Many of my colleagues – and also some of the participants in the coaching course – are working with managers. It is not an easy time for anyone, but for them in particular. These managers have to make sure that their department, or the company they work for, keeps running. They have a great responsibility, both to society and to their employees. The economy is shaky and many families are at risk of financial problems. Now more than ever, therefore, managers need a tower of strength. This puts a lot of pressure on the coaches who work in organisations. A great deal is coming their way and often they themselves are in danger of going under. After all, how do you coach someone else if it all becomes too much for you?
Stress is contagious
As we concluded earlier in my two-parter on the effects of Corona*, our nervous system is under constant pressure in these uncertain times. Our nervous system, which is accustomed to regular touch and eye contact, now suddenly has to do without it. This keeps us constantly alert and we get very tired. Rest assured, that is normal! It is extremely difficult to keep functioning properly, especially if you feel tired and overexcited. Particularly if the clients you work with bring their own stress with them. You have to be careful in how you deal with your stress.
*Did you miss these blogs? You can read them here:
The consequences of Corona for coaches, therapists and clients:
– Part 1: Videocalls
– Part 2: Lack of physical contact
Everything is enlarged
During a (partial) lockdown, all the feelings you experience are magnified. It is good to realise this, because that knowledge alone can make you calmer. You may know that it is normal that you feel everything more deeply, that there is nothing wrong with you. Yet it’s easy to become overwhelmed by everything that is happening around you. Insomnia, worrying and feeling suffocated are common complaints, both among clients and the coaches themselves. Coaches and therapists are more aware than ever of the role they play. They are needed more and more. People who are normally able to function well now suddenly suffer from old psychological complaints they thought didn’t play a role for a long time. There are more executives facing burn-out than ever before. These days coaches and therapists are badly needed in society.
Being inundated
It is understandable that you feel overwhelmed, just like your clients with a lot of responsibility. That’s not strange, everyone experiences these complaints to a greater or lesser extent. People feel threatened by things they used to find normal. As a coach you can feel powerless because you also experience these complaints yourself. With the help of Embodied Coaching you can learn how to deal with your own stress, how to regulate it so that you can still help your client. I would like to share with you one of the exercises that comes up during the training, because I sincerely believe that everyone can benefit from it at the moment.
Exercise:
- Step 1: Feel completely overwhelmed. Let it take you over, feel it to the depths of yourself. That feels unnatural, because you want to get rid of that feeling. In this exercise you are going to do exactly the opposite, you are going to embrace the unwanted feeling completely, including the physical sensation that is often, but not always, part of it.
- Step 2: Adopt the posture that goes with this feeling. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, insecurity or fear, this is often the fetal posture. You shrink and make yourself as small as possible.
- Step 3: Stay in this position, continue to feel what you are feeling and take a few deep breaths.
- Step 4: Now slowly change your posture. Take the opposite posture from what you are feeling. Open yourself, stretch your arms wide as if to give someone a hug and turn your head upwards. In the meantime, keep breathing deeply.
With this exercise you give your nervous system a very small reset. You will notice that it calms you down. You can repeat this exercise as many times as necessary. I sincerely hope it helps you.
Learn more about Embodied Coaching?
The Embodied Coaching programme offers a unique combination of Transactional Analysis and Neuroscience, allowing you to learn how to really work in depth with your client. You will learn how to combine TA and bodywork for a thorough coaching that will really make a difference for your clients and therefore also for you. Would you like to know more about this or do you have any questions about the programme? Then schedule a free Strategy Talk with me. You can do this via the button below, at a time that suits you. Together we can see whether the programme is a good step for you. You will get my honest opinion. Yes, I would like to schedule a free Strategy Talk with Linda