Righting our ship in the time of COVID

Righting-Our-Ship-2

Inside our team we’ve been sharing how each of us has been impacted by the current events of COVID19. What has been lovely are the gems that emerge – tips and phrases that feel supportive and insightful. Here is some of what we’ve found helpful for each other:

  1. Put your own oxygen mask on first:
    Most of us are deeply giving people. There is great wisdom in allowing yourself the space to figure out what your emotional ballast looks like. It might be going to Ikea and getting your workspace set up, or finding some replacement for your physical exercise, or setting up online groups with friends. Know that your own oxygen mask matters and take the time to adjust it until it feels comfortable enough.
  2. Allow yourself to go ‘foetal’ for a bit:
    What this looks like will be different for everyone. It’s about allowing yourself to take your foot of the productivity pedal, even just for 1 day. Take a mental health day. Find somewhere peaceful (and legal), take a breath and stare at the drifting clouds. Think of it as letting the sediment settle in your coffee. It’s going to take some time to adjust. We will all be back with all pistons firing. But not yet.
  3. Open your heart to the huge variability: 
    One of the things that is striking me at the moment is that we’re all in this together but what’s hard or easy is so different for us – again both individually and for organisations. On a personal level, for some it’s the kids, for others it’s financial, others are concerned about how their sense of purpose will be impacted. Some are barely affected, and some are having the stuffing knocked out of them. Allow what is true for you to be, bring open-mindedness and curiosity to what it’s like for others, accepting that there is an inherent unevenness in the impact of this situation.
  4. Reframe for your brain: 
    You have probably heard that the World Health Organisation has caught on and is adjusting from ‘social distancing’ to ‘social connection and physical distancing’. We need our lovely brains to be in a calm productive soup of chemicals, so pick yourself up when you say things that give you a shot of cortisol (I’m stuck at home!) and try a reframe. ‘I’m at home and I am OK.’

We hope these help you too. We would love to hear what resonates or is working for you!

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