by Kelly Beischel PhD, RN, CAPP, APPC

 

I vacillated for daaaayyyssss on what message I wanted to send to you.

Why have I hesitated in reaching out?

Last week I resisted being one more person in your inbox going on about the Coronavirus out of respect for your time, energy, and heart space. I resisted telling you all the ways to think, feel, and do.

So, why am I in your inbox now?

To bring you hope and love and to encourage self-compassion.

You see, last week and the start of this week, I had a continuous reel of thoughts running through my head. And even though I was journaling so much about what I wanted to say to you, I was unable to get a coherent message to you.

Do I send you a message as the nurse, teacher, entrepreneur, firecracker or coach in me? Because you all are in many of those roles as well. Joe suggested I choose one of those roles and write from that perspective. (Isn’t he smart?:))

I tried to do that.

And I fell down.

Because I wear all of those hats and cannot separate them out. They are all in me.

So, I come to your inbox today as Kelly – a positive psychology coach, teacher, nurse, mentor, friend, firecracker, entrepreneur, mother, wife, and nana.

You have been inundated, I’m sure, with ways to cope with COVID-19, how to keep your business afloat, tips on working from home (in case you haven’t, here’s an article I wrote last summer about how to get your butt in the chair – because my clients and I have found that to be the biggest challenge in working from home for the past five years).

The struggle of processing all that is coming at you is real. And downright overwhelming.

Yes, even for applied positive psychology coaches. 🙂

So, I have one loving thrival strategy for you at this time (I actually have about 101 suggestions but this suggestion prevails all others): Offer yourself compassion.

Just when you want to give up on yourself or berate yourself for not having it all together, for not coping like a champ, for questioning all that is happening… remind yourself that these are unprecedented times, that this is all new.

Put your hand on your heart, give yourself grace and remind yourself:

“I am learning each day how to process my new normal. I am learning ways to cope. It takes time to learn new ways to live and work and that is okay.”

Seems so simple. And it is. But it works.

Self compassion brings much relief. (Much more relief than stuffing down your worries with Oreos, Netflix, and alcohol. I may or may not know this from first-hand experience :)).

 

Caring about you!