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Lockdown

Lessons from Lockdown – Reflection & resolution

 

This last week has been mad!  Never in our lifetimes have we had to cope with the restrictions of a pandemic….it’s like being in a real time disaster movie and not knowing what the ending might be.  For many there is the added stress of balancing looking after elderly relatives, home schooling children and trying to carry on remotely working from home.  This may be the time that you value the companionship and support of your colleagues that you usually take for granted.

Strange times indeed and we hope everyone is staying fit and healthy.

Reflections – what is REALLY important?

In our busy and reactive lives we are so often advised to spend time to reflect and consider what is important to us individually to get a healthy work/life balance.  Well folks, we now have the opportunity to do just that!

For us here at Athelbrae the initial crunch was the beginning of last week when the diary was wiped clear until the end of May at the earliest.  We’ve worked through previous scary times including recessions and taking the decision to walk away from another business that had become a toxic working environment.

Our concerns for our clients (wellbeing and businesses) and our Trainers and Associates (wellbeing and businesses) have focused our thinking especially for those whose income streams have immediately stopped and the additional stress this puts on to individuals and families.

Over the years many people have said they wonder how Keith and Kate can work together and be husband and wife. The usual comment is “I’d kill my husband/wife if we had to spend all day together”!  So, this current situation for us isn’t that unusual but on a day to day basis, we are responsible for very different parts of the business so whilst we’re in the same room, we are doing different things.

We have had a period of reflection and unsurprisingly, for us, it is all about family.  Worry about our son and daughter in law who are working from home in Surrey and as key workers in education and pharmaceuticals, are at greater risk themselves.  Our daughter, and  son-in-law who runs his own business and so are facing tough times ahead.  And of course grandson Connor, who is a regular visitor here whilst his mum Fran runs our Operations Team, and  lives just 2 minutes away but we are now unable to have a cuddle or hold his hand whilst he is taking those staggering unsteady steps to independence.  Keith’s mum who is 90 this year and living alone in Hastings. Our own  siblings who are geographically within easy reach but physically, for the time being, a million miles away.  Keith’s brother and sister in law, as paramedic and community nurse are obviously at great risk and for the first time in 3 years Kate is grateful her late mother is not still here in her nursing home having to deal with a lack of visitors and family.

Take Back Control

Feeling out of control and the sense of being dragged along by a situation is unsettling at best and panic-inducing at worst.  In the words of our esteemed leader, “taking back control”, around things you have an influence, is beneficial.

With a diary wiped clear we are being forced to spend our days in each others’ company, when not walking Jaffa for some fresh air and exercise…. we are still talking (at the moment!) but it has given us time for personal reflection and also, maybe more importantly,  an opportunity to look ahead to some solutions going forward working with our Trainers.

For us, the engaging and practical discussions with our Trainers about what we can all offer to clients, along with how we can support each other and the Associates with their financial concerns, plus looking ahead to a long term solution to the crisis that affects us and our immediate contacts, gives a sense of purpose and ultimately reduces the level of impotence we feel.

Lesson for Today – reflect, be thankful, plan for the future

So today’s lesson is about the importance of reflection – take some time to recognise what you are thankful for; what you miss; what you will value more deeply when this is all over.

And then plan ahead, both personally or professionally so that you can take some control of the situation and give yourself something to look forward to and to focus on during these extraordinary times.

Keep safe, keep healthy, keep those hands washed and we’ll be back with another Lessons from Lockdown later this week.