Accepting the Chaos

Expert Talks are short audio learning files that your employees can listen to on any device, anytime, anywhere. Today, we explore the Expert Talk: " Accepting The Chaos " narrated by Jennifer McFarland.

Today’s podcast is on mindfulness and radical acceptance during COVID-19. Mindfulness is a type of attention training that brings us into the present and helps us view situations non-judgementally. By centering ourselves, we make decisions from a place of intention rather than reactivity, allowing us to devise superior long-term strategies.

Learn how to positively manage emotions to find calm amongst chaos while increasing productivity via thought awareness.

So what 3 steps can we take to

serenely navigate chaos right now?

1.) Bring yourself into the present moment

During times of stress, we find ourselves all over the place mentally. Our hearts race at a hundred miles per hour, while our thoughts resemble a montage of to-dos swirling in a brain tornado. Rather than engaging with the vortex of adrenaline, bring yourself into the present. Focus in on your body and feel all your senses. Do whatever makes you grounded and present. Experience nature, smell the fresh air, listen to the soundscape around you. Find relief even if peace is out of reach.

2. Come to a place of non-judgment

This is what some call radical acceptance. Life is messy. We must accept chaos and understand that we can not control our surroundings. By wishing that things are different and resisting, we create tension and antagonize situations. With radical acceptance, we stop judging what is. You may not like the situation, but you must welcome it. Leaders who employ acceptance are not only more adept at managing their emotions but operate from a better place of responding.

3. Breathe!

When life is challenging, take a deep breath! This is not a colloquialism but a scientific maneuver. Stressful circumstances put our bodies into fight-or-flight.

Research shows that in fight-or-flight our attention narrows and we become more focused on potential threats. We don’t necessarily think in ways that are more expansive. In terms of effective problem solving, being creative or strategic, fight-or-flight is therefore a disadvantage. Use deep breaths to tap into the body’s parasympathetic system (our in-built chill-out system).

Explore Bookboon’s Expert Talks audio series and soundscape your home office with feel-good podcasts. Bookboon Learning is a fully branded, plug-and-play online learning platform that covers subjects such as leadership, personal development, and management. We are currently focusing on topics such as 'Working from Home,' 'Staying Positive,' 'Managing Virtual Teams,' and 'Resilience.'

We can be fully operational for your team in a matter of days.