's going to cause you nothing but anxiety and not going to make you be of service."

--I found some of the other points that she made in this talk very helpful to apply to my own anxieties and teaching. You can listen to the full talk here if you're interested.