The Corona virus abruptly hit the pause button on our normal life. Things that felt certain are suddenly in question. How to manage these feelings? How to deal with the new normal? And how to move forward? One thing is for sure, panic doesn’t serve us. That just makes us buy crazy amounts of toiletpaper.
One thing that positively stood out to me the last couple of days, is how people are caring for each other. Consider this:
- The countless heartwarming initiatives that were started to support vulnerable people and affected local businesses.
- How many are making efforts to share information, educate and urge people to take their responsibility.
- The universal expressions of gratefulness to the hero’s working in healthcare, education, supermarkets and all other jobs that keep us going in these strange times.
All of the above doesn’t make “the bad” disappear, but it does make a world of difference in how we perceive and act on it.
This is exactly what coaching is about. Through coaching, we do not try to change, sugar-coat or deny reality, but we take charge over the way we deal with it. We are aware of and kind to our emotions, but we don’t let them control us. Instead, we work to get to choices and actions that serve us.
This crisis is going to be tough and it’s far from being over. Personally, I am of course also worried what this crisis will mean. For the health of my loved ones and the prospects of my business. For our nations’ economy and our human spirit. Together with my coach I identified what I will focus on the coming days. I summarised it in three C’s: Communication, Creativity and Care.
Communication.
Now more than ever, I am dedicating my time to communication. Where I tried to limit my time spent on social media before, I am now embracing these opportunities to see if there are meaningful things I can do for my family, friends and people in my community. To ask people how they are doing. A simple question, but it it makes us feel seen and loved. Maybe you can be of help, just by listening. Maybe there is something you can do to help. Maybe you have some good advice. The beauty of communication is reciprocity. I take comfort in connecting, especially now that we can’t physically meet. It makes me realise we are all in this together.
Creativity.
Different times require different actions. My business plan from 2 weeks ago, doesn’t fly in this new reality. For me this meant that I announced my business update earlier than planned, while I am still building my content and website. Maybe not the most ideal situation, but I want to put my offer out into the world now. I can’t stay silent during these days, when I made it my mission to help people and businesses. And while all my network events are cancelled, I am building digital network groups to stay connected with other entrepreneurs. There is massive support between us all. I looked at my long term goals, and decided to go ahead and continue to invest in my education. I have a clear focus on where I want to be in 6 months, yet I am flexible in adapting my actions in the moment when needed. Also if that means that things are done in a less perfect way than previously imagined.
Care.
This turned out to be the most important focus point for me right now. I realised I was spending most of my time working and worrying. What I needed was relaxation, to take care of my health. Physically and mentally. Also here, I made some decisions and I am committing myself to them. I am allowing myself time for self-care, and hard coded it in my calendar. I will not work after 8 in the evenings. And whether it is yoga, exercise, cooking, writing a journal, reading, painting, or something else, the point is to do something to take your mind off your daily business and refill up on energy. I love taking long baths and I meditate in the mornings. My boyfriend is making music and loves spending time in the kitchen (lucky me). Which brings me to the other part of care, caring for others! Helping others puts my problems in perspective. I gift my time and money where I can. For example, we offered our elderly neighbours to help with shopping, we continue to pay our cleaner and I call my grandma often.
If you think coaching could benefit you, then don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Send me a short message at hello@coachingbyleonie.com, and we’ll take it from there.