Through these past few weeks of readings and discussions, I keep finding my mind circling around to negative feelings and what to do with them in a context of care—especially when those feelings are experienced by one who is in a position of relative power, like an instructor. What do you (or I) do when we come into the classroom with negative feelings, with frustration, with cynicism, with fatigue and overwhelm? How do we avoid substituting toxic positivity for care? I was thinking about this especially while reading Jen’s post on busted staplers, and Adrianna’s question on how to make time for this slow work when you’re in a precarious position. What do you do when you just don’t feel like showing up?

I’ve got a book on my to-read shelf by Sianne Ngai called Ugly Feelings. It focuses on low-grade negative feelings that are not associated with catharsis or transformation. I’m curious to see how the book engages with these kinds of emotional states, and whether it feels like I can find a meaningful way to incorporate the fact of their existence into a space of care…

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