Crisis of confidence or relishing the challenge?
Are you struggling with the challenges of lockdown or using it to your advantage?
Every week when it comes to writing my blog, I'm determined not to mention the 'C' word. No!!! Not that one. But the fact is, I can't get away from it, none of us can, it's now intertwined in our lives and has changed everything we previously thought of as 'normal'.
The question I've asked myself recently is how the situation has changed me in terms of my personality and how I now look at things from a different perspective.
I always used to describe myself as an 'extrovert introvert' as depending on the situation I can be either very outgoing or painfully shy. Turns out I'm an 'ambivert' - who knew?!!
Aah, it all makes perfect sense now. On the one hand I can lead a boot camp session, talking and cracking jokes non-stop and generally driving people insane for a good 45 mins; yet on the other, I can barely speak when asked a question in a meeting at work for fear of looking incompetent.
If you're not quite sure about this whole ambivert thing then why not take a look at this Forbes article. After reading the questions within it, I thought wow this is so me.
This got me wondering about how different personality types were coping with lockdown. For example, I have one friend who's really struggling, she's very outgoing, needs lots of external stimulation and loves being around people. As the weeks go on I can see that she's losing her 'sparkle' and I worry about her. I've also got friends who are loving lockdown life and are actually dreading going back into work. I'm somewhere in the middle as I absolutely miss being with other people yet I'm equally happy with my own company.
A very positive outcome from lockdown is that I think it's actually made me more confident and has certainly challenged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone.
From a work perspective, I've had to get to grips more with technology and find new ways of working. Dr Google and Dr YouTube have become my new BFF's when I've wanted to find out how to do something quickly. There's also no hiding in the corner at meetings, you're there in your little Zoom box for everyone to see. I've phoned more colleagues or video called them on Teams or Zoom instead of just emailing and there's a real sense of 'we're in it together' team spirit. It's made me use my initiative more and make decisions as I can't just turn round and ask my desk buddies. Also, and my family, friends and fitness clients will never believe me when I say this, but it's made me more empathetic. I've spoken to colleagues in a more social 'how are you doing' kind of way and you can see and hear how hard it is for some people to cope with work, children, partners and pets. This has made me more determined to make the effort to check in with colleagues just to see how they're doing.
From a fitness point of view, it's been like going back to my original training days. I've had to plan schedules and routines well in advance instead of just being able to 'wing it' when we were in parks and other outdoor locations. I've had to work out my timings and because we're doing more complex exercises, rather than just running and triceps dips on benches etc, I have to keep reiterating all the safety points and correct technique as I'm not there in person to keep an eye on everyone. I've not lost my 'evil ginger one' touch by going virtual though, as the feedback from one of my PT clients the other day was "you are without doubt, the most evilest little sh*t I know". Now that's positive feedback if ever I heard it! Did I say I was more empathetic these days?! Ha ha.
Whatever you are feeling about lockdown, you have to find ways to adapt and come out of this situation as a stronger person. There's going to be no quick fix and I would imagine that many of us are going to be at home for a good few weeks more. I've had some great feedback on the suggestions I shared in last week's blog. It certainly got the creative juices flowing within my fitness lot and they've been sharing lots of other suggestions with the group on what to read / listen / watch. Love it! Keep up the great work. We also need to be prepared for the stark reality that things are not going to immediately go back to 'normal', it will take further weeks, months and maybe years of hard work and patience from everyone around the world. Don't resist, don't dig in your heels and don't be resentful. It's happening to everyone and not just YOU. Shout, scream, cry, get angry but then let those feelings pass and move onto being creative, having fun, using your initiative and being happy. Do whatever you need to do to get through the bad days but then invite the good days back into your life.
As I sign off this week's blog I'll leave you with this thought ...
Nelson Mandela served 27 years in prison in the tiniest of cells and yet still came out a better person. I'm sure we can all manage a few more weeks in the comfort of our own homes.
#2020
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