For a long time, we’ve operated quite efficiently as individuals, whether in life or at work, going about our business and tending to our usual tasks. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of that rather quickly and in doing so has exposed a vulnerability that was once hidden from our sight… we are all connected and together we thrive. It has never been more essential to shift from a “me” to “we” perspective.
As your organization moves to a work-from-home model amidst the changing times this global pandemic has thrust upon us, there will undoubtedly be hiccups and growing pains along the way. As a collective, we’re already experiencing a heightened level of stress so we wanted to do our part to help the people in your organization handle these times with greater ease.
Finding time to operate from a centred, balanced place has never been more essential.
Over the next undetermined amount of time, the people in your organization will experience some good days and not so good days. They will be hard on themselves when things don’t run smoothly or their dog barks while on a call. Babies will cry, kids will fight, technology will glitch, phones will crackle, the internet will be shoddy. These are not normal occurrences when you go to work but it’s our new normal right now and we all need to do our best to adapt.
One of the things I’ve been teaching for a long time is that it’s more powerful to face adversity with a calm, centred approach versus wishing a problem would go away, getting angry or allowing fear to stop us dead in our tracks.
All businesses will be impacted by what’s going on right now. All businesses. The extent of the impact? It’s too early to say, but no industry, organization or employee is immune to the effects of COVID-19. Right now, employees are working hard to maintain a level of professionalism that may be difficult for them to achieve from home. This may be adding to the amount of stress and panic they are experiencing.
We are all connected, we are all in this together… and together we thrive.
Over the next few days, we would like to share some thoughts on what you and your employees can do to regain a sense of balance amidst the chaos.
Start by Granting Yourself and Others Grace
Right now it’s anything but “business as usual” so what can you do to grant yourself and others grace at this time? Grace is defined as “simple elegance or refinement of movement.”
Ask yourself:
- How can I refine my expectations?
- How can I go with the flow a little better?
- Can I suspend my perfectionism for now?
- Can I lower my expectations of others and grant them some grace?
Many of us strive to maintain the same level of excellence we’ve become accustomed to giving at work and we may be struggling right now because things feel clunky.
We all need to be aware that everyone we know and work with is facing unique challenges. No one has it all together and figured out right now. If we can relax our expectations, just for now, and extend grace to ourselves and others, we have a chance of coming together in new ways to achieve things we’ve never achieved before.
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, try this technique. It’s designed to be quick and efficient and has the ability to help restore mental focus and calm, quickly.
Exercise:
- Stop and sit back from your computer.
- Close your eyes and place both hands over your chest.
- Breathe. Feel your chest rise as you take a breath in. Feel it drop as you exhale.
- Repeat this for as long as you need and then open your eyes and take a fresh look at what lies ahead.
Taking a moment to pause and do an exercise like this can help lower your stress hormones, such as cortisol. Getting a handle on stress means you can think more clearly, make better decisions, make fewer mistakes and operate from a place of kindness.
How Can We Help?
Let us know how we can help. Our virtual mindfulness sessions, guided meditation and breathing classes and pandemic preparedness seminar can help bring a sense of calm to your workforce by putting the right tools, knowledge and expertise in their hands. Contact us to find out how we can help.
Stay tuned for Part 2…