Coping With The New Normal
Share viaMy personality typically thrives on crisis. I am usually energized by adverse conditions and enjoy planning the solutions. For PCM-ers out there, my Base is Promoter and my Phase is Thinker. Coping with the new normal may look different for each personality.
The Coronavirus pandemic is different, not what I expected, and quite challenging for my personality. Here’s how this situation is challenging me, and what I am doing to cope.
No heroic measures needed
The solution to this crisis is to calm down, stay put, and relax. I prefer heroic measures, those big, bold moves that save the day in a short period of time. I am coping by looking for opportunities to boldly re-imagine how my business functions, and question assumptions about how I’ve been doing things in all aspects of my life.
Social Distancing
I thrive off people interactions. My favorite things are social events and keynote speaking, which have all been cancelled. I am coping by getting involved in virtual social forums where I can exchange ideas and share our message of compassion and adaptive communication.
Everyone has advice
My inbox is packed with tips for running virtual meetings, mastering Zoom, or arranging my home-office. My personality loves to know things, learn thing, and master things. So I want to read it all, and I can’t, so I get overwhelmed. I am coping by reminding myself that this thing won’t be over tomorrow, and there’s plenty of time to pick and choose what I want to learn. I am practicing what Seth Godin calls “curating my incoming.”
Things change every day
My personality loves stability and predictability. I struggle with the loss of control associated with an ever-changing landscape and external mandates. I am coping by focusing on what I can control; like exercising, eating healthy, reading a good book that’s been sitting on my dresser, or playing games with my family.
It’s not about me
I am pretty self-centered by nature. I like my routine, my ideas, and my plans, my ecosystem. I am challenged by the increased need for connection, helping others, and doing my part to stop the spread of the virus, even if I’m not in an at-risk group. I am grateful for this opportunity to practice fuller compassion. I’m coping by setting boundaries with my kids, being available for my elderly parents, and helping my church figure out how to stay connected to their congregation virtually.
Here’s a compelling article by Otto Scharmer about how this pandemic is challenging us and also teaching us important lessons.
What about this “new normal” is challenging your way of being? How are you coping? Now, more than ever, I’d love to hear from you. Will you leave a comment?
Copyright Next Element Consulting, LLC 2020
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1 Comments
Hi doctor Regier, reading at your article, I cannot think in anything else but NO HEROIC MEASURES NEEDED. At this point, in this new normal, I think learning to STAY CALM is a heroic measure indeed. Learning to stay calm does not mean not being stressed or afraid, means learning to handle all these emotions in order to prevent them to reflect outside from the reactive part of us.
So learning about ourselves in order to stay calm, will be the best way to lead the crisis in our family, work, social evironment. If I do not learn how to present myself as a clam person (not being absent, but calm), who can I be a compassionate person?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts every day!
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