You Have Permission To Stop

Time to read: 1 min, 1 second or 61 seconds

I distract myself with collecting and sharing pretty things

I distract myself with collecting and sharing pretty things. When you are anxious, sad, or overwhelmed, it is ok to stop for a while.

Often, high performing people like you feel like you must push through, keep showing up, and do more. I hear people say that the antidote for their discomfort is, "do something!" Yes to doing things. It's a great strategy.

And, sometimes, you just need to turn off your brain. Watch a stupid movie. Lay on the couch and watch BritBox mysteries (my favorite). Watch the sunset. Talk about fashion with your friends. Snuggle your dog.

It's ok…actually it's imperative…that you let your brain rest and reset. When living in uncertain times, find your distractions. Let your brain rest. So you are ready for the next round of doing.

I'd love to hear about your favorite distractions. Please email me and share!

If you have friends who are anxious and uncomfortable please point them here. They can subscribe and join the conversation.

What To Do With Your Discomfort?

Time to read: 1 min, 1 second or 61 seconds

Feeling anxious and unnerved in the uncertainty? You are not alone.

Last week we talked about walking through the uncertainty surrounded by your people.

This week, when things are uncertain, painful, or uncomfortable, your only option is KEEP GOING.

We make up that it's "bad," or "not ok" to feel uncomfortable which leads you to try to remove the discomfort. People turn to alcohol, shopping, drugs, work, and all sorts of other addictions and distractions to try to feel "ok."

That is not to say that a glass of wine or an evening of Netflix is wrong. (Wait until next week to find out more about that.)

Instead, though, see if you can simply be uncomfortable and let the discomfort be ok. Discomfort doesn't have to derail you from life and work. It can simply be a temporary condition that you live with for a while until a decision is made, a situation is resolved, or the election is over.

Once on the other side, you can start to find yourself and your equilibrium in the new space.

Does that make sense? Please reach out if it doesn't. Or if it does and you have more to say!

If you have friends who are anxious and uncomfortable please point them here. They can subscribe and join the conversation! Sign up here.

Don't Do It Alone

Time to read: 35 seconds

These two do not normally get along

Last week I talked about how the human brain hates uncertainty. In the US, we have much uncertainty, and people tell me how anxious and unnerved they feel.

I certainly don't have all the answers, and I and the Corporate Rebel Masters group had a powerful call last week and came up with a number of…what to call them…solutions?…suggestions?…ways to be?… to help navigate these choppy waters.

Here is the first one: Don't go it alone.

When in liminal space (the powerful and uncomfortable in-between place), go in with others. Find and activate your community. Call your friends. Schedule dinner dates. Host parties. Drink tea (with friends). Go for walks (with others). Go into the office and see people live and in person.

Remind yourself of the love and support in your life, and the love and support you offer others. When your brain is exploding from the uncertainty, find your people and hold on tight!

More tips for navigating this season are coming right up in the coming weeks!

If you have friends who are anxious and uncomfortable please point them here. They can subscribe and join the conversation here.

What's Going On? It's Fall!🍂

Time to read: 46 seconds

In my Corporate Rebel Masters group (graduates of my programs), we talked about liminal space and the discomfort of uncertainty.

Most simply put liminal space is space between things. It's the space between one identity and another, between daybreak and morning, between summer and winter, between one administration and the next.

There is a seasonality to the discomfort. Fall is a liminal season. Plants die and trees shed. We say goodbye to summer. Even if you live in Southern California, kids return to school and things just "feel different." You're not in summer and not in winter. You're in between.

People tell me they feel anxious or sad in the uncertainty. In the US, we have a charged election and too many other things to list. It seems normal to feel agitated and anxious in this in-between place. We know how things were. We don't yet know how they are going to be.

The human brain hates uncertainty. In the next few weeks, I'll share the wisdom from CR Masters about what to do, how to care for yourself and others in this uncomfortable in-between place.

Keep reading. If you have friends who are anxious and uncomfortable please point them here. They can subscribe and join the conversation here..