My job is stressful and I don't always use my strategies. I tell my p-doc they don't usually work but he keeps at it. I'm not big on crowds, noise, or confusion......and since I'm a school teacher, these things are sort of unavoidable. I also suffer fools poorly and I have plenty of them in my classes. There's this one kid who is an absolute dink - he just yells stuff out, talks inappropriately, and acts like a jerk for most of the class. The other day, he says "I don't want to go to China because all they do is eat dong". This is what I deal with......his dad is a nutcase so calling home does no good. The office doesn't want him because he's a chronic problem, so it's people like me who are left to manage him. I don't dislike him - he's actually likable on some levels, but he's incredibly disruptive.

I try grounding strategies but keep in mind, I'm live-on-stage and there's not much I can do. I don't have the luxury of taking a walk, closing my eyes, or meditating. I almost have to do some long-term groundwork/prep so I don't get in trouble.

Unfortunately, my mouth gets me in trouble and I need to watch it. I am your typical BP hothead. So I remind myself to cool it if I can.....but it gets the best of me sometimes. After his wise crack, I tossed him from class and told him I didn't care where he went. As he's leaving, I said "here's a spelling lesson for you - ABC ya!"