Why Simple Things Really Do Make A Difference
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Conference of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School. What’s the latest? We are all stressed, the world is spinning faster and we feel a loss of control, which is creating more anxiety. We live in a VUCA world…VUCA is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.
Some simple things to know are:
1. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. EVERYONE IS EXPERIENCING this rapid rate of change and uncertainty.
2. Don’t try to keep up or get ahead of the curve. Learn how to live effectively.
3. Put down and turn off the screens. We are driving OURSELVES CRAZY. Who said you had to respond to every email, tweet, and message?
4. Do Mindful meditation for yourself and with your family…there are proven health results.
We are a society addicted to experts, silver bullets and having the right answer, but the new research is showing that the expert is YOU. Being in Community with others is critical for health and wellness – and the first community we have is our family. We have an immunity to change; we tell ourselves something, but do something else. Yet, by spending time with ourselves and our families, we start to find meaningful answers.
This week is Red Ribbon Week, a serious topic that is best heard when we are having fun and interacting with others. This models and educates kids about the importance of a drug-free lifestyle. Is it as simple as wearing red and your kids won’t use drugs? No! However, wearing red while communicating with the children in your life about what it means to take care of your body and mind can absolutely make a difference. By simply expressing clear disapproval for drug use, children are significantly less likely to use drugs. Parents are still the #1 reason kids don’t use drugs!!! Why don’t we want to believe that we have THE POWER?
Last month we focused on Family Day and the importance of eating dinner together. Eating together leads to better communication and overall family bonding which are factors that protect against substance abuse and other risky behavior.
Eating a meal, having a conversation, putting away your phone, overseeing what media your children are consuming, getting to know your children’s friends and their parents…these are all very simple things and they are also quite effective. We’ve been promoting these common-sense based ideas for decades and guess what… the research supports it!
It’s important for each of us to unplug, breathe and stay in the present moment with our children. And breathing is about as simple as it gets!
Peggy