Why to start you may have to stop?

• Because the achievement pursued is more important than anything else.
• Because winning is everything.
• Because you can’t fail (insert name).
• Because no matter what you don’t quit.

???The voices of criticism clambering against Simone Biles decision to hit pause and not push herself beyond the breaking point reveals some truths about the core beliefs that perpetuate a culture that sabotages wellbeing. The truth is that we celebrate achievement and winning. We hunger after the stories of those who overcome odds to climb upwards. And the inspirational stories are encouraging as we climb our own uphill battles.?However, achievement and winning come at a cost. Simon Biles and Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from coveted competitions after they have?already won an impressive number of?accolades has opened up a public debate about mental health. When is it enough? How do you know its time to hit the pause button when your in the midst of the chase?

???Of course, we will never know what it's like to feel the Olympic pressure of these star athletes. Yet, you know pressure. You’ve experienced it at accelerated rates this year, fighting it on many fronts. The resilience you’ve gained from fighting adversity is remarkable. But, it also comes at a cost. It can feel like fatigue, exhaustion, feeling on edge, being overwhelmed, irritability, lack of energy, restlessness, lack of focus, and motivation among many symptoms. When these symptoms come at a steady pace and relentlessly hijack your thoughts, you can get confused, make erratic decisions, become forgetful, angry, or even experience panic attacks. These symptoms can turn into clinical anxiety and depression when they persist daily for a least two weeks and impede your ability to function at work or school.?

What fuels these feelings? Negative thoughts can come like an avalanche overwhelming the human spirit. Negative thoughts are fueled by core beliefs or by the central ideas a person holds of themselves, others, and the world. Core beliefs act like a lens through which every situation and life experience is seen. Everyone has core beliefs that differ, and this is why people may experience the same situation with differences in how they think, feel, and behave.?

Take, for example, heading back to the office or a hybrid type of situation. Some people will be:

• Ready and Confident. These are the employees who are eager to see their co-workers, hug them, be in networking meetings, have conversations around water coolers, feed off the face-to-face discussions in the office corridors. They are comfortable with safety and belief that the precautions taken to date are sufficient. A belief held by this person may go something like this, “We can overcome any challenge before us and vaccines work.”
• Tentative.?These are the employees who are willing to head back to the office but would like more clarity on the rules. They need a little push to get there and need you to take the time to explain the “why” and “how”. A belief held by someone that responds in this way may be, “There are still a lot of people who are choosing not to get a vaccine and their is a?variant that is creating a surge.”
• Resistant.?They will come into the office but they don’t want to. They may include your introverts, for example, who lived a year+ that feeds their optimal situation and may not want to return to a world of “extroverts."?Employees who are resistant are going to need to know the reasons WFH won’t suffice. A belief held by someone who is resistant may be, “We worked at warped speed and efficiency while WFH, there is no financial reason to head back.”
• Oppose.?These employees may fear their health or their families, enjoy their new schedule with more time afforded to be with family, and have less hassle with the commute. Their resistance may also be driven because of their discomfort with change altogether and now have they have gotten into a routine that works for them, they don't want to change that.?

As you can see in this COVID related situation we live in, there are many different takes on starting again. Not all situations are experienced in the same way because everyone has a diverse background, experiences, and personality that inform how we view the world and the situation. These beliefs are informed internally and also promoted externally by the messages reinforced by culture. Cultural messages such as "winning is everything" or "being vulnerable are a sign of weakness" further perpetuate responses and decisions that can steer individuals towards unhealthy negative thinking.?

In your management role what can you do?

• Get help.?Don’t wait till you hit the breaking point. Take a lesson from Biles, who listened to her body, which was not responding in the usual manner. What pains and aches are you ignoring? The body keeps score. Pent-up tension is carried in your muscles and can manifest itself in a slew of physical symptoms. Is it telling you that you need to take a break, to take better care of yourself? Stress adds up. Put your mental health and physical health first.
• Offer grace.?Know that the pandemic has only exacerbated the mental health struggle many face. Encourage your team members to seek help and not to do life alone. Many will need a one-on-one meeting to process the current decisions they are facing at work and listening without judgmental comeback can go a long way.?
• Build a resilient culture.?You can build a culture of resilience within your team and advocate for mental health awareness and prevention services and programs.?Contact us to?learn more about the Bridges XL coaching program which seeks to mitigate the negative consequences of chronic stress and anxiety by . . .?

1. Increasing self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

2. Promoting adoption of coping techniques as daily habits that help manage stress levels.

3. Creating a systemic social support platform.

Bridges XL Resources

Bridges XL hosts comprehensive solutions and resources to build a team's resilience to help address the social and emotional well-being of your team; click?here?schedule a time to talk to us and learn more about how we can partner with you.?

Lead yourself first,