Welcome to Autumn!
Hi There,
If you took me up on last week’s challenge to reach out to the recipient of an overdue message, how did they respond? How did it leave you feeling? For instance, one reader shared that she reached out to some friends who were in the path of Hurricane Sally, and then responded to my email with an anecdote about how wonderful it was to have connected.
As I continue with my outreach, I am surprised by how many events and details I’d been missing in the lives of my colleagues and clients. Because I hadn’t seen them in many months, I mistakenly assumed they were in a holding pattern while my life sped forward. I’m also intentionally keeping the feelings of shame and embarrassment at bay during this process. Reaching out was a positive exercise and a way to show myself compassion and forgiveness for not being an invincible superwoman during these challenging times.
These sentiments are of high importance for everyone at the moment, as we are fatigued from isolation, among other factors. More and more friends, family and colleagues have been fessing up to borderline burnout since I admitted it myself a couple of weeks ago. Plus, we’re creeping toward a season of sustained and heightened uncertainty: the frayed politics, the renewed threat of virus infection, unclear back-to-school procedures, an unstable job market, and ongoing natural disasters. If this fatigue goes unacknowledged, anxiety will surely ramp up further.
What to do? My latest DRIVEN blog article explores eight questions to ask your team regarding their work-from-home challenges. Here’s how to ask these same questions of yourself: Pull up the article. Grab a piece of paper and set your timer for 20 minutes. After you’ve addressed the questions, ask yourself a brand-new question on this first day of autumn: What is the single greatest self-care move you can make in the coming season? If you’re so inspired, hit “Reply” to my message and share your answer with me!
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524