What's working in a pandemic?
What a week. Here in the US, I feel like we knew it was coming, but we weren't quite prepared for how fast, and things that seemed unthinkable just a week ago are now the "new normal." I know we are all adjusting as best we can.
I wanted to quickly reflect on and share some of the things that have been working for me during this time.
1) Acceptance not endorsement
It's here. It's happening. We don't have to like it but I have always found the concept of "acceptance not endorsement" to be very helpful as far as taking a moment to confront the truth, face reality, and then figure out the next right actions. I have been going through highs and lows for sure (or maybe, let's be honest, mostly mids and lows) but most helpful is trying to hold steady to a middle course that isn't panic and despair, but also isn't denial and head-in-the-sand.
This means things like gathering information from trusted sources, and wherever possible, giving myself time to make decisions. Things are moving very fast but we don't always have to be 100% reactive.
2) Being present
Again, always helpful, but particularly in a pandemic is being present - checking in with myself, acknowledging my feelings, and taking it day by day, decision by decision. Pause. Breathe. What feels like the best decision I can make in this moment? And then trusting myself. I won't always make the best decisions, or have any way of knowing if I did, but I can only try my best given all of the information I have in any given moment.
3) Real time conversations
I have spent 8 of the last 11 years working remotely. I've run online courses and coaching, and I have run and currently run a small remote team, so I'm used to not going into an office with co-workers every day. For those of you that are, or for your colleagues who are, the sudden shift to working at home is going to take some adjustment.
And even though I am used to working remotely, I happened to have a bunch of phone and zoom calls scheduled yesterday with different colleagues and collaborators and it was SO GOOD, not to mention energizing and hopeful, to talk in real time with non-family members to process what has been going on.
The virtual face-to-face time has been a balm to my soul this week. Phone calls are good, but I have found video calls even better. Allow time for processing and social connection during virtual meetings during this time of transition, or schedule "virtual coffee dates" or "virtual lunch dates" with co-workers for pure social time. Extroverts might like to gather a group together. Introverts might prefer to do 1:1s.
We can each figure out what works for us and how we can best support our colleagues. My new mantra is "social distancing + emotional connection." We can do this!
4) Checking in with clients, customers, colleagues, staff, and community members
After the shock and overwhelm of the first couple of days, I felt myself start to shift out of crisis mode and at least to start to formulate some questions for myself about what my business looks like in a pandemic. What does DEI consulting, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and leadership coaching work look like in a pandemic?
I've been checking in with some of my org clients via phone or video chat, and it's really helpful to process and hear what they have been going through this week, and start to see where my team can best support.
My sense is that DEI is just as important as it ever was, if not more so (I wrote about it yesterday in a piece titled Holding steady and centering on the most marginalized in times of crisis) and this is being confirmed in my conversations. Stress and crisis exacerbates inequities. We default to our old toxic and oppressive patterns, especially if we hadn't fully integrated new more equitable and inclusive behaviors. Staff more than ever need to feel welcomed and valued and that they belong. Companies and organizations more than ever need to be thinking about what equity and inclusion look like right now so as not to exacerbate the harm that always falls on those who are most systemically pushed to the margins.
It's always important to gather data (conversations = qualitative data), and especially during a crisis. I'm getting a really good sense of what some of the needs might be during this time. You can do the same, whether with clients, customers, colleagues, staff, or community members.
5) Checking in with friends and neighbors
As I said, I believe this is the time to be strengthening emotional bonds, even as we might be distancing (or already distanced) physically. I'm going to try and intentionally reach out to at least one friend or neighbor daily to see how they're doing. I think sometimes in the rush of social media, it feels like we are constantly communicating, but we forget about 1:1 connection, or the people that aren't so active online.
I hope that is helpful, and I'd love to hear - how are you doing? What do you need? What's working for you in a pandemic?
❤️❤️❤️
Photo by Juliana Kozoski on Unsplash. Originally published on LinkedIn.