Question of the Week
How was your first quarantine month?
Happy Five-Minute Friday, all! And Happy May!
The vast majority of us just completed our first full month of quarantine life. And if you’re like the clients I spoke with this week, you’re starting to adjust to the new “normal-for-now.”
I like to start every client meeting asking about successes and challenges since we last met. I do this to get a sense of what’s been going on in their lives, as well as hear about anything pressing or any changes.
It also allows us to keep a written record of that point in their life, which we go back to at our annual review meetings. This record allows us to reflect on where the clients were and how far they’ve come. They recall the feelings of frustration, anxiety or anger and realize they are in a much better, calmer space.
COVID-19 has led to many emotions that we’ve never experienced or had to deal with. This week I heard about the boredom and monotony of staying in the house, anxiety over an uncertain future, and joy in a couple’s realization that they wouldn’t rather go through this experience with anyone else.
Just as you reconcile your budget at the end-of-the month, it’s also a good time to reflect and record other events in your life. You’ll then have something to go back to when this event passes. And it will.
Here is a short, five- to ten-minute exercise that can help you log this moment in time. Write down the following:
- Three successes in the last month
- Three challenges in the last month
- Three things you are grateful for
You’re welcome to write more than three, but three is an easy place to start. When you’re writing about the events, also note the feelings or sensations arise from them. Some sample feelings include moved, excited, enthusiastic, thrilled, anxious, annoyed, impatient, bored, worried, disappointed. Many behavioral scientists have found that we take actions because of the emotions we’re feeling. (I’ve also heard emotion referred to as energy in motion.) We can use this emotion to create new, different actions.
Quote of the Week
“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings”. – Lao Tzu
Task of the Week
Give this a try. Set aside five minutes this weekend to write down your three things. I’d love to hear what you come up with. You can contact me at the links below.