Tuesday March 17th, 2020
Welcome to the leADDership brief
A weekly newsletter for creative and innovative people, like you, with ADHD who want timely, helpful, and interesting resources
for leading and living well with ADHD.
DEFINING MOMENTS IN
YOUR PERSONAL TIMELINE
When we talk to our young adult children about the defining moments of their growing-up years "Where were you on 9-11" is always at the top of the list. Like all of you, I remember that day well: where I was, what I was doing, where my collective family members were, what time I turned on the TV to watch the second plane fly into the second tower.
And, because I was preparing to lead a recovery group that night, I remember spending hours praying about and agonizing over how to address this with a population of people who were going to be triggered by the collective national grief, pain, horror, and panic in the aftermath of 9-11.
As a pastor and leader I knew I needed to address and make space for everyone's feelings, fears, and frailties. I had to hold a lot of tensions and be prepared to extend a lot of grace as people stumbled and relapsed in the wake of 9-11. I needed to create space for all of this without exploiting the panic, and I needed to provide calm without minimizing the real anxiety most everyone was feeling that night and the months to come.
We are currently in one of those defining moments. We will all remember where we were, what we were doing, what changes we had to make, and how this pandemic impacted our lives.
In a slightly different way, this is all the things I am feeling as I craft the post for the leaddership brief. I want to make space for all the things: the feelings, the fears, the frailties, as well as the hope, courage, and innovation that I know this group of readers possess!
I don't want to exploit the situation and yet I want to be real and provide help, tools, and resources that I think will meet your needs.
To that end I am offering three FREE resources for you, dear readers. Scroll down to learn more about accessing:
Wellness Wednesday Zoom Room Community Gatherings
Wellness Resources
Wellness Complimentary Coaching
Every Wednesday at 8:00 am, Noon, and 3:00 pm CST I will be hosting a group chat in my zoom room to share and encourage one another. Come ready to share:
Three things you are grateful for
Two people you want to toast (this does not need to be someone you know personally, it’s someone or an organization you want to toast)
One hip-hip-hurray (a celebration or win that's meaningful to you)
Click on the links below to choose your time. Even if it's just one of you and me, we will still share our good things.
1. Breathing and meditation: Meditating is a known mood stabilizer as it reduces cortisol and helps us to focus on our breath and what matters in life. Meditating twice a day is a good rule of thumb during times of stress. I highly recommend either the Headspace and Calm apps. And if clearing your mind completely feels too intimidating, try doing some square breathing , alternate nostril breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation breathing (All are links to PDF's you can download for free).
2. Sleep Hygiene: download the free PDF here with more information on how to create a sleep routine that works for you
3. Eat and drink: now is a great time to get in the kitchen and play around with spices, herbs, flavors and recipes! And remember to stay hydrated and eating well. Be present with your body and needs, if a cookie or spoonful of ice cream is a self-compassionate way to soothe your anxiety, then indulge, just don't eat the whole carton of ice cream. Even for the most introverted among us, social isolation and stress can trigger either over or under eating which effects the gut microbiome, potentially leading to an imbalance of gut bacteria and, in turn, inflammatory symptoms. To optimize your digestion, boost your intake of nutritious vegetables and drink plenty of water. Avoid junk food as much as possible.
4. Activity: Exercise reduces body's stress hormones, such as cortisol, and stimulates the production of endorphins, aka the body's natural painkillers. Want to try yoga? Check out Yoga With Adrienne and follow along for free. I love her! Take a walk, bounce on your stability ball, follow a workout routine from a DVD or live stream a routine to follow. This doesn't have to be a grueling workout, just get moving and get your heart rate up at least once a day. This is especially true for those of us with ADHD.
5. Routine and structure: If you are suddenly working from home, or home more now because of social distancing then creating and sticking to routine and structure is more important than ever before. I like this guide from ADDitude Magazine
Many of my clients, friends, and family are experiencing disruptions in a variety of ways as we all work together to respond responsibly to our collective "new normal" in the face of the CoVid-19 pandemic. Several clients, coach colleagues, and friends have shared how this is effecting their income, productivity, their sense of connectedness, and that many of their tried and true strategies are now out the window.
Schools are going to an online format. Sporting events are being cancelled. Conferences and travel have been disrupted. Employers are telling us to work from home. Many of us have friends and family members in the "most vulnerable" demographic and we are concerned for them. Life feels unpredictable and we may be feeling a tiny bit out of control of our future.
To quote Jesus (probably out of context but the truth is the truth), "the old wine skins won't work for the new wine."
Professionally trained coaches are in a unique position to support our clients, friends, family, and social circles.
As Coaches
We specialize in change
We are trained in "choice architecture"
We help you focus your time, attention, and energy on what will produce what you really want and need--we help you narrow the lane and stay in that lane
Our framework for operating is collaboration and support
Our tools for collaboration are already virtual--telephone, zoom, skype, facetime, google teams, etc. (we've been operating this way for decades)
We specialize in helping you focus on the system and not just the goal in order to facilitate change
Because, at this stage I can, I am offering additional coaching for free to friends, family, and clients. If you need a call specific to strategizing for your new normal, please avail yourself of this opportunity. I will gladly provide a complimentary coach call in addition to your regular calls every month through May. And if your financial situation is completely disrupted by this pandemic, please, let's have a conversation about how I can continue to support you.
Maybe you just need a call to verbalize and clarify your own feelings, thoughts, opinions, and approach to this new reality. That is a completely valid focus for a coach call.
Please use the link below to my online scheduling site and put yourself on the schedule. This is a private link only readers of the blog and my clients have access to.
What Else Do You Need To Know?
Coach Pam