This week, one of the coach directories I belong to, Get Coached, posted a poignant message: You are not ‘working from home’. You are at home, during a crisis, trying to work. While I’m not a fan of dramatic words like ‘crisis’, it’s hard to argue with it right now. We all have a lot on our minds. There’s a lot going on, a fair amount ... [Read On]
I don’t believe in stress management
Although I specialise in stress and resilience, among other things, I actually don’t believe in managing stress or stress management. That’s a bit of a mind-bender for some, but this nuance in semantics is actually pretty important. These terms presuppose we’re going to have stress and it needs to be managed, which is buying into the paradigm ... [Read On]
Sometimes the practical tools are just not enough
I’ve always been quite a practical person – able to fix a blown fuse or repair a piece of broken china, or organise a kitchen to work well for the cook. And when I think about it, this actually pervades my approach to personal and professional change and stress transformation. As soon as I started specialising in stress and resilience for instance, ... [Read On]
Stripping things back to the essentials
For me, June has been a month of enjoying the simplicities of life; enjoying a thermos of fresh ginger tea on cold mornings, lighting candles in the early wintry evenings. With all the rain we’ve had here, I’ve been chasing the sun on the days it has appeared and soaking it up. I’m feeling like my solar battery has been filled up again. Sunshine is ... [Read On]
Hiring a coach is an act of courage.
Gentlemen, this one is for you. Yes, I offer coaching for men, and at least half my coaching clients are male – business owners, directors, leaders and professionals. One of them was telling me yesterday about two recent conversations with male friends of his about their challenges around stress and mental health. He was feeling really good ... [Read On]
What’s your idea of an ideal week?
I have Wednesday’s off. With the odd exception, Wednesday is a completely non-work day for me. I’m a big fan of the four day week. It’s a shift I’ve seen a number of clients make over the years. I have a number of clients who have gone from a very strict 45-hour week running 8am to 5pm or thereabouts, to flexing their hours between work and ... [Read On]
There is nothing tidy about what we are going through
I’m noticing how differently people are responding to this situation, as we certainly have different circumstances to navigate. There are two scenarios I really want to speak to for a moment that you might relate to. The first is that you might be coping really well right now, you might be feeling clear-headed, able to make good decisions and ... [Read On]
The Balancing Act of Keeping Calm and Carrying On
How are you doing at this time? If you’re like most people, you are feeling okay one minute and a bit freaked out, daunted or worried the next. All perfectly normal behaviour in the midst of a global pandemic. Keeping the balance between taking appropriate action, being in the moment and keeping the body and emotions calm really helps of ... [Read On]
Use Our Words to Power Our Way Through This Situation
We all know how powerful language is and how our words shape our reality and perception - and there sure are a lot of words circling around this situation we find ourselves in. Take a moment today to check for yourself if the words you’re using and emphasising are helping you to feel empowered and powerful, or defensive and alone, or ... [Read On]
Being in the Here and Now in a Crisis
If you’ve been swinging between dealing with right now, and worrying about the future, you’re probably on par with many people. There are a few different opinions on this and I’ve given it some careful thought – right now the most useful place you could put your attention is on the here and now. I will write again about how to be thinking about the ... [Read On]