Check in

Earlier this week, after I got off yet another Zoom call, Rishaan, my 10-year-old son, walked into the room and stood by my side. He looked at me, and asked, “Are you fine, Poppie?”

I looked back at him and responded with a “Yep!”, post which he hugged me, gave me his signature grin and walked out of the room. The de-stress package of his grin, hug and check in had worked, again!

In the virtual / hybrid world we operate in today, check ins are more important than ever. Asking 'How are you?' is a simple yet effective check in with not just colleagues, but also family members (especially children), and friends. What is vital is to wait for and listen to the response and take the conversation forward accordingly (A ‘doing great’ is great, but ‘doing okay’ may need more talk). In addition, like Rishaan, you may also want to focus on queues of distress from the body language of the other person when he/she responds.

As for someone who gets asked how you are, it helps to open up to those who you know genuinely care and share how you are truly feeling. An attentive ear is sometimes all you need!