Dealing with Being Overwhelmed

Lesson from A Pile of Laundry

When I used to teach Chem 101
And students had too much studying to be done
I used to illustrate using their pile of laundry
How to deal with the stress with imagery
I reminded them how overwhelmed at first they were
As they looked at the pile and just stared
How they decided not to freeze and did the wash
Since they did not want to smell like trash
I reminded them how they felt so much better
When it was all done later
Their tension headache all gone
As the laundry got all done.
So to my students so overwhelmed
This I used to tell them
So it would be with their chemistry
If they want to be happy
To not just stare at the homework and quit
But just do it. Do it. Do it.