I Need to Take Care of Me
This week I talked to a CEO about the impact of COVID-19 on his business, his staff, and himself. I asked how he was doing, personally, with all that was going on. His reply, “You know I’m good. When this hit, I realized I need to take care of me if I’m going to serve my team and this business. I changed my diet. I’m exercising more. I cut my work hours. I’m doing really good.”
His comments struck me as I thought his actions are the opposite of what most of us tend to do in unknown situations. We dig into the stress, we stop taking care of ourselves, we turn to our emotional comforts of food and television binge-watching. His remark left me wondering, what am I doing to take care of myself during this time?
The Symptoms
My answer – not much! For each of us taking care of ourselves looks different. We need to understand how our symptoms manifest themselves. Our queues suggesting something is off looks differently for each of us. For me, I become irritable and touchy. I misread comments made by my spouse and children. I become snippy. I get headaches.
For some in my family, they disengage from those around them. They play more video games. They eat more food (as do I). These are all symptoms we should monitor, but not to fix the symptom, instead to fix the cause.
The Cause
When these symptoms appear, I need to take the time to ask, “What’s really behind my action?” For many of us in today’s situation, we are having a hard time putting a finger on what the cause is. There are too many things changing and it’s the general chaos causing our anxiety and stress – it may not be one thing, which makes this all even more complicated.
The important thing is that we acknowledge that this is not normal and how we are feeling about that is normal.
Navigating Our Feelings
We can also ask these questions to help us navigate these feelings:
- Why am I feeling anxious or stressed? Dig into the root cause of your feelings.
- What can I control in this situation? Acknowledge, then release what you have no control over.
- What changes can I make that would impact my physical ability to handle the emotional and mental stress I feel? Lean into those things. Get enough sleep, eat better, share how you feel with those around you.
These questions help us identify the root cause of how we are doing. However, there’s a practical side to making sure we are doing well.
Strengthening Ourselves
For me, these next two questions move me from diagnosing how I feel to what I can do to strengthen myself for the ups and downs of today.
- What expectations do I need to shed for this season?
- How can I fill my tank?
These practical questions help me focus on becoming and maintaining my sanity. We may be holding on to expectations like: I’ll be able to get as much work done as before and help my kids with virtual school; or our house is going to look like a model home even though we’ve had to reinvent our space and add in makeshift offices and desks wherever they fit.
You don’t have to release these expectations forever, but you do need to let them go for this season. That alone can free you to feel healthier and happier with what simply is.
The question about how can I fill my tank is individual. For me, it’s social distance walks with friends that I used to see weekly. It’s boundaries on meeting up with folks via Zoom so I can walk away from my computer and do some creative thinking.
What Are You Doing to Take Care of Yourself?
Your expectations and whatever it is that fills your tank, probably doesn’t look the same that it did before, but perhaps there’s a version of each of those that can tide you over as we navigate life at this point.
I’d love to hear what you are doing to take care of yourself. The more we share what we are doing, the more ideas for the rest of us.
Be safe. Stay well. Take care of yourself this week!
Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.
If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@Vistage.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.
