Originally Posted by
EndGameNYC 
I haven't yet decided on whether or not I'll share my current experience with my students. It's a very small class, so that's not an issue, but I also don't want my stuff to become their stuff either. We'll see.
I've talked about some losses I've experienced earlier in life, and the time lapse makes it less jarring for them and me. I think it would be odd of me to say nothing about any of my experiences of grief, death and dying, especially since my students feel free to share their own experiences in class, and that's a good thing. For all of us.
Yes, of course, EG - I probably failed to put it in a more nuanced way. Namely, I imagine you have so much therapeutic and no doubt teaching experience and nous that you will simply 'know' / read the group dynamics so as to get that balance of sharing your current experiences without burdening the students. Having said that, depending on the group individuals - especially if very small, big bonus - I see how it might even be
fulfilling for them and you to at least mention the bare bones of your present. 'When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears...' can work both ways, I believe.
That probably makes no sense!
The back pain and basic / necessity eating: try not to be quite so hard on yourself, sir. I hardly think anyone could expect - except yourself - to be fully up to par in all aspects of daily self-care (i.e. fully healthy, great diet, serene and so forth) during such a time in life. We in the modern (post-modern?) West get a tad too pressured IMO about always 'working on ourselves' / improving ourselves / etc etc. I often wonder what Foucault would make of us in 2015 busily and arduously engaging in all these 'technologies of the self'.
When I mentioned 'good small ways', I was thinking more of stuff like taking time to have a simple walk in the park, a bit of time browsing in a bookstore, things like that. Easy stuff. No pressure stuff.
V