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From Fear to Love: Working with Emotional Overload

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies By Beth Godbee October 11, 2019 Leave a Comment

Here Beth is holding the older phone and showing an intense sad emotion, near tears (fear or love?).

Emotional Overload Is Rooted in Fear Last week I said goodbye to the phone I’d had for more than 3 years, a phone I was attached to more than I’d like to admit. I entered a state of complete overwhelm, spiraling between questions and frustrations, between crying and raging: How could I possibly learn a new phone? Why aren’t there any small phones? How will one of the new—BIG—phones fit in my pocket? It’s not fair that all the phones are large, while women’s pants ... Read more ...

Eating Vegan in Ireland

Filed Under: Why Vegan? By Beth Godbee September 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

Traditional Irish food (bangers and mash) made vegan + gluten-free: jackfruit sausages, mashed potatoes, peas, onions, and mushroom gravy.

From curries and creamy risotto to mint chocolate and coconut ice cream, Ireland offers an array of vegan dishes, including comfort foods and sweet treats. This summer I traveled to Ireland with only a few weeks of planning—after realizing how much I needed a period of extended rest and reset. When I began telling friends and family about the trip, responses went something like this: You’re going to Ireland? That’s awesome! But what will you eat?” The short answer is ... Read more ...

Responding to White Supremacist Terror, This Time in El Paso

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee August 4, 2019 1 Comment

Photo of Ross Castle in Killarney, Ireland, taken the day before the El Paso shooting. Photo looks up at the castle from the water.

I woke this morning in Ireland to news of the El Paso shooting: the latest act of white supremacist terror in the United States. My body was already aching (today’s a rest day after some seriously long walks), but the news ramped up the ache and lodged itself in my chest. I recognized the familiar heartache that comes with shootings and acts of violence, particularly against Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)—in this case, against Latinx folks in Texas. Along ... Read more ...

Toward Public Outcry: Why I’ll Keep Repeating #AbolishICE and #CloseTheCamps

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee July 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image shares the quote “What’s clear is the need to repeat and repeat and repeat—strongly—anger and disapproval at detaining and imprisoning people,” against a dark blue background representing the night sky.

Outcry: a strong expression of public anger and disapproval This week I dreamed about being detained when traveling, taken aside in an airport and made to wait and wait and wait … It became clear that I was being monitored and considered dangerous and essentially arrested. What started in the airport turned into a full detention / internment / concentration camp experience. The dream’s details are sketchy, but I remember feeling powerless. I couldn’t call for help. I ... Read more ...

How Small and Sustained Actions Turn Resolutions into Habits

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee June 19, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image (mostly white and green) shares the text “This summer, what are you being called to create or put into practice or do differently? For inspiration, see Heart-Head-Hands.com” with an arrangement of succulents.

Typically, by mid-year (by the summer solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere), new year’s resolutions are a thing of the past. Months after setting resolutions, it’s easy to have forgotten or moved through them—with seasons shifting our embodied needs, creating the conditions for new intentions to be named. The summer solstice, then, provides the occasion for setting new resolutions, for looking backward to previous ones and forward to daily practices that ... Read more ...

Turning 40 with the Gift of 40 Miles: Why I’m Taking Myself on Walks This Month

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee May 8, 2019 1 Comment

Here a teal-blue hiking backpack (lighter day-pack with thermos visible) sits against a stone bench.

May is both my birth month and a time of transition (when the school year ends and summer begins). For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked forward to May and its potential for renewal. This year I’m celebrating my 40th birthday and wanting to mark the occasion with extended time on trails. Specifically, I’m setting a goal to hike 40 miles on my own this month: miles that I’ll walk toward understanding how to be independent within interdependence. Why This ... Read more ...

It’s More than End-of-the-Year Exhaustion: Semester Rhythms and Recurring Burnout

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Higher Education By Beth Godbee April 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image from the Inside Higher Ed article (credit: Istockphoto.com/malchev) represents seasonal change. A single nature scene (life of a tree) is divided into quadrants: moving clockwise from the lower-left through a snowy landscape to pink blossoms to green leaves to fallen autumn leaves.

Today Inside Higher Ed published my article, “Semester Rhythms and Recurring Burnout,” reflecting on the exhaustion that many educators and academics face at the end of each school year. This article weaves together multiple threads of feeling, thinking, and doing (heart-head-hands) from my past few weeks, including: attention to my body’s fluctuating energy levels, seasonal changes, and continued recognition of semester rhythms; ongoing reflection on career ... Read more ...

Learning from and Healing Scars, Both Personal and Collective

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image shares the quote: “Collectively, our bodies are scarred (and scared).” against a background of footprints in sand.

Over the past year, my body has experienced a few physical injuries, including a concussion from falling last January and a cut from stepping on a broken bowl back in August. The fall left both knees badly scraped and bruised so that scars are still visible on the surface. The puncture in my foot has involved months of getting ceramic out—piece by piece—and an MRI now confirms that “only scar tissue remains.” That scar tissue isn’t visible like the scars on my knees, ... Read more ...

Living in Shutdown USA

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee January 10, 2019 2 Comments

This image shows a sign that reads "Sorry we're closed" against a dark and shadowy background.

In recent weeks, friends have been asking about my experience with the government shutdown. I’m feeling and experiencing a lot, living in DC, or “America’s lightning rod” (thanks to Katharine Weinmann for this language from a recent comment). Certainly, the city feels on edge and reminds me of the urgent need for resistance, for visioning, and for choosing alternative paths, if we are ever to stop the perpetuation of injustice. I look to everyday life for direction, ... Read more ...

Planning a Career Change in 3 Stages

Filed Under: Higher Education By Beth Godbee November 28, 2018 Leave a Comment

Screenshot of the article “Planning to Leave?” as it appears in Inside Higher Ed, showing the first few paragraphs and an icon of an arrow, representing exit from academia.

Today my third installment of “Outside Higher Ed” appeared in Inside Higher Ed: This piece shares my process of planning a career change in three stages: beginning to plan while feeling uncertain getting serious about planning putting plans into action I share stories of re-orientating myself through counseling, allowing myself time to grieve, and experiencing a concussion as the physical manifestation of the mental exhaustion that motivated my decision to ... Read more ...

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Embodied knowledge matters. So do commitments. And especially acting on commitments as part of everyday life, BIG and small. This website—a mix of blog posts and research writing, along with e-courses and offerings—shares ongoing efforts toward everyday living (feeling, thinking, and doing) for justice.

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Along with showing 4 emoticons representing different emotions, this flyer reads, “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility. Nov. 22 – Dec. 31.”

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Featured Posts

What Is Justice?
The question "What emotional work is waiting to be done?" appears in white cursive font against a background of blues and greens. The background image appears to be an aerial view of the ocean with deeper water appearing as dark blue and shallow water as lighter blue and teal/green, touching land masses represented by brown-tan-yellow.
Against the Tyranny of Positivity
This hyperlinked screenshot shows the article (black text against a white background) as it appears in Inside Higher Ed.
Deciding to Leave Higher Ed: Strategies for Career Discernment
My breakfast of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter mash.
Banana, Chocolate, and Peanut-Butter Mash: Changing My Relationship with Sugar and Rethinking Self-Care
Photo from a crowded protest with a poster in the center reading: "Human Rights are Women's Rights are LGBTQ+ Rights are Native Rights are Black Rights are Latinx Rights are Immigrant Rights are Refugee Rights are Muslim Rights are All Religion Rights are Homeless Rights are Disability Rights are Survivor Rights are Veteran Rights are Elder Rights are Child Rights are Student Rights are American Rights." The poster includes blue and red letters against a white background. Photo credit to Lauren Fitzgerald.
Countering Resistance Fatigue with a Both/And Approach
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Crocheting Granny Squares, Connecting to Grandmothers, and Crafting a More Just Future
Revealing the Cultural Patterns of Rape Culture

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  • In this *new* Q&A blog post, we learn from @saysooth about the importance and possibilities of @generative.somatics — a deeply embodied practice and theory for creating transformative change.
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I met Mel several years ago through a mutual friend in Madison, Wisconsin, and I’ve since been learning from Mel about the work of fundraising for organizations that we deeply care about and want to support. generative somatics is one of those organizations, which is why we’re highlighting it here.
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At this time of year, there are LOTS of fundraising requests, but I hope spend you'll spend a few minutes learning about and, if you can, supporting generative somatics (gs).
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Read more about why from Mel: 
link in bio.
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Photo shows three generative somatics students in jo practice. Used with permission of gs.
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#BlogPost #Blog #Interview #Q&A #SocialJusticeEducation #SocialJustice #RacialJustice #EnvironmentalJustice #EverydayStriving #everydaylivingforjustice #CommittedToJustice 
#GenerativeSomatics #Embodied #Embodiment #Practice #Healing #Transforming #ChangeMaking #WhyDonate #GivingTuesday #Fundraising #somaticexperiencing #somatics #somaticmovement #somatichealing #somaticpractice
  • Last week I missed the 2-year anniversary of my first piece in @insidehighered : link in bio ... This first piece grew into series of posts about decision-making and career change.
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I’m still trying to act (more of the time, in everyday life) on the wisdom that “the absence of a strong yes is actually a no.” And I’m now re-learning this lesson with and from folks who choose to work with me on career discernment.
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Today, with gratitude, I say THANKS for this learning-full journey, which allows me to be an academic in unexpected, creative, and still-emerging ways. <3 .
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This screenshot (social media sharing from @insidehighered) shows a sky at sunset, fading from orange to blue, and reads: “The importance of following your own positive intuitions about career. How can we better tap into our intuitive selves and factor our internal and intangible knowing into career decision making? Beth Godbee … insidehighered.com”
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#academia #highereducation #highered #higheredlife #careerchange #careerdevelopment #careeradvice #careerdiscernment #withaphd #tenured #tenure #altac #postac @beyondtheprof #publiceducation #ongoingeducation #lifelonglearner #lifelonglearning #highereducationmatters #academic #academiclife
  • If you (like me) are cooking for family this week, you can find some vegan options via my website (link in bio). My favorite is this vegan + gluten-free savory pie (pictured here as part of a holiday spread).
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#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganglutenfree #veganglutenfreerecipes #glutenfree #glutenfreevegan #whatveganseat #whatveganscook #veganinspiration #yummy #foodasmedicine #kale #vegancheese #savorypie #savorybaking #foodshare #veganmeals #vegetarian #pie #nourish #nourishment
  • Here's a video to honor the start of the 40-day practice. Registration is open through Saturday, Nov. 23rd. See link in bio.
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ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO, which shows Beth (a white cis woman) in front of a bookshelf:
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Hi everyone! It's Beth on a Friday afternoon, at the start of the 40-day practice: "Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility." I've been going a LOT getting ready for this practice -- high momentum -- so I thought I would just sit in one place and just talk for a minute to say:
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First, thank you to those who have registered and who will be with me for the 40 days. I know it's hard work. It takes an investment and a commitment to stick day-after-day with the practice of noticing when white supremacy, racial microaggressions, white fragility, harm is showing up in our everyday lives. And noticing our emotions associated with those and to feel and process what comes up -- to really learn how to intervene and interrupt our typical emotional patterns. So, I really appreciate and value and want to say thank-you for joining the practice.
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And I also want to invite those of you who've had a pull toward the 40-day practice, or you've thought about it, or you've wondered, "what is this all about?, or you've thought "I think it'd be really good work, but I don't have the time": I want to invite you again to come into the practice. We're a small group this time around ... And these 40 days are during the holidays, which can be a really rough time. It's a time when I know for me I need to be more intentional than ever about slowing down, noticing, being mindful about how I respond, building community with others, and recommitting -- reminding myself what my commitments are in all my interactions.
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CONTINUED (video too long for Instagram) ...
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracies #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #40DayPractice #ContemplativePractice #WhiteFragility #WhiteSupremacy #Antiraciam #Antioppression #RacialJustice #Today #endwhitesupremacy #HolidaySeason #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #OngoingEducation #SocialJusticeEducation #November #Holidays #FriYay #Community #communitycare
  • Today's the day! 🎉
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I’d love for you to join. Link in bio.
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[Image description: Along with showing 4 emoticons representing different emotions, this flyer reads, “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility. Nov. 22 – Dec. 31.”]
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracies #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #40DayPractice #ContemplativePractice #WhiteFragility #WhiteSupremacy #Antiraciam #Antioppression #RacialJustice #Today #EBook #ECourse #endwhitesupremacy #HolidaySeason #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #OngoingEducation #SocialJusticeEducation #November #Holidays #FriYay #Community #CommunityOfPractice #Commitments
  • I’ve been stress baking while on the countdown to the 40-day practice. These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins look a mess, but they are vegan + gluten-free yumminess. And they’re powering me through the emotional labor and long hours going into the work.
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I wrote today about how my history of back pain—embodied knowledge that led me to vegan + gluten-free cooking—is wound up with trying to make sense of and navigate the world in the midst of oppression. Racialized trauma lives in the body, and the body is the home of the spiritual, emotional, and political work of “Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility.”
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We’re up to the wire: the 40-day practice begins tomorrow, and the FB group is now open! It’s not too late to join the practice and to make healing define your holiday season: link in bio.
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[Image shows two trays with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins spilling over the top.]
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And I'm especially influenced by @ResmaaMenakem's My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies and other work on embodiment, somatics, Reiki, feminism, and emotional literacies.
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #Contemplation #SocialJusticeEducation #Learning #Unlearning #OngoingEducation #Commitment #Committed #EmotionalPatterns #WhiteFragility #Whiteness #InternalizedWhiteness #EndWhiteSupremacy #WhyThisWork #EverydayWork #EverydayPractice #Antiracism #AntiracismEducation #Striving #Holidays #40DayPractice
#Vegan #VeganGlutenFree #VeganBaking #VeganComfortFood #Healing
  • With the holidays approaching, you may want support with navigating tricky family interactions, prioritizing reflection, and articulating actionable commitments instead of loose resolutions. .
The 40-day practice provides this support through a learning and unlearning process that increases readiness for showing up for racial justice.
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Specifically, I invite you into this practice to —
1. Shift habits by practicing—again and again and again.
2. Invest in the critique for racial justice.
3. Do emotionally messy work toward unlearning whiteness and white fragility.
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The practice starts tomorrow (Nov. 22).
Learn more, and register through link in bio.
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This image shares the blog post's title: "3 Reasons to Participate in the 40-Day Practice on Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility."
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #Contemplation #Meditation #SocialJusticeEducation #Learning #Unlearning #OngoingEducation #Educator #Learner #Commitment #Committed #EmotionalPatterns #Emo #WhiteFragility #Whiteness #InternalizedWhiteness #EndWhiteSupremacy #WhyThisWork #EverydayWork #EverydayPractice #Antiracism #AntiracismEducation #Striving #Imprefectly #Holidays #40DayPractice

About Beth Godbee

I’m an educator living in Washington, D.C. with connections to many places, including Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee. I write from my identities as a white, feminist teacher and researcher; reiki and yoga practitioner; hiker and vegan. My deepest commitments are to equity and justice. These commitments lead me to write about intersectional identities, embodiment, power, and rights, among other matters. In this blog, I document my ongoing efforts, struggles, and attitude of “try-try again” to align with these commitments. Read more ...

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