Adapt From a Place of Love
Here’s a fun fact about me: besides my status as the Sleeping Queen, I’m also a business geek! I love making new ideas come to life and helping others create transformation in the simplest ways possible.
That’s why is such an honor to be a Health and Wellness Enterprise Advisor for the NMSU Arrowhead Center, where I advise on business management strategies, mindful leadership, and stress management along the startup journey.
Yesterday, I had a fun conversation with Kristin and Garret from the Arrowhead Center to create a short video to offer simple, effective mindful management tools for you to implement during this difficult time.
Enjoy it!
Insights and Advice for Businesses at this time:
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FEEL
It’s essential to acknowledge that there is so much going on right now, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, anxious, tired, sad, angry, or whatever you’re feeling right now.
Everyone is being impacted in a very different way and there’s no need to put your pain or circumstances on a scale of comparison. Honor whatever you’re feeling right now; it’s important because it’s happening to you.
I’m not saying that it’s okay to have a martyr mindset; what I’m saying is that it’s okay, for example, if you’re feeling scared or frustrated. Acknowledge what’s going on without trying to get rid of it.
Some tools that can support you to give yourself permission to feel are: Journaling, walks in nature, gentle yoga, meditation, books, and conscious communication techniques.
Here’s a Conscious Communication Technique I learned while doing my Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu:
Find a friend or family member who is willing to practice with you.
Set a time for each of you to talk (2 to 5 minutes).
Pick one person to start speaking (the other one will actively listen).
The listener will reflect back (without adding opinions, feelings or emotions) what they heard. You may say something like, “What I heard you say is… is that correct or did I miss something?”
The speaker will add if important information was missed or clarify anything that came up.
Then the listener will ask the speaker a supportive question: “How can I best support you? What would you like from me? Would you like advice or do you just want to be listened to?” Sometimes we only want to be listened to and not fixed.
2. SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
The second piece of advice is to take an integrated inventory of your personal blend in all this chaos—family, work/business, friends, health, sleep, community, and, exercise. We’re interconnected, and at the same time, we are performing multiple roles—many of which were given to us without us asking for them.
Therefore, this is a great time to simplify your life.
The million-dollar question is how, right?
Here are some tools to help simply your life:
Strive for progress, not perfection.
Today, the world is cutting us more slack than ever, so don’t worry about being perfect. Focus on doing your best and keep moving forward. As you move throughout your day, focus on just one problem at a time.
Realize that time management is about energy.
Time management is not about time; it’s about energy. How much energy and time do you really have right now? I feel like anything that goes on in our life right now feels 10X more intense than usual because the world’s energy is very dense at this time. For example, yesterday it took me two hours to find an important email I was looking for, something that usually would take me three minutes. I felt anxious, frustrated, and everything in between. But I practiced self compassion and realized this is simply part of the process right now.
Declutter your inbox and your brain.
Take some time to journal in the morning to declutter your brain from ideas, frustrations, or emotions that come up. And do the same with your inbox by unsubscribing from anything that is not really adding value right now.
3. RECEIVE THE GIFT OF SLEEP
Rest is your best resource right now even if it doesn’t feel like it. Millions of humans were already suffering from sleep deprivation before the pandemic; now more night owls are entering the club.
If you sleep well, your body will perform its primary functions well—your body will digest well, breath well, and have strong immunity. When you are rested and healthy, you can be there for your family and your business.
Tools: Evening routine, “this is how it feels” tool, noise awareness exercise meditation, gratitude journaling, gentle yoga, yoga Nidra.
Create an evening routine.
Create a schedule with regular sleeping and waking times, and make time for grounding and for exercise. What you might not think of that is especially important is to set a time every day to stop working. For example, maybe you stop working at 6 p.m. and then take the rest of the evening to unplug, enjoy family time, and get into bed on time.
What tips or strategies are important for businesses to implement?
LISTEN
Listen to your clients and be there for them by giving them your full attention when they talk and by asking meaningful questions. People want to be listened to.
Try these tips:
Be present. Eliminate distractions, including your phone.
Instead of answering with your own related stories or opinion, ask an honest question about what the person just said.
Wait a few seconds to respond (normally people have more to say!).
You might journal if there was something else you wanted to talk about but didn’t get the time to talk about it, or if the conversation went in a different direction than what you hoped for.
2. ADAPT FROM A PLACE OF LOVE, NOT FEAR
If you need to creatively transform your business, adapt from a place of love, not fear. Have faith in the process. Know that even though this is a horrible situation, there will be a beautiful transformation for the world.
3. SET BOUNDARIES
It’s crucial to set intentions or goals right now. Remember your value and set boundaries for yourself and others. If people can’t pay for your services, consider exchanging services instead of giving things for free. If you are volunteering, set a number of hours per week, and make sure to give yourself time for yourself and your wellbeing.
What resources can businesses look to for support at this time?
They are so many free resources right now. My advice is don’t get overwhelmed with the resources you don’t really need.
Here are my favorite right now:
Brene Brown’s podcast for moral support - Unlocking Us
Jenna Carson’s tools for healing & transformation - 5 Tools in 5 Days for Stress Relief
Insight Timer for sleep meditation and healing.
Laura Belgray’s copywriting genius - 5 secrets to non-sucky copy
Adriana Castillo’s online business strategies - The Secret Guide to 50 New Prospects in a Week!
Do share below your thoughts and other resources you’re finding useful.
Avocado hugs,
Monica
