(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...By Sid Madge. Meee
During the pandemic Zoom and its like have been (and will continue to be) incredibly useful business tools, but beyond the basic communication of information, a vital part of those virtual business meetings was the connection. Humans crave connection, something that has been limited (at times more than others) over the last two years. Even those who embraced remote working and enjoyed the experience of working from home need to be seen, to be heard, to be connected.
We need to connect, feel the connection, and become connected to others. These shifts don’t need to be herculean efforts. I’m a great believer in instant change, little ‘micro-moments’ of learning or adaptation that allow us to actively take charge of our situation and emotions in the moment, reset, and bring more of our best to help ourselves and others. Each micro-moment intervention is designed to be actionable in a minute and I’ve written three books on these micro-moments for life, work, and family.
As many of us return to the workplace (either full-time or as part of a hybrid arrangement), here are five ways to re-connect and plug back into life – in just a moment.
Image: Jump Story
1. Get Connected to Yourself
I recently listened to a great podcast with Lisa Miller and Rich Roll about cultivating a spiritual practice. Lisa talks about relationships and how they need to move from being transactional (what we can get from each other) to transformational, where we support and help each other to reach our goals and be our best selves. When I think of my journey and how I’ve reconnected with myself, my children, and the world around me the joy, love, and connection I now feel is overwhelming at times – in a very good way!
Take a few minutes to really tune into yourself and imagine your perfect life. Ask yourself, if money or location didn’t matter, what would a perfect day look like? We’re not talking about extreme experiences like climbing Mount Everest, or being super successful, but consider what your average day would be like in your perfect life. What’s so surprising about this exercise is that we are often much closer to it than we imagine. How many of those perfect life events or activities can you already do right now? So do more. Connect to yourself and what makes you happy, peaceful, and contented.
2. Get Connected to Others
Take a minute to think about someone you’ve not seen because of Covid. A friend or family member or colleague or even a valued customer. Call them and arrange to meet up. Go for a walk outside in nature or go for a coffee or if they are too far away hop on FaceTime or Zoom. It might feel a bit odd to start with but it’s still possible to connect and laugh and enjoy each other’s company and companionship without being in the same room.
3. Send out Positive Vibes
Take a moment to think of your last interaction. Did the vibes that you were sending out impact your interaction? Too often we let the ups and downs of life seep into our connections with others. Instead of feeling irritated, bored, frustrated, or judged by the person in front of you, decide to send out positive vibes of ‘unconditional positive regard’. Unconditional positive regard, an idea put forward by American psychologist Carl Rogers, is simply deliberate acceptance and positive support for another, as they are, without judgment. Just try it and see how the connection flourishes and the outcome always improves.
4. A Random Act of Kindness Everyday
Historian Rutger Bregman argues for a new way of thinking about humanity that is especially relevant right now. He argues that it’s not only viruses that are contagious but our behavior as well. If we assume that most people are fundamentally selfish, and if we design our response to Covid (or other situations) with that view of human nature, then we’re going to bring that selfishness out in ourselves and other people. Whereas, if we assume that most people are cooperative and want to help, then we can actually inspire other people. This may sound a bit cheesy, but there’s actually a lot of psychological research that shows that acts of kindness are contagious. They even spread throughout social networks and influence people we don’t even know.
Kindness is also one of the only things that doubles when you share it. Just one act of kindness a day reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Your body becomes flooded with hormones that help you and the person you’ve helped feel healthier, happier, and calmer. Serotonin which helps heal your wounds, also makes you feel happier. Endorphins reduce pain and oxytocin reduces blood pressure and makes you feel more loving and loved. Oxytocin is the bonding hormone. You’ll both feel more energized, have fewer aches and pains, feel more connected, confident and even live longer.
Make a commitment right now that you will demonstrate a random act of kindness every day. Hold a door open for someone, smile at someone you don’t know, and mean it. Help someone struggling with an armful of files or a few reams of photocopy paper up the stairs. We can all find ways to be kinder and more connected in everything we do. We may not always be thanked or even acknowledged but we will always feel better and that positive energy will spread.
5. Be Grateful
The other thing this crisis shows very clearly is how dependent we are on certain professions. Around the globe, there are governments coming up with lists of so-called vital professions. If you look at those lists, you won’t find the hedge fund managers or marketers, you’ll find the garbage collectors and the teachers and the nurses, people who are often not paid that well, but as it turns out are the people we can’t live without.
Take a minute to think about the people in your life that you can’t live without. The people you are most grateful for and make sure you let them know – every day. Think about the other things in your life that you are grateful for. Your health, the ability to walk in nature, your job, or your home. A woodburning stove on a winter’s evening, having a laugh with your friends. Just take a few minutes at the start of each day and before you drift off to sleep to count your blessings despite the challenges we all face.
There is a lot about the world we can’t change right now (everyone is fed up with the pandemic) but there are lots of little things we can change to connect more authentically with ourselves and others. And if we all do them, we can make big changes for the better at work, at home, and in our communities.
Sid Madge is a transformation and change specialist and founder of Meee. Meee draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people embrace change and achieve extraordinary lives.
From pupils to CEOs, we’ve helped thousands find their magic to transform themselves, their communities, and their organizations. From leaders of PLCs and SMEs to parents, teachers, students, carers, the unemployed, and prison inmates we help people excel.
Sid Madge is also author of the Meee in Minute series of books which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work-, or family-life in 60 seconds.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.
Related Posts
By Karen Meager, co-author of Rest. Practise. Perform.In elite sports, people are ‘performing’ only during an actual competition, race, or match. In o...
By Sid Madge, MeeeThere are obvious drawbacks to virtual cake, but if your team works remotely, it really is worth gathering everyone together for a Z...
By Sid Madge, Meee There’s money to be made each Christmas. According to the Bank of England, December sees book sales double, and there is (unsurpris...
By Sid Madge, MeeeNothing stays the same. Ironically, change is the only constant. Life moves and evolves and sometimes those changes are tough and so...