The metaphor of “today” in importance and priority management!
President of Üsküdar University and Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan participated in an online talk organized by the Bahçelievler District Directorate of National Education. Speaking under the title “Professional Mental Breakdown – How Can We Maintain Psychological Resilience in the Education Sector?”, Tarhan offered advice to educators and guidance counselors. Emphasizing that individuals with a strong sense of responsibility are more prone to burnout syndrome, Tarhan stated that a hierarchy of importance and priority should be established. He noted that using the metaphor of “Today” in managing importance and priorities leads a person to success.
The online talk drew great interest from educators and guidance counselors.
“A hierarchy of importance and priority must be established”
Tarhan highlighted that those with a high sense of responsibility are more susceptible to burnout syndrome, saying: “We need to clearly define professional collapse and mental collapse. Professional collapse is mostly known as burnout syndrome. A person in a profession gradually begins to feel exhausted. Their productivity declines, and the quality of their work decreases. They start having difficulty going to work, they no longer smile. They become lethargic, joyless, anxious, and constantly distressed. This is a clear state of burnout. It is most commonly seen in individuals with a strong sense of responsibility. They try to do their job well but overdo the sense of control. They get caught up in too many details and cannot delegate tasks. However, it is not possible for a person to carry out every task perfectly, especially in a time when knowledge is quite widespread, and diversity has increased. Trying to handle every detail leads to burnout. What we recommend here is categorical thinking. A person cannot do everything flawlessly. A hierarchy of importance and priority must be established. One must dedicate the most time to the most important issue, and less time to less important ones. As our ancestors used to say, ‘Ehem (most important) must be distinguished from mühim (important).’ That is, one must recognize the difference between what is most important and what is merely important. We also have a beautiful saying: ‘Better is the enemy of good.’ Trying to do everything better can lead to burnout, and in the end, nothing gets done. Then, trying not to make mistakes, the person makes the mistake of doing nothing. This is one of the main causes of professional burnout and collapse,” he said.
The metaphor of “today” in importance and priority management!
Tarhan stated that intellectual and mental capacity must be used correctly and stated that
“One of the causes of burnout is the improper use of intellectual and mental capacity. This is especially common in people who constantly dwell on the past, wasting time on regrets and ‘what ifs.’ They say, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that. I wish I had not said those words. Why did this happen to me?’ They are overly fixated on the past. At the same time, future-focused worries also create a mental burden. Questions like ‘What will happen in two months? Will I be hungry in two months?’ Of course, to avoid the possibility of going hungry in two months, one doesn’t sit down and eat two months’ worth of food today. These individuals are so consumed with the future that they neglect today. However, the human mind is capable of handling only the burden of today. Some philosophers hang the word ‘Today,’ engraved on marble, in their rooms as a reminder. When they become fixated on the past or future, they look at it and return to the present. Because when you do justice to today, you are already investing in the future. At the same time, you gain the ability to learn from the past. Therefore, using the ‘today’ metaphor in importance and priority management helps a person use their resources correctly and efficiently,” he said.
“They took Anatolian wisdom and systematized it”
Stating that the focus should be on strengths rather than weaknesses, Tarhan said:
“They took our Anatolian wisdom, systematized it, developed its methodology, and are now marketing it to the world under the name of positive psychology. That’s one of the reasons I felt the need to write books like Masnavi Therapy, Yunus Therapy, and Love Therapy. One of my motivations was this. We were the first to write a book on positive psychology in Türkiye in the early 2010s. Harvard included this subject in its curriculum in 2015. But we, as Üsküdar University, started offering this course in 2013 and continue to do so today. This is a field with a solid theoretical foundation. In fact, positive psychotherapies based on this foundation have also developed. In medicine, a patient used to be operated on immediately. However, today’s medical approach aims to treat without making an incision, and this is called non-invasive treatment. For example, with laparoscopic surgery, the gallbladder is removed through a small incision. The equivalent of this in psychiatry is positive psychotherapy. It is about treating without diving deep into childhood traumas or intense inner conflicts. In other words, it's about strengthening a person's psychological defense system, increasing psychological immunity, and enhancing mental well-being. What matters here is helping the individual overcome weaknesses naturally by utilizing their strengths, but not focusing on their weak points.”
“Wisdom is the foundation of positive psychology”
Tarhan emphasized that one should seek meaningful happiness rather than pleasure-based happiness: “Aristotle spoke of two types of happiness 2,500 years ago. One is hedonic happiness, and the other is eudaimonic happiness — pleasure-based happiness and meaning-based happiness. What we call meaning-based happiness is the happiness associated with serotonin. People who chase meaning are the ones who can achieve this type of happiness. Moreover, it has been scientifically proven that this is linked to serotonin. Since its neurological correlates have been identified in the brain, we can now defend it much more confidently. Pleasure-based happiness is the happiness of the ego. Meaning-based happiness is the happiness of the soul. In pleasure-based happiness, a person may feel lost for a moment, but then it disappears. In peace-based happiness, the person does not get lost — instead, they deepen. The word ‘peace’ in Arabic comes from the root meaning ‘to be present.’ Being present means being able to see both the good and the bad — being ready for the worst. You prepare yourself, and then you start thinking positively. There is surrender and trust here. You think positively, and you find peace. You add meaning to your life. Because you can generate meaning, you can overcome your fears. This is exactly what positive psychology aims to teach. Wisdom is the foundation of positive psychology. Positive psychology is now the wisdom dimension of psychology.”
“Value education happens through value-embedded teaching”
Explaining how value education should be conducted, Tarhan said: “We provide values education in our schools. In these lessons, people talk for hours about concepts like honesty and respect. For example, someone once gave a three-hour talk on the virtue of speaking less. But this is not how values education should be done. Values cannot be taught merely by talking about them. Value education must be delivered through value-embedded teaching. That means integrating values into whatever subject is being taught, whether it is physics, chemistry, mathematics, or any other class. Without this approach, values education becomes ineffective. In positive psychology, the first step is self-awareness. Then comes self-regulation. After that, empathy, social awareness, and relationship management. Sharing, forgiveness, stress management. The gratitude module, leadership, resilience module, and all of these are taught within the framework of positive psychology. When a person learns these values, they also unconsciously learn Prophetic (Nebevi) ethics. That is why guidance counselors should now focus on these areas.”
“Prophetic morality illuminates one’s path”
Addressing the concept of free will, Tarhan said: “The Prophetic morality of our Prophet is like a lamp that lights our path as we walk in the dark. It guides us, much like a traffic sign, pointing the way and making our decisions easier. Due to the way the human brain functions, we look for reference points when making decisions. In our minds, there is a ruler, that is, a kind of measuring unit. When a thought enters our minds, we immediately begin to evaluate it. Is it appropriate or not? Safe or dangerous? Helpful or harmful? Aesthetic or not? Beautiful or ugly? There is a mental jury within us that carries out this process. Especially in the frontal part of the brain, there is a structure responsible for this judgment. It prompts us to say yes or no. In fact, life progresses through constant choices. Every moment is a decision. We choose one thing and leave another. This chain continues, and we call that life. One of the most fundamental characteristics of human beings is free will. A person can choose both good and evil. This is what distinguishes humans from other beings. For instance, animals are bound by their genetic codes, but humans live with limitless desires and limited power. Therefore, humans must act through conscious choice. That is precisely why Prophetic morality illuminates the way — it helps guide us in making the right choices.”
“Keeping the hopes of youth alive is everyone’s responsibility”
Emphasizing that young people must not fall into hopelessness, Tarhan said that “Generation Z youth have high expectations. They tend to be somewhat self-centered, and comfort is important to them. At the same time, they are very lovable. These young people have a strong expectation for innocence. Their demand for justice is also very powerful. That is exactly why we must not let them be swept away by the winds of pessimism. They should not fall into despair by looking at the social tensions or breakdowns in Türkiye. These are not threats, they are opportunities. If we view events solely as threats, we lose morale. But if we see them as opportunities for growth, that’s when we become stronger. Difficulties are part of growth. Those who are willing to face hardship will succeed. The person who overcomes obstacles continues on their path even stronger. In positive psychology, this is called post-traumatic growth. Rather than looking at misfortunes with a mindset of ‘Why did this happen to me?’ young people should ask, ‘What did this event teach me? How can I get through this? What is my plan A? What could be my plan B or plan C?’ A young person who asks such questions will find a way forward. That’s why keeping the hopes of youth alive is a responsibility we all share,” he concluded.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)