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Day 31: Always on!

Posted on by Lauren Whalen

After another full day of delivery in the training room, I seemed to have gone into autopilot energy mode. I am mustering it from somewhere and following the last few days, I guess that is from my love of the job, gratitude and higher purpose. This is all great and good and I do believe in all of this however at what point does the body start to push back or break down. My diet has slipped in the fact that I still have been making and bringing my healthy breakfast but not eating until noon. By then it serves as lunch and I drink a few coffees to top up my energy fuel and I push through. I recall in previous sessions with Martin we discussed this ‘always on’ that humans do and feel that currently, I cannot wind down. Hence in our session tonight we explored this further and then in the place of more painful muscle release work or more talking he showed me some great relaxation techniques. It was strange at first as I laid flat and he just rocked various parts of my body and limbs. It was just allowing the body to let go, increase natural blood flow and relax. It really worked and my mind seemed much clearer than it had previous to the session. I wish I could say following that I was fixed but it was one small step forward and the revival I needed to complete some work for my upcoming trip to India at the end of the week. I am sure that the intention was not to give me the strength to pull out a few more hours from the day. It did, however, introduce me to a therapy that is so simple in practice but makes so much sense how it can give benefits. The human mind and body are both complex and fragile and I highly recommend to any organisation that when looking at wellness within their own teams that they reach out to some of these considered alternative therapies. Maybe the rocking might be a stretch too far too fast, so one can always explore opportunities in the way of mindfulness and meditation.

Mantra: Let my energy flow.

Day 26: Movie Night

Posted on by Lauren Whalen

Today I took Buster to Doggie Day Care for the next two days in order to have some ME time. As mentioned in previous blogs, it has been quite the juggling act keeping so many plates spinning and I just needed some free-spirit time. When I am working with client groups I often talk about time management and I do not know how single parents manage to balance a job and children. I struggle keeping on top of Buster’s needs and he is very low maintenance in comparison. This freedom also gave me the opportunity to do one of my favourite things with another great friend – go to the cinema. If I am being totally honest, Buster really does not stop me from doing this as he is very independent and can be left on his own for an evening. I have been doing some work with a client on Limiting Beliefs and the perceived barriers to our success. Looking in the mirror I saw myself and Buster looking back at me. It became apparent just how much I have been using him to reinforce my belief that I cannot do certain things, when in reality, it is my state of mind that has been somewhat depressed and a bit of my spirit that has been broken down.  So my answer to things is to blame work, Buster and any other external commitment for my need to just hide away and rest. Instead of facing my deeper limiting belief in that I do not have the strength to push myself further. It is like when I drag myself to my personal training sessions because I have to. Then like magic, Tom makes me happy and pushes me a bit further than I would have myself. In this challenge, I get a renewed sense of revived energy. By removing my ‘Buster limiting belief barrier’ I have no excuse and get the same revived energy doing something that I love with friends that I adore. The shifting of energy means that Buster and others get a better version of me without the subconscious blame or regret. Hence today I hit a double parallel in that some organisations must support their employee better with more empathy for their personal backstories. Also, we all need a little reality check with our limiting beliefs and the perceived challenges that are holding us back. These barriers, if not recognised, only pull us back from being the happier and healthier versions of ourselves. These should be seen as opportunities to grow from and areas that, with the support of others, we can overcome and better manage.

Mantra: I can do more things for me!

Day 9: The Difference a Day Brings

Posted on by Lauren Whalen

Having read back yesterday’s blog it seemed that I had got everything sorted and I was on a motivational and positive trajectory however today I seemed less happy and less motivated due to several challenging issues with work and a few personal ones to boot. I guess this is what we call real-life. Over the years I have done my fair share of detoxes whether that be a juice detox, a three-day detox, a five-day detox, as far as the 10-day detox and each time, in the end, I felt some benefit however the journey to that final day took many twists and turns. Each of these focuses on the body and clearing out the build-up of toxins such as alcohol and processed foods. This is a great parallel to any toxins be it food or people. Like this week I am focusing on cleansing and today it really extended far beyond just cleaning the office and making a work environment clean. It became evident that we must also consider our personal cleansing and that’s the cleansing of the stressors and the things that take us away from being the best version of ourselves. I think I am beginning to recognise through the challenge just how much pressure I put on myself to perform and also how much pressure I internalise as I am not very open to seeking the support of others when it comes to showing vulnerability. However, if I am to achieve a higher degree of wellness in my mind, body AND spirit it is very important that I focus just as much on my mind as I do my body simply because they are very interrelated. Today I began to look at many of my own internal feelings, behaviour patterns and the amount of stress that I internalise and with an external smile to let the world see that I am okay. When really behind-the-scenes the constant juggling of pressure seems to be greatly impacting my health and also my performance. Delving a little deeper into my body and spirit it is a labyrinth of crisscrossing connections and more so than I ever thought at the beginning of this project. The interconnection between these three areas is incredibly interwoven. The conclusion that I draw from this is that any organisation looking to increase employee wellness by developing an internal program must recognise the importance of this and to understand the vastness of the subject. As people, we are all different and it is crucial to engage the employee population to find out what wellbeing means to them and how they can be best supported on their own journey. There are so many facets to consider and a cookie cutter approach to employee wellbeing is not the answer. I don’t think there is a bowl of fruit or a ping/pong table big enough to quick fix me at the moment. All jokes aside, I never appreciated the depth of this subject as I, like many leaders, have only been looking at it from the surface.

Mantra: Breath and Relax, one step at a time

Day 8: Fruits of our Labour

Posted on by Lauren Whalen

It is hard to believe that we are already one week in and looking back… it has been a full one. It has been very interesting to put my own wellness under the conscious microscope as in doing this I can clearly see just how unkind I have been to myself in all three areas of mind, body and spirit. I am not 100% sure, which one was the first to fall but I think that it was my spirit. I just seemed to hit a wall in early 2018 and after a series of unforeseen events I see now that I went into survival mode and used most of my energy to just fight fires. It was in this constant state of flux and stress that I forgot to be kind to myself and look after my own mind, body and spirit and with a great deal of humility can say now I was not always OK. I lost balance and allowed the stress of the environment to rule over all three states leaving each somewhat starved of the nutrients that maintain a healthy state of mind. It was strange, as after the office cleansing that lighter energy stayed with me and from the moment I opened my eyes today I knew something small had shifted in me. It was like something had simply let go and it was not just one thing such as cleaning the office – it has been a combination of events, discussions, research and just ‘me’ time that seemed to make a little more sense as a collective than as a series of single events. This perspective was reinforced as I had a PT session with Tom. With residual bla di bla perspective, I was not that motivated beforehand as really had to squeeze it in on a busy day (old excuses) but and I was walking home after it and something seemed to happen in my brain and I felt just a little bit happier. It is really hard to explain but I felt another little shift. If I was to offer any advice or challenge to a busy leader: take charge of one goal or action that you have been meaning to do (make it small and manageable) that will make a change in your physical environment for the better and complete it – then take a moment and feel the feeling and spend time appreciating that you did it! You did not blame time, or meetings or others or or or. You took back some of the control in the world in which you reside.

Mantra: Just do it!

Day 5: Masking and Faking Resilience

Posted on by Lauren Whalen

Today was one of the busiest days I have had in ages and it hit me out of nowhere. The day started with one call and then another and so on with each one taking longer than expected and each one putting me a little more behind schedule. However, it did highlight to me just how much my energy can turn on a dime as my low energy over the last few days was replaced with that of a more manic and frantic one. This was like a pendulum swinging from one direction to the other and after a full day like this, it can leave one very exhausted. Without question, it is the complete opposite of being balanced and is one of the areas that I personally wish to explore over this 50-day challenge. A very close friend of mine often reminds me that I need to find more balance in my energy in which I totally agree. I do find that mindfulness and meditation have gone some way to assist me in doing this better, as this has helped me slow the swing from depression to overtly positive and manic. This is something that I have had to deal with for many years and therefore can fully appreciate others that also have this impacting on their daily mental wellness. I see leaders from across all businesses running them self from meeting to meeting and have to begin to question the impact this has not only on their own well being but that of their productivity and ability to truly lead their team forward. It is very much easier to put on a mask and fake resilience but after a while, this does take its toll on our wellbeing and ability to successfully manage our ways through busy days or periods like this. I know that this is very early days in this challenge and this first week for me is very much about looking at my mind, body and spirit and how I am currently managing these areas and I have to say that I am slowly uncovering lots of core areas that I need to focus on and change.

Mantra: Mindful minute stop, relax, take a breath

Talent management and mindfulness

Posted on by Dale Smith

Momentum is building as BridgeCon 2015 comes one week closer to realisation. Last night Bridge hosted another BridgeTalks event, and the topic of ‘Mindfulness’ gave me some interesting perspective on the Talent Management stream during the afternoon of October 14th. I found myself delving deeper into the true importance of the role of mindful leaders in the development and motivation of talent within organisations.

Talent is something that often needs to be nurtured, and the placement of the right people in the correct roles requires careful consideration. Whether it be a new starter or an existing member of the senior leadership team, people need to feel supported and connected to their environment. As a more mindful leader, it is within our power to focus more on the detail required to ignite the true potential that exists within our employees.

The learning and growth environment that we create forms the building blocks to true innovation, empowerment, empathy and all the required values that ensure internal and external customers are experiencing service excellence at every turn. Nurture or nature – talent needs focus if it is to be fully realised and utilised as a key function of the employer brand. It needs to be marketed to and given a clear personality and direction.

What I love about all three case studies in this stream is just how they communicate the true vision of the business and the importance that they (the employees) play in its success. Talent must be held in the highest regard as from this pool we should develop our next leaders. It may take many forms and come in the most unlikely of places, and hence the role of a mindful leader needs to be creative in their approach to discover it.

As I mentioned in the last Scoop, the real challenge of the day will be just choosing which of the two streams you attend. As far as challenges go it is a good one to have. I look forward to meeting you there.

Bridge Talks: Michael Chaskalson on Mindfulness

Posted on by Sharn

On September 15, BridgeTalks was joined by Mindfulness expert, Michael Chaskalson as he presented “Mindful Leadership” at the Courthouse Hotel.

Michael is one of the UK’s leading mindfulness trainers, author of The Mindful Workplace, and the founder and director of Mindfulness Works Ltd., a major European provider of mindfulness-based interventions.

Delegates enjoyed complimentary seated massages from Therapy Solutions during registration and were ‘blissed out’ and ready to be mindful when the talk began at 7pm.

The talk was opened by Dale Smith, Director of Creation at Bridge Training & Events. Dale introduced Michael by speaking to the delegates on his experience of mindfulness by using a conscious mind; being aware of the task at hand, finding calm in any environment and setting a daily alarm to remind himself to be mindful.

Michael opened his talk by introducing the concept of mindfulness and what it actually means. He then took delegates back to his beginnings in the subject – as a practising Buddhist, Michael went on to study mindfulness as a formalised subject at University of Bangor. He was the first graduate of his course – at a time where were just 44 peer-reviewed articles on the subject (there are now 50 publications per month). While doing so, Michael realised his future career was to be found in increasing people’s mindfulness, leading to a better work environment for themselves as well as for others.

Michael then continued with examples of the successful results of mindfulness training, particularly in US Marines. Michael explained the necessity of mindfulness and clear thinking, as an act by a marine can lead to great personal and political effects. Therefore, decisions have to be made consciously.

Delegates then experienced mindfulness first-hand with a guided meditation. Each guest was handed a raisin, and Michael guided delegates consider the raisin mindfully, by consciously touching, feeling, looking, smelling and tasting the raisin.

Delegates gave their feedback as Michael asked how they experienced the raisin and how mindful they were when the raisin was consumed so consciously. Some delegates considered the raisin’s journey, some realised they actually liked raisins and others were sad when the experience was over.

Michael illustrated that by training the mind in mindfulness for just 12 minutes a day, decision-making becomes better.

Delegates enjoyed drinks and canapés at the networking reception following the talk, in the Courthouse Hotel bar.

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