I was in discussion with two wonderful groups of women at the end of last week.
The discussion groups were called F*** It Friday.
As we’re all trying to figure out our way forward in this on-going pandemic and since a lot of people seem to be feeling blue right now, I thought f*** it - let’s get together and talk.
I’m not sure that this was my finest branding moment but the name seemed to strike a chord!
So we came together to connect, share and support as our lives are impacted in different ways and to varying degrees by Covid around the world.
We heard about being separated from spouses and offspring for months at a time. We heard that chances for adventures of a lifetime have been taken away. We heard about having Covid. We heard about health impacts from juggling competing demands of earning a living and increased caregiving at home. And we heard about the inability to be able to plan into the future for ourselves and our loved ones.
These are some of our circumstances.
What matters is how we think and, therefore, feel about them.
We talked about in-the-moment feelings of anxiety, frustration and vulnerability. But most of all, from this amazing collective of women, there were shared thoughts of wisdom and resilience and feelings of hope.
As a result I find myself coming into the week inspired with new perspective and energy.
The best nuggets I can share with you:
Being grateful for what really matters, which isn’t necessarily nice or expensive “stuff”. It’s actually the good times we get with good people - virtually (for now) and IRL.
Taking care of yourself. Self-compassion and self-care are essential. We can’t take care of the people we love or have responsibility for if we are not in good shape ourselves - in mind and in body.
Letting go of what we can’t control. Understanding our spheres of control and influence comes up pretty often with my life coaching clients too. It’s important to understand which elements of our world we really can control, which we can influence and which are going to happen regardless of what we think, feel, say or do. This helps us to focus on where we can have impact AND reduce our feelings of anxiety, stress or frustration around what we cannot change.
What's the best wisdom that that you can share in these uncertain times? Leave your comments below!
We will be addressing Self-compassion and Self-care in a dedicated session soon. Please subscribe if you’d like to join and we’ll keep you up to date of details.
And, as always, you can book a free initial consultation with me here...