We are living in a time where elevated anxiety levels is the norm. On top of being professional business leaders, we’re nervous about the economy, our health and that of our loved ones, we’re adjusting to new ways to get our work done with remote (or semi-remote) staffs, we’re home-schooling, and we’re watching/reading/hearing way too much news. This is the reality of our culture at the moment.
So how do you manage the stress? We reached out to Kim Laughlin from Cultural Apex Coaching to ask her how she is guiding her clients through these stressful times. Here is what we learned:
Kim told us that stress has been the biggest concern of her clients for the last few weeks. They are taking on a lot more than they should be as individuals. They all are trying to save the world – the way that so many of us do. Kim is coaching her clients to take a step back. Even though their role is very important, they aren’t in charge of “rowing the boat” all by themselves. We are clearly in a time that calls for us to learn to depend on others – even though we aren’t in the same room as them.
Advice For Adjusting To Today’s Circumstances
Recognize that we are living and working in circumstances that are beyond our own control right now. There will be demands on our time that we can’t predict or control. What we can control is how we respond to them. Kim shared a few stress relief techniques that she encourages her clients to use. These techniques include:
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation (Solfeggio frequencies)
- Tapping Solutions
To learn more about these techniques, take a look at this outline that Kim provided to us.
Self Care Is Critical
Much like we’ve always heard in the pre-flight safety check: “Place the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping others who may need your assistance.”
As business leaders, we are prone to keep our foot on the accelerator and do “all the things.” Today isn’t the time to do everything. Make time for yourself – even if it is only for a few minutes at the beginning and end of the day. The more stress we put on our own shoulders at the moment, the less effective we will be at helping those who are counting on us.