Teaching Journey with the Atlas (book review)

If I were to introduce the book I’m about to review in a manner of film trailers, that would be something like this:

Are you ready to embark on a meaningful journey through your heart – on a lonely quest – to find and name 87 emotions that rule your life?
Will the journey make you a better teacher?
Will you achieve the holy grail of understanding and accepting even the most difficult emotions?
“Atlas of the Heart” – this summer, on your reading shelf.

Why emotions?

Why would you want to read a book on emotions? First of all, to learn about them – it took me years to learn there is something called hanger which is basically anger fuelled by hunger (and ever since that realisation my husband’s life has become considerably easier). But to be honest, we have never learnt about emotions – now, with all the power of mindfulness (and/or therapy) we’re trying to rediscover them, but they are still terra incognita.

That’s why it’s a great idea to broaden our horizons by trying to identify emotions, find some similarities and differences between them (ah, the famous case of jealousy and envy!), and finally learn to accept them. This ultimately leads to accepting (and liking) ourselves which is IMHO the holy grail of life. So from my point of view a book that delivers honest descriptions of various emotions along with some poignant questions that encourage self-reflection is a perfect book for self-development.

Book organisation

The emotions in the atlas were to be listed alphabetically yet Brené Brown realised that it would be more effective to put them in groups to highlight the differences between them. That’s why we’ve got the following chapters:

1. Places we go when things are uncertain or too much (stress, overwhelm, anxiety, worry, avoidance, excitement, dread, fear, vulnerability)
2. Places we go when we compare (comparison, admiration, reverence, envy, jealousy, resentment, Schadenfreude, Freudenfreude)
3. Places we go when things don’t go as planned (boredom, disappointment, expectations, regret, discouragement, resignation, frustration)
4. Places we go when it’s beyond us (awe, wonder, confusion, curiosity, interest, surprise)
5. Places we go when things aren’t what they seem (amusement, bittersweetness, nostalgia, cognitive dissonance, paradox, irony, sarcasm)
6. Places we go when we’re hurting (anguish, hopelessness, despair, sadness, grief)
7. Places we go with others (compassion, pity, empathy, sympathy, boundaries, comparative suffering)
8. Places we go when we fall short (shame, self-compassion, perfectionism, guilt, humiliation, embarrassment)
9. Places we go when we search for connection (belonging, fitting in, connection, disconnection, invisibility, insecurity, loneliness)
10. Places we go when the heart is open (love, lovelessness, heartbreak, trust, self-trust, betrayal, defensiveness, flooding, hurt)
11. Places we go when life is good (joy, happiness, calm, contentment, gratitude, foreboding joy, relief, tranquility)
12. Places we go when we feel wronged (anger, contempt, disgust, dehumanization, hate, self-righteousness)
13. Places we go to self-assess (pride, hubris, humility)

As you can see – the perfect atlas of the places we all visit, and each place is full not only of descriptions, but full of stories – Brené shares her personal experiences in a way we can all relate and refer to our own life. So rather than a possibly boring dictionary of emotions, we’re invited to an exciting adventure. It’s not an easy adventure, but hey, who likes easy adventures anyway, right?

The challenge

As I’ve just written, the chapters are divided into places rather than alphabetical order of emotions, that’s why I can recommend reading this book one chapter at a time. This will give you some time for reflection because, to be honest, it’s an atlas, which means the effort on taking up the journey is completely on your side. The more effort you put into the quest, the more rewarding it will be.

That’s why I believe it’s a great book for a summer break, when you have some time off and you can spend it on yourself, on reflection, getting to know self better, and ultimately feeling better.

The Hub

As always, Brené doesn’t only deliver a book, but she offers a wide collection of materials you can use to expand your knowledge and understanding. If you visit Atlas Hub (click!) you will see some extra reading materials, podcasts, quote cards (like the ones I’ve shared in this post), and references to the HBO series by Brené. I find this collection quite supportive as there are some passages that encourage me to reflect more and think deeper on the topic.

Recommendations

I wish everyone would read the book – honestly, learning about own emotions is something we should all cover and that’s why I think that’s the reason the Atlas should be read particularly by us – teachers.

Educational process is bound to show various vulnerabilities, both in teachers and students – topics that trigger difficult emotions, activities that are not easy to perform (like calming down right after being ridiculed by a teenager, or being a shy student made to speak out), mistakes we all make. It’s unavoidable – but it doesn’t have to be traumatic.

Once we learn to identify our own emotions, it will be easier to accept the ways others cope with their feelings. With our hearts (and minds) open, we can empathise with our students – and ultimately we may be able to teach them how to grow brave, without shame, how to love, understand, hope and accept.

And that’s something far more important than any of the school subjects we teach.

The antidote to shame is empathy. If we reach out and share our shame experience with someone who responds with empathy, shame dissipates. Shame needs you to believe that you’re alone. Empathy is a hostile environment for shame.

Brené Brown “Atlas of the Heart”

Brown, Brené: Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
Random House 2021
ISBN 9780399592553