Turbulence? Strap Yourself In…!
I took a flight today.
Thankfully, I could get a coffee and a seat after months of everything being shut. Early lockdown I had to travel in an emergency. It felt like some kind of Zombie apocalypse as there were just a few of us, looking uncomfortable, as we wandered around a usually chockablock Gatwick airport.
Anyway, I digress…
I enjoy my time at airports and on planes. I do a lot of solo flying. This gives me time to reflect on life, get inspired ideas and generally give my brain some space.
After a recent journey I was reminded of how many highs and lows there had been of late.
Perhaps you can relate? Sometimes life ticks along as if you were gently riding the tea cups at Disney. Other times you are on an adrenaline pumping rollercoaster like Duelling Dragons at Universal Studios!
We can potter along from Monday to Sunday with not much changing, then without warning we’re hit with wave after wave of change.
I’m sure you know exactly where I’m coming from! The last 16 months have seen us glued to our TV sets, turning them off and getting outside. Locked down, eating out, being ordered back in with a side order of learning how to Zoom and embracing lounge wear!
I’ve embraced the extra freedom of late: coffee shop meetings, family visits and a few in person mentoring sessions too. Sharon and I have been together a few times for business planning and working on exciting projects – and of course there were cream teas.
The unexpected
We’ve had a few unexpected medical issues within my wider circle, for which I’m again super thankful for the medics and the NHS. I’ve gone from having weeks on end at home to weeks of travelling and a busy diary. In the midst of all this I had a track and trace ping so had to isolate and test – my result was negative but the addition to my mental load was very unwelcome!
The point I’m getting to is that we can plan, vision, organise, write lists and make assumptions, but life can be unpredictable. We can play small, say no to anything risky and keep our circle close, but unpredictable events can still give us a good shake up.
I’ve learned that, to quote Liam Neeson in Taken, “I have a certain set of skills” that stand me in good stead for riding a rollercoaster or two.
So here are my airport musings…
- Never get down to running on empty: fuel tanks, bank balances but most importantly energy stores. When we are sleep deprived, burned out or ignoring our nutrition and fitness this will be the time that a crisis ensues. No matter your schedule, pay attention to the basics, which will be different for everyone. Sleep and movement are my pillars – do you know yours?
- Talk about it. When a lot is going on it’s easy to keep it all in. Either we think we will find our solution if we ponder everything in the early hours (spoiler alert: you won’t), or we don’t want to burden our nearest and dearest (another spoiler: you don’t).Try talking everything through with someone who is good at holding space: not judging, not fixing, just letting you explore your thoughts and feelings. If that’s not possible, perhaps use a journal to explore your challenges in written form.
- You can’t stop the tide: but you can learn to surf! We can’t predict how life will go. We can stomp and shout when life throws a curve ball or we can do our best to be prepared and take time over our reactions. When faced with options A or B look around for C, D and E. Avoid the temptation of jumping to a choice because not knowing feels uncomfortable. Staying in the unknown and mulling things over have resulted in good choices and easier times.
- Always choose to be grateful. When we have been ill we celebrate being well. When we’ve struggled financially we can luxuriate in wealth. When we’ve been busy we can savour that extra hour. When loved ones need us we can feel relieved that we could help.
- Remember rest and recovery. In between the peaks of activity there are (usually!) troughs of quiet times. If none present themselves, you may have to carve out some space by being strict with your diary and setting boundaries. Turn your phone on silent (or be really radical and switch it off!). Take a digital detox. Book a massage. Paddle in the sea. Catch up on sleep and stock up on water and colourful foods. Above all, be kind to yourself.
These tools above allow us to ‘strap ourselves in during turbulence’. Having systems and support to underpin our wellbeing don’t stop challenges occurring, but they do prevent us from emerging on the other side bedraggled and befuddled.
Life is about enjoying the journey, not romping 100 miles an hour to our destination. From the top of a rollercoaster there’s a really lovely view – if you have your eyes open and the bravery to look for it!
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