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Author: Maria Connolly

How to Deal with Grief By Restoring Balance in Your Body and Emotions

We need to know how to deal with grief for it’s a painful, yet healthy, part of life. If we let grief do its job, we will learn from it and then let it go. “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.” ~ Henry Wordsworth

The world has been dealing with grief, even before we were struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. But consuming a steady diet of the negative is not a healthy way to deal with grief. It will have a detrimental affect on our health — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. That’s why many people choose to limit their exposure to bad news and intentionally calm their minds.

However, we can’t ignore the impact this pandemic has had on our lives. We are forced to address how to deal with grief, because it’s affecting each of us. Besides losing loved ones to coronavirus, we’re grieving our lack of freedom, our old normal and being able to connect with friends and family. We thrive on touch, so we’re grieving our lack of social interactions. We’re grieving that our peace, comfort, and happiness could be taken from us as we lose a job we love and an income we rely on.

Grief is a healthy human emotion that we need to make peace with so it can do its job and then let us go on living fully despite our loss. Not that we will forget, but it will release its hold on us so that we’re not stuck in time.

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How to Deal With Anxiety and Stress During Crises Like COVID-19

Learn how to deal with anxiety during crises like coronavirus by choosing your actions and thoughts carefully. By being prepared you can ease your anxiety. “Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” ~ Walter Anderson

We are all concerned about keeping self and loved ones safe through the COVID-19 pandemic. And many people are rightly anxious about their businesses surviving. These are valid concerns. This kind of coronavirus anxiety moves us to take practical steps to protect ourselves. For example, we can…

Practice best hygiene practices. Wash hands often, for 20 seconds, with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with 70% ethyl alcohol. Keep hands away from the face. Comply with social distancing — staying 6 feet away.

Reassess work and business. If your work has already been negatively impacted, review your business strategies; perhaps you’ll find greater clarity and new opportunities where you didn’t see them before.

However, if you’re plagued by an overwhelming, paralyzing anxiety that is draining your energy and diminishing your joy in life, it’s time to mindfully identify the cause and taking steps to becoming more secure. (Remember that asking for assistance from a professional is not shameful. It’s a sign of self-knowledge and strength to admit you can’t do it by yourself.)

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Value Yourself for Who You Are, Not What You Do

It’s important to value yourself accurately, not thinking too much or too little of yourself. Please use these tips to make a current assessment of yourself“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” ~ Brené Brown

Recently, when I complimented one of my clients, she replied, “It’s nothing; anyone could have done it.” I heard what she was doing, but I knew she didn’t hear what she was telling herself in that discounting statement. Calmly I looked her in the eye and asked, “Is that really how you value yourself?” Her eyes widened, as she realized what she had done…

Why self-value and self-esteem are lacking today

I’d like you to give this some serious thought: When was the last time you said or did something that discounted your actions, thoughts, or words as being nothing special? Perhaps you under priced a service you provide, or you gave in to a disagreement relinquishing something you highly valued, or you dismissed sincere feedback, or you spoke in a self-deprecating manner, as if in jest.

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Daily Developing Self-Leadership – Your Stepping Stone to a Leadership Career

Would you like to have a leadership career? To get started, it’s important to daily practice these 3 aspects when you’re developing self-leadership skills.“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” ~ Ray Kroc

There’s nothing like hands on experience to make your leadership skills grow. But how do you gain that experience when you don’t have a leadership position yet? The key is to make developing self-leadership a daily priority. This will quickly develop your self-confidence and create a reputation for being someone who reliably makes beneficial decisions, has good communication skills, and works well with and can effectively influence others.

Whether it’s in the family or in the corporate board room, it’s not enough for a leader to stand before a group to tell them what to do or how they should be. The most effective leaders stand with their team and model the behavior, attitudes and speech they expect from others. I like how M. D. Arnold pus it, “A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them.”

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What Is Self-Leadership? It’s Something Everyone Can Do!

We are all self-leaders. Some people seem to be born with a measure of this ability; others work to develop it; while others do not yet recognize this about themselves. “You get the best out of others when you get the best out of yourself.” ~ Harvey Firestone

You may have noticed that my new website design features the theme of self-leadership and many of the graphics center around sailing. Some of my clients have been curious about this shift and what exactly do I mean by self-leadership. Wouldn’t you agree that we cannot successfully lead another person before we first lead ourselves? This helps give us the answer to the question:

What is Self-Leadership?

In a nutshell, self-leadership is fully developing your sense of who you are, what you’re capable of doing, and where you are going, as you intentionally and mindfully influence your own communication, emotions and behaviors along the way.

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