Are you feeling on edge?
Sometimes overwhelmed by everything we are seeing and hearing on the news and then catching yourself in those moments of “normalness” and feeling guilty for it?
Between the devastation of the floods in Australia, the heartbreak of war in Ukraine and constant uncertainty of Covid it’s been a difficult start to the year. One that feels heavy and dark. It’s hard to celebrate milestones, recognise achievements or just move forward on ideas, hopes and dreams when there is so much loss and suffering in the world right now.
For many of us our nervous systems are shot. Our levels of resilience are low and while we try to be strong, hopeful and optimistic for others, the truth is it’s wearing us thin. It’s chipping away at our health, our wellbeing and sense of stability.
It's ok not be ok right now.
Even if you are a leader.
Even if you are responsible for others.
Even if others are looking to you for direction.
Times like these trigger us in different ways. They can instil fear and uncertainty. They can create doubt and paralysis. They can cause us to pause and feel stuck. We all need to work through these in our own way and in our own time.
When we give ourselves the space and time to do this, we come out of it more of who we truly are. It’s important to “feel the feels “and process what these feelings mean, where they came from and who we want to be coming out of this experience.
We don’t have to pretend.
It’s not time to be stoic.
Leaders don’t push through at these times; they know to stop and reflect.
What are these fears? – label them and get specific about what you are afraid of.
Where have they come from? Are they mine or am I expected to have them?
What can I do with them? How do I use them to take the next right step?
Who am I without these fears? What lies beyond.
Remember, that when we suffer we don’t relieve the suffering of others.
When we live in fear, we don’t relieve the fear others are feeling.
Rather, when we give ourselves permission to work through our fears then we get to decide their impact. We get to choose how we will respond, and we get to determine what is true for us and what isn’t.
And, perhaps most importantly, we get to role model what vulnerability looks like. We get to lead from the inside out.
Does this resonate for you? What strategies do you use in times like these? Leave a comment or hit reply and email me to let me know. I'd love to hear from you.
Ways I can support you right now.