Math therapy as an act of self-care

Naming our math trauma is an act of self-care. Math therapy is an act of self-love❤️‍🩹

Often when we give things a name, we strip them of their power. Not entirely, but enough to allow us to finally see the bigger picture, to move forward with renewed resilience.

In the 3 yrs since I started my podcast, 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕪, I've noticed a collective sigh of relief among our students, their families, other teachers, my podcast guests, my podcast listeners...and YOU guys. It feels like just KNOWING that math trauma is a REAL thing has felt like a weight being lifted off of us ALL.

Do you ever get that feeling that something is wrong with you? Like you can't explain WHAT it is, but you're sure no one else feels the way you do? THAT is the feeling SO many people have when it comes to math. That something is wrong with them. Well, THAT something has a name:

It's called 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓊𝓂𝒶. And MANY of us have it. You are not alone❤️‍🩹

𝑀𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓊𝓂𝒶 looks different for all of us, but here are some of the ways 𝑀𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓊𝓂𝒶 might show up for you:

🖤You actively avoid math in everyday life

🖤You have a physical reaction when faced w math

🖤You're convinced you're incapable of understanding math

🖤You start panicking the second someone starts talking numbers

𝑀𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓊𝓂𝒶 usually stems from a specific or repeated event, and that can look different for all of us. Here are some situations that may have been 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝒸 for you:

🖤Getting asked to answer a question in front of the whole class, and not knowing the answer

🖤Being yelled at for not understanding a concept or getting a bad mark

🖤Being told that math just isn't "your thing"

🖤Having a sibling who got higher marks than you...and constantly being compared to them

🖤Growing up in a community where limiting stereotypes around who can do math are consistently reinforced

This is just a starting point, and I hope it's been helpful. If you feel ready, I invite you to name your math trauma: what it looks like now & what events may have been mathematically traumatic for you. Naming our math trauma is an act of self-care. Math therapy is an act of self-love. It begins today❤️‍🩹

XOXO ʋαɳҽSSα