How to keep giving without burning out
TRY THIS...
Positive relationships are a game of Give and Take. Sometimes that can be more Give than is comfortable, especially if you are working against resistance or proactively investing in the long term with bridges to build and no guarantee of immediate, or let’s face it ANY return.
I’m all for self care, but you can’t step out of a tricky performance review, conflict riddled project meeting or customer complaint call for a bath or a massage! Sometimes you need something then and there.
That’s where the extensive research to support the benefits of self-compassion kicks in to help you navigate the tough times and not burn out when faced with all that giving. In short - its about the way you talk to and treat yourself when things are tough…
Try this quiz on yourself and your team to see whether you treat yourself as well as you’d treat a good friend in the face of discomfort.
Then consider your scores (in private as the idea of sharing in itself may trigger discomfort for some) and where you might be missing out on helping yourself.
Consider testing a 5 minute compassion break to set you off towards greater self-compassion.
SOMETHING TO PONDER...
Self-compassion can sound a bit fluffy and soft for some, suggesting that it leads to a life of duvet days and losing focus.
So let’s ponder these questions:
Do you fall into the myth trap of thinking that being kinder to yourself is actually likely to get in the way of your success?
Do you think of being kind to yourself as letting yourself off the hook?
Do you try to push down difficult feelings and plough on regardless?
What do you think the research tells us about the people who answer yes to these?
SOMETHING FOR LATER...
I am now more than half way through my Leadership Practitioner Accreditation and am having conversations about how to bring this relationship focused leadership development program to my clients.
This series of workshops will be all about how to be authentic and create positive relationships whilst also getting great results.
It will tick the TASK (head) boxes as well as the RELATIONSHIP (heart) ones… because if you know me at all by now, you know they both matter equally! And YES, I am thinking about how best to build in some self-compassion.