Resilience! A Guide for Educators - You Can Do It!

How to Use the Howbadzzat? “Catastrophe” ScaleThe Howbadzzat? Catastrophe Scale poster canhelp you to not to blow bad things out ofproportion and of the importance of keepingthings in perspective. The Howbadzzat?Catastrophe scale developed for use with for allpeople including children and young peoplepresents to a scale for measuring how badthings are. Extremely high ratings (90‐100)which can be considered as catastrophes, the“worst” things in the world, are represented byan erupting volcano, a meteor hits the earth,being eaten by a shark and being physicallyassaulted. Things that are “very bad” include avery serious car accident, being arrested andthrown in jail. Things that are “bad” includebeing at the dentist, your computer crashes,falling off your bike and receiving a bad mark inschool. Finally, things that fall into the “a bitbad” include being stung by a little mosquito,having a pimple, your ice cream falls on theground or a dog eats your hotdog.Where you place an event on the CatastropheScale determines how strong your emotions areon the Emotional Thermometer.There is little question that Mary James is facedwith hassles associated with poor studentclassroom behaviour that make teaching Sciencetough. And Brian Fordham’s demands ofleadership are increased when Mary Jamescontinuously sends to him students to bereprimanded.However, the question is whether or not theyare blowing events at work and home out ofproportion. Yes, both are confronted withevents that we would all agree are “bad”.However, it appears that both are exaggeratinghow bad things really are.Once Mary and Brian place these events on the“Catastrophe Scale” in proper perspective, theiremotional reactions become more manageableand they are more fully able to use theirconsiderable talents to solve their practicalproblems. By incorporating the “CatastropheScale” into their mindset about life’s difficultiesand recognising that most things in life arehassles but not horrors, their emotional life willbe more settled and they will experienceheightened social and emotional well‐being.And the additional payoff is that when childrenand young people witness adults in their livesnot over‐reacting emotionally to theirchallenging behaviour, they will be learning apowerful lesson for how they can react to theirown issues they may encounter.So remember, when you notice your emotionalthermometer heading towards fever range,think to yourself: “Howbadzzat?” And if theanswer is “It’s not as bad as I think it is,” youwill have served yourself up a powerful elixirthat will help you stay calm in the face ofadversity.The Battle between Positive and Negative Habits of the MindWe now know that we are all born with twoways of thinking; 1. positive or rational, and 2.negative or irrational. The degree to which webecome emotionally upset when adverse eventshappen is governed largely by whether we areviewing and interpreting the event through arational or irrational lens. The accompanyingtable will provide you with an opportunity todetermine whether you hold any of the majorirrational, negative Habits of the Mind that leadto poor emotional resilience.The impact of the different irrational, negativeHabits of the Mind on your emotional responseswhen faced with adversity is represented below.Self‐DowningYou are prone to high levels of being downNeed for ApprovalYou are prone to high levels of social anxietyNeed for Achievement (Perfectionism)You are prone to high levels of performanceanxietyResilience: A Guide for Educators 6