SIF Coronavirus/Covid-19 Correspondence
/Week 12/May 31, 2020
Greetings Shift Into Fifth Community,
Week 12 of some kind of shelter in place for most of us....and I'm continuing to think about YOU.
As I am preparing this Week 12 Coronavirus./Covid-19 Care Correspondence, my head is spinning. My heart is aching. Such a brutal week. On so many fronts. So much unrest. So much loss. So much anger. So much pain. Surpassing 100,000 lives lost here in the USA from this Covid-19 virus. Two more horrific incidents of another virus, racism. Both caught on video in broad daylight. One in Central Park. The other on the streets of Minneapolis. The latter, a murder of a black male suspect so horrific, so brazen, at the hands, or rather knee of a white police officer with three other officers standing idly by as the suspect pleads, "Please, I can't breathe."
Pandemic. Racism. These problems are so big. So complex. So devastating. As cities burn and protests rage, how can I possibly think about sending out my weekly coaching letter? I'm riddled with questions and doubt. How trivial? How tone deaf? How irrelevant. Right? Then, as I pause and just sit with all of this unease (meditation-my go to tool for inner strength and stability), I remember one of my core intentions in life: to be part of the solution. Always. Do my part. Apply my own unique talents. In my own unique way. Whenever and wherever possible.
And I realize, for me, professionally, that is coaching. Guiding and supporting people to make positive and purposeful change. Raising people's self awareness. Teaching skills that help people shift and optimize energy. Encouraging and supporting people to do their inner work that cultivates inner strength, resilience and clarity. Challenging and supporting people to bring their best, whole and most effective selves to any situation for sustainable, impactful and rewarding success. And ultimately, collectively, creating more positive/anabolic energy in the world.
These times call for each of us to bring our multidimensional, multitalented, whole and best selves to the fore. We are tasked to problem solve like we have never done before. Yes. This is hard. But remember, we are built to do hard things. Not easy. But nothing truly worthwhile is easy. So I've decided to double down on my commitment to my coaching practice. Sending out this 12th Covid-19 check-in is in that spirit...a rededication to being a part of the solution.
Gratitude!
"Hey Charlie, you planning to take your socks off anytime soon?" A few years ago, my oldest is visiting from college for a few days. A huge treat for me. And I notice that he's been walking around my apartment for a few days with various pairs of socks. While it's chilly outside, it certainly toasty inside. He's a walk-around-barefoot kind of kid, so the sock thing is definitely noticeable.
"You sure you want me to take off my socks?" he asks with a slight grin. I look at him and reflexively say, "Yes, up to you but sure. You hiding something?" And his grin get wider. He's definitely hiding something. But what? He smiles and says, "I know this isn't your thing. But it was important to me. And it's your saying. That gratitude thing you're always preaching about. I get it. And, I'm honoring you."
And with that, he sheds his socks. There it is. A small tattoo along the bottom of his ankle bone. A tiny coffee cup and the saying "my cup runneth over." Both horrified (no judgment here but I've never been a big tattoo fan...especially for my children before finishing college), and completely flattered, we both smile. And I jokingly say, "you couldn't just buy me a nice card, gratitude book or a real mug with that saying?!?":-) I mean really. How mad could I stay at my 20 year old who chose to honor me by putting a permanent expression of eternal gratitude, my most favorite emotion, on his foot?
Gratitude. My go to emotion/tool to help shift energy and ease movement through challenging feelings. As anyone who knows me professionally and personally, Gratitude is core to my way of walking through the world (just like humor). It helps me to reframe, widen my lens, clear my filters and powerfully shift my energy from catabolic (negative/destructive) to anabolic (positive/growth). Central to my parenting as well. It's no coincidence that November is my favorite month of the year. Why? Because it contains my favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving which celebrates this powerful tool.
Yes, gratitude feels good. It's pleasant. So simple. But don't be fooled. It's powerful. A game changer. And it literally can help rewire the brain. (https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-amazing-way-gratitude-rewires-your-brain-for-happiness.html) There are numerous studies illuminating the power of a simple gratitude practice (daily journaling or verbally expressing gratitude on a consistent basis). It not only results in more pro-social behavior leading to enhanced cooperation and greater productivity but strengthens parts of the brain that are responsible for more positive thoughts and emotions. Here are links to 2 of the myriad of interesting articles and studies enumerating the positive impact of cultivating the emotion of gratitude: 1. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/322419) and 2. https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-gratitude/
Perhaps you're thinking good for you. And asking, how in the world can I have gratitude in the time of this Pandemic. I get it. Old realities shattered in big and small ways. A new normal for all of us filled with lots more questions than answers. Unsettling. Uncertain. Scary. At times, paralyzing. Once again, the universal challenge of HOW to move forward in this new pandemic reality? Grieving. Making Peace with Reality. Healing. Getting Curious. Looking for Lessons Learned. Loosening the Grip and ultimately, Letting Go. And yes, cultivating gratitude with a daily practice even for the most basic of things (waking up, the blue sky, the sun, breathing, air, a shower, a meal, a flower, a song, a poem, a laugh....).
Remember, change is the one constant. Pandemic or not. Every second, we are changing. It's the one thing that's a sure bet. How we handle change is at the core of how we move through life. My coaching practice is dedicated to supporting and accelerating positive and purposeful change. And with that, shifting, harnessing and optimizing energy. While there is no one size fits all on HOW to change, or what change will ultimately look like, there are definitely some tried and true tools that help each of us effectuate and move through change positively, productively and position us for sustainable and rewarding success. And cultivating Gratitude is one of those key tools.
Developing and sustaining the muscles that support positive and productive action, change and energy is the work that we continue to do together in the Shift Into Fifth community. So many of you have started and continue to do the hard work to cultivate and develop the inner tools to stay calm, centered and shift/utilize energy in productive and powerful ways. In other words, you are ready to meet the moment!!!
Self Care
Please, stay extra vigilant about your own self-care - hydration, nutrition, sleep, exercise/movement, meditation/mindfulness/deep breathing, practicing self-compassion/kindness/gratitude, laughing/smiling, staying super curious (each day asking who are my teachers today/noting lessons learned-today's takeaways), limiting social media/tv/print exposure, actively choosing/ingesting those thoughts/stories/information that support your optimal self etc. Remember, this is a marathon...not a sprint!
Resources
Accessing resources is key! Please remember that I have put all the weekly SIF Community Coronavirus/Covid-19 Care Correspondence on my blog (www.shiftintofifth.com) with an additional (growing) list of resources for all of you to use and to share with others. PLEASE SHARE! Thanks to many of you, our SIF Community is growing and so is the list of resources-thank YOU!
This week's highlight Covid-19 inspired resource(s) comes from the meditation and mindfulness app Headspace:
https://www.headspace.com/covid-19
This Covid-19 resource page from Headspace provides a wide variety of meditations, articles, practices and other tools relating to coping with stress, anxiety, uncertainty and other Covid-19 related challenges. Headspace is normally a subscription based service, but this resource page is free. And as you click on this link, you can see that there are a number of additional free offerings provided for those most in need of additional resources at this time (frontline/healthcare workers, unemployed and educators).
And I want to remind you that I am here for YOU-to support you in any way that I can. If that means a quick call for you to rant/vent or simply to get a pep talk for you and/or members of your circles, I am here. Creating more anabolic energy for accelerated positive and purposeful change in the world is at the very core of my mission. Supporting YOU is key to that mission.
Please, remember, to share any part of these weekly Coronavirus/Covid-19 Care Correspondence emails with your networks. A picture, a cartoon, a story, a podcast, whatever. All meant to support and strengthen one another.
And please. Stay strong. Be Safe. Stay Healthy. Be kind.
With Gratitude and Purpose,
Valerie
PS. In my work and life, humor is an essential tool for shifting and staying in positive/anabolic energy. Thus, I'm sharing a few new pandemic inspired cartoons/memes. I'm also attaching 2 new podcast episodes that I found particularly inspiring and illuminating (exploring such essential themes as adaptability, kindness, joy, anxiety, laughter, self-compassion, loneliness, grief, responding vs. reacting, connectivity, patience, choice, resilience, gratitude and hope). Please take a moment to listen-you'll be glad you did.
PPS. And here's this week's moments pf zen brought to you by the desert's spring magic show. This week selections feature some videos of a few desert animals/birds and their babies. I'm finding these signs of new life particularly helpful, hopeful and energizing. The power, grandeur and majesty of it all continues to take my breath away. Enjoy!
1. Listen to Holding it Together When Things Fall Apart | Pema Chodron from Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000475649043
2. Listen to The Art and Science of Listening | Kate Murphy from March 25, 2020 on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-and-science-of-listening-kate-murphy/id647826736?i=1000469553007
