Here we are… the light appeared and now it’s waning again. COVID isn’t going away, hybrid work is here to stay, and leaders are being challenged to let go. To flex and adapt, to envision new futures, and to manage their own reactivity under pressure. To give up the need to control every damn thing.

Wholeness is about lifelong learning, which means experimenting, failing, and rising up. It means we may have found some ways of supporting ourselves and our teams that work, and it means that the things that used to work, may no longer. It asks us to observe the seasons of our lives with compassion, curiosity, and commitment.

Wholeness at Work invites us to meet ourselves. To build trust in ourselves. To rest and to expand, with intention.

Lately, I have been feeling my own seasons and shifts. I have weeks of strong pushes and days of recovery. Getting back into work travel has complicated the rhythms I found in quarantine. It’s been both exhilarating and disorienting… what time is it again? Why am I always late? Did I eat anything for lunch? 

We continue to share a moment of transition. So, how can we bolster our ability to ride the wave?

First, we notice and monitor our PACE. As we engage with the world around us in new ways (or new, old ways), I have found it especially important to take it slow. Pace yourself. Take one step forward, reflect and reassess, then engage again. Notice how your own pace of work and life is feeling in your body… where might you want to lean in, lean back, or lean on your support structures? (Hint: if your breath is shallow and body constricted, chances are good a step back may be needed.)

Second, we constantly evaluate and set boundaries around our PRIORITIES. You’ll hear me talk about priorities until I’m blue in the face and that’s okay. So many incredible folks I coach struggle at first to name what’s most important to them and why. Do that work. The benefits will serve you for years to come. When you get clear on what’s most essential for you, protect and honor those priorities with gusto - say “no” to everything not that. Train your attention. Find discipline. You are worth it, I promise.

Third, we show up and we PRACTICE. Every day, every week, every month. As I’ve learned through my training with Integral Coaching Canada, the only real way to make change sticky is to explore who you are - and what you want - via small, consistent practices that help you build real muscle in sustaining your goals. These practices can be a targeted blend of: mental clearing, emotional awareness, spiritual grounding, and somatic (body) strengthening and/or attunement. Similarly, Wholeness at Work reminds us that self-renewal done best involves micro-moments of recovery and restoration.

If you’re struggling to prioritize your wellbeing lately, consider if one or more of these common pitfalls may be at play:

1. “But they need me!”

Caregivers, I feel you. I am right there, too. It is SO easy to put everyone else’s needs above your own, especially when you’ve been taught that self-sacrifice is the noble way. It can be, but not at your continued expense. For more on this, check out Mother Honestly (for personal and workplace resources).

2. Our nervous systems

Our bodies are wired for stress because, for many of us, it’s all we’ve known. Change will take time, deep work, and lots of self-compassion. Rewiring our stress responses in our brains and bodies requires devoted attention. I love the work of the Strozzi Institute and what they offer around embodiment and somatic recovery.

3. “I can’t do that, because then I’m…”

Social narratives: we all hold unconscious beliefs about what good leadership is/isn’t, what good parenting is/isn’t, what good partnership is/isn’t, etc. What can you see about the stories you’ve been taught (and believe) that might be hindering your wholeness and healing? Wholeness at Work invites you into this exploration.  So grab your workbook or a journal. Write it down.

Wherever you find yourself today, my inquiry is this: what is one small choice you can make in service of yourself today?

Thank you, friend, for your commitment and intention to bring wholeness to yourself and your workplace. Real change is happening and the light always returns.

To Your Thriving,

Erin 

Reposted from August 2021