Quaran-crazy? 5 questions to foster peace & sanity
My jazz pianist son is downstairs in the living room (loudly) riffing on a John Coltrane piece while Skyping with his piano teacher, my husband is at the kitchen table on a conference call with his global software development team and I’m upstairs in my home office doing a media interview with a news outlet on tips for staying sane and finding balance while we’re all co-working/living/schooling during the quarantine. Things feel totally chaotic; can you relate?!
We’re all healthy, safe and grateful for so much. But there’s no doubt it’s quite challenging to navigate the current emotional landscape while also having your normal routine disrupted (not to mention being with loved ones or roommates 24/7!). The extroverts are worried about when they’ll get their next in-person social fix, the introverts are worried the extroverts will drive them crazy and the parents—well, bless all the parents!
How can we foster more understanding and peace with each other when things feel so chaotic and uncertain?
My challenge to you this week: now is a great time to get to know yourself better and to share with others how you’re wired (read How Self-Aware Are You?)! Take 10 minutes today to find a quiet spot and sit down to reflect on and answer the following five questions. Then, set up a family meeting and have each person share their responses. Pro tip: keep a sense of humor, and remember this is the time to lower expectations and know that everyone is experiencing a wide range of emotions!
- The song that best describes how I’m feeling right now is _____________.
- Remember, my Myers Briggs Type* is (read more) __________ so I’m feeling __________.
- One thing I really need from you right now (directed at those you live with) is ____________.
- For me to feel really grounded and resourced right now, the self-care practice I MUST stick with is: _________
- My greatest fear right now is ____________ and my greatest hope is ____________.
*The alumni career services office where you went to school typically offers the Myers Briggs Type Indicator personality assessment for free. You can also purchase a report from this credible site. It’s ideal to meet with a certified MBTI consultant/coach to go over the results.
Mr. Rogers used to say, “If it’s mentionable, it’s manageable.” As you explore these questions, be gentle with yourself and check out my favorite self-care practices for living in the unknown. I am working on creating some Self-Care for Uncertain Times meditations and virtual retreats (more to come). In the meantime, keep moving your body, getting outside and asking everyday, “What do I need?” Let me know how I can help.
LOOKING AHEAD (YES, IT’S OK TO LOOK AHEAD): HERE ARE TWO OPPORTUNITIES:
- Consider hiring me to create a workshop to help your team, organization or employees feel less stressed and more resilient, energized and focused. My primary work is speaking to professionals worldwide on how to find balance through practicing the art/science of self-care. Whether it’s an in-person workshop or retreat or via a Zoom call, I’d love to support your organization now or in the future. Learn more here.
- Ready to embrace new ways of being in 2020? Join me for a self-renewal retreat. I’ll be at the gorgeous 1440 Multiversity in the Santa Cruz Mountains July 17-19 and at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (MA) October 23-25: nourishing, healing, transformative and rejuvenating! Learn more.
Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance coach/author/speaker and mindfulness teacher Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find balance through the art/science of self-care, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 400 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups and women’s retreats based on her work. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 18-year-old son. More on Renee here.
