Blog - Personal leadership coaching

Words & Emotions

I have been working with a great group of women who have been triggering ideas and opening up possibilities within me. One thing that has come to my attention is the words that have been used. Words like joy, zest, energy, spirit, flow, juicy, passion, creativity, goddess, heart centered, happiness, possibilities, empower, emerge, play, fun…

It really got me thinking about how often do we hear words like this in our daily lives or at the office, school, or at home.

The words I have been hearing in my job are more about reductions, layoffs, scarcity, fear, more with less, looking for opportunities, transition and the unknown which is such the opposite of the words that these women use when describing their businesses and how they want to impact the world. It’s interesting the impact these words have on our emotional responses, our moods, and our environment. It’s amazing to see how quickly we can get absorbed into the negativity and bury our creativity, playfulness, mood, and spirit.

I have personally observed people who were passionate about their work and it’s impact become disengaged, stressed, withdrawn, due to the language and office environment as of late.

We do have the power of choice. Though there may be circumstances that may not be in our control; how we decide to show up, our mood, attitude, the words we use are up to us. What words will you use? It’s easy to change them and the impact of them can be powerful to our emotions and mood. Emotions are contagious! Notice what people say, the words they use then decide what words will you use? How will you choose to be?

by Kim Wilkish

Health & Wellness Tips

Here are some Health and Wellness tips for you when you’re facing a change or in transition in your life. These can help you keep your energy up and keep you focused.

Sleep

Go to bed early, get some quality shut eye so you can face the next day feeling refreshed.

Eat Well

Make healthy choices. Eat some fruits, vegetables and lean protein. You’ll get some great nutrients to keep you energized and your spirits up.

Be careful and cognizant of stress or emotional eating. Limit the intake of salt and sweets. They may make you feel better temporarily but the weight gain isn’t worth it.

Drink Water

Water is good for you and needed to keep your body moving and energy up (avoid or limit alcohol as it is a depressant and can impact your mood and perspective)

Exercise

Go for a walk, hit the gym, dance, play tennis, run, bike ride, do yoga. Exercise is a great way to help you deal with stress.

by Kim Wilkish

Dealing with frenzy? Breathe. Observe then react.

Do you ever find yourself having one of those weeks where everyone around you requires your immediate attention at the same time for something? If you’re a mother then I know you know what I am talking about. You go thru the minutes trying your best to juggle and address things one at a time. You know that even after the thing you are working on is addressed that there are a few more teed up ready to go. There seems to be no break or moment to breathe. Everyone thinks his or her “thing” is a crisis; it is the most important and demands your immediate attention.

I experienced this last week and couldn’t wait for the end of Friday to come. It got to the point where I was asking is someone was hurt, bleeding or going to die if their “thing” didn’t get done right this minute. That was the level of frenzy and stress people were putting people under. It wasn’t until I put things into extreme perspective that people seemed to simmer down.

When the environment around you is frenzied, stressed and running on adrenaline overload, I have learned that no amount of caffeine can keep up or solve the issue. Trust me, in my younger days I tried. Triaging, putting things in perspective and breathing is the best response. Taking a moment to breathe is critical. It’s hard to stay level headed and keep perspective when you feel you’re up against a wall and everything is swirling out of control around you. It is so easy to get swept up in the noise and lose sight of what is truly important. That is when it is critical to take a moment and just breathe.

There are some environments where this amplified level of anxiety; stress and frenzy are appropriate such as in an emergency situation or working in an emergency room when multiple traumas are coming in. Even then, in those moments the people who are responding have to take a moment to breathe in order to address the situation appropriately right in front on them.

In an office environment, I find this type of behavior ludicrous. Too often, I have seen it become the norm. The people who cause it are often driving to a personal agenda, outcome or making a political play. Their vision becomes focused and narrowed and they lose sight of the bigger picture and what’s really important. The destruction left in its wake isn’t acknowledged, noticed or recognized.

As a leader, it is imperative to take a breath, be observant and aware of what is happening around them. Sometimes, it is the precise moment when you need to deescalate, step up and tell others to stop or back off as they are causing harm. Allowing the continuing push and drive forward can lead to consequences that they may not even see coming.

When you are being a leader and find yourself in a situation like this, it is important to be able to take a step back, take a moment to breathe and be an observer. Then you can be the leader and react appropriately.