Managing Your Mental Health in Turbulent Times

“You still need care and attention to perform at your best, or you will definitely crash and burn.” – Double your Resilience, Your Oxygen Mask First

Wow. What a week! We went from watching problems far away in Asia and Europe to finding ourselves in the middle of the same virus storm, at home.

We are watching history in the making and it’s fascinating – and stressful. We’re all worried about people we care about getting sick. And, like many of you, I’ve prepared for the possibility of a home quarantine.

I learned from my mentor Thomas Leonard about the Principle of Super Reserve: having much more than you need of the resources you need – time, money and support (and toilet paper, which some have taken to an extreme!) – so that you are able to be present and to do your best work.

No matter how smart, strong or capable, it’s easy to be affected by the fear that kicks in when society as a whole is having a panic attack.

Because of all I’ve learned over the years, I recognize when my mindset changes and know how to quickly bounce back. After such a stressful week – as I worked with clients throughout North America, Europe and Asia through some very challenging situations; and as the pandemic moved across the globe – I’m getting back to the resilience rituals (getting outdoors and writing) that make me feel dramatically better. I can now focus on what I need to do, in my own world, and to help others better. It makes a massive difference.

So, here are my recommendations for you:

• Look at the Mental Health Continuum Model to self-assess and understand your current mental health. The spectrum from Healthy to Reacting to Injured or Ill – from red to green)
• Read or review Chapter 3 on Resilience Rituals and make sure you’re doing everything you can to take care of yourself.
• Talk to someone if the stress is getting to you to shift your mind from watching what’s happening to what you can do. Staying in victim mode can be paralyzing, and the sooner you can get into action, the better
• Take care of the practical issues and think about you can do beyond the situation to enjoy your life – to make quality connections and time with family and friends.

Image Source: BC Emergency Health Services

It should be the same with your companies: make sure you are prepared to withstand the turbulence, and in a position to do the right thing for your customers and your employees.

It’s a time to look for opportunities not problems, to scrape away all unnecessary projects and to become more efficient.

It’s a time for action.

The Challenge

• What do you have to do for you and your family to free yourself up to do your best work?
• What are the biggest opportunities for your company now?

If you need help to navigate this stormy time, please reach out. We’re here to help.