I’ve recently finished a series of six coaching sessions as part of a peer coaching assignment. The focus of the last session was making sure that I was able to carry forward the things I learned about myself from the process and embed them into my daily routines.
One of the things we addressed through the coaching was the tactics I use to manage my mood (which in recent weeks has been particularly turbulent). I came up with a continuum to explain what’s been happening:
Above the line, at either end, you see what I’m feeling and below the line are some activities that can help me move towards the centre, or the sweet spot, where I’m at my best.
I’ve been using this at defined points in the day to check-in with how I’m feeling. These regular reviews of my mood allow me to course correct before I get too entrenched in either of the extremes.
Some questions I ask myself as prompts for reflection are:
- Where are you on the continuum right now?
- What will happen if you stay here?
- What can you do to move yourself closer to the middle?
And this is what it looks like in action. One day last week I got out of the wrong side of bed. I felt lethargic and couldn’t get my brain in gear. I recognised this at my first check-in for the day and considered my options. If I went straight to sit at my desk, I knew I’d not be able to focus and then get frustrated with myself for wasting time. The alternative, and the option I took, was to go for a walk and listen to a podcast. It helped me to get my head clear and wake my brain up so that when I started work later that morning I was able to make good progress.
Could something similar work for you? What might your daily check-in process look like?
Featured image by Borys Liechti on Unsplash
