31/01/2022
Some Lessons from 2020-2021
In our first lockdown in March 2020, I experienced anxiety and stress. There were times I was emotional, and there were times I could not focus. I found myself sleeping longer, repeating movies over and over even if there were new shows on Netflix. I ate more than I needed and consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. I gained weight and was not as active compared to pre-pandemic days. I realized this was not sustainable.
My teammates were also going through their own journey. We all had our challenges. What helped was that we checked-in with one another regularly. Sometimes the calls were painful. We would learn about people getting sick, people dying, someone losing a job or a business. But being connected helped a lot. Talking to one another reminded us that we were not alone and that we have support.
To help myself, I got back in shape to feel better and work better. I made sure I had a routine to stay focused. After each workday I exercised. I mixed running, martial arts and resistance training. I also practiced breathing and Tension Release Exercise when I felt stress was building-up. I could feel my mobility, strength and sense of wellbeing increase each day. The more I felt better, the better I worked and the more I could hold space for people.
As the lockdown went on, my mentor asked if I could workout with her online. So we started training regularly at 8:30am to 9:30am, Monday to Friday before we started work. She invited a few of her neighbors to join. Our group grew to a total of 6 people including me and my mentor. We mixed resistance, cardio and martial arts combined with breathing and tension release work. I wanted to make sure that as we worked on fitness we did work focused on the mind and body connection aimed at improving wellbeing. I also worked on adjusting the exercises to match each person's needs and capacity. Everyone improved in their own way and at their own pace.
What was interesting to me was that leading the sessions was really good for me. I had to focus on each zoom window to make sure everyone was safe and getting a good workout. I had to pay attention to each person's mood and physical condition to make sure what we did supported/addressed their need/s. The sessions helped me focus in the moment and not think about other things. And as I worked out for myself each day I thought about pushing my progress so that I could carry that energy into our morning sessions and my work. I pushed myself so I could hold space for others. The icing on the cake was seeing everyone’s mobility, mood and way of being shifted and their fitness level improve. I felt good and a sense of accomplishment.
On the work side, our team continued our ongoing projects and started a few initiatives. Like the rest of the world, we shifted content and practices for virtual deliveries. From the latter part of 2020 till mid-2021, we had designed and delivered three wellbeing initiatives virtually for our clients in Europe and Asia. We had around 2,000 people go through these programs designed to help them understand and be aware of stress, its impact, and what they can do to support others and ask for it for themselves. We guided our participants through practices like breathing, body scans, mobilizing and Tension Release Exercise to help them manage their stress and improve their sense of wellbeing. Throughout the programs I experienced people grow, shift, and communicate that they felt better and empowered to take charge of their own wellbeing. I gained a lot of experience working with different people in different working conditions.
Since March 2020, I have learned the following things that made each day easy and at times beautiful for me: Staying connected and communicating regularly with people you trust. Fear and stress made me contract physically and socially. Staying connected made me realize that I was not alone in this pandemic, that there were people and a bigger community that could support me. All I needed to do was ask. Exercise and wellbeing practices kept me balanced and resourceful. The exercises helped to keep my body relaxed and my mind sharp. Taking care of myself helped me take care of others. Having a routine helped me focus and get a better sense of my day, my week, my month and year. Stopping to breathe is priceless.
We just started in 2022, the challenge continues and we are learning more. If you are interested in connecting with my team, please feel free to do so. We’d like to know how we can help.
