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Roaring 2020s

Taking Care of your Mental Health in the Roaring 2020s

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I am joined by fellow authors and coaches Kimberly Layne and Twiana Armstrong as we discuss stresses in our Roaring 2020s and how we are coping with them. We provide examples of what we are doing to maintain our mental health.

Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/

Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong

#Roaring20s #Roaring2020s #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

[Video Transcript]

[Twiana Armstrong]

We’re acknowledging in May, Mental Health Awareness Month, emphasizing the need to take care of ourselves, as well as one another in today’s society. The world has experienced a tremendous amount of change in the past two years, multiple pandemics – Covid and the social/racial reckonings, all intertwined with horrific mass shootings and natural disasters. How do these incidents contribute to our mental wellbeing?

As early as the 1920s, psychiatric epidemiologists began to document how social environments contributed to the development of mental disorders and in the 1980s, epidemiologists shifted their policy focus to the early identification and prevention of mental illness in individuals. History recalls the 1920s introducing a lot of change, cultural revolutions – social and racial, the rise of a consumer-oriented economy and big business.

As we take a look at 2022, we must take seriously how we promote and engage in positive mental health strategies for ourselves and our employees. Within the 8 hour or more workday and 40 hours or more workweek, business leaders should strategically plan how to help employees navigate and cope within their social environments to be well and be safe. Access to and navigation of employee assistance programs, EAPs, speaks volumes to your focus on quality of life.  Creating environments of open communication, creative work shifts, and employee driven engagements allow employees to attend to their mental health needs.  It’s called belongingness.

Kimberly, what insights are you sharing about Mental Health Awareness?

[Kimberly Layne|

How serious do you take your mental and emotional wellbeing?  Are you tuned in?  Are you periodically taking a deep emotional inventory?

I recently became engaged to a wonderful man and my life will positively blossom. I will be moving to Northern Ca from so Cal, And, in addition to becoming a wife, I will become a mother to his two wonderful boys while managing a family and household. Yes, this is an extremely positive time in my life, and I am elated.

Coincidentally 4 months ago when I began spending 90% of my time with my fiancé and family, I also began experiencing sinus issues which have progressively manifested to debilitating sinus headaches, physical exhaustion, and nausea. After visiting an ENT Specialist, I have been diagnosed for sinus surgery.

At the same time, I decided to leverage other resources; I sought the help of a professional.   I come to realize that my past experience of abusive, non-trusting and unprotective relationships are triggering a “fear factor” for THIS healthy loving relationship. my burying and not truly feeling all all of my programmed innate fear and triggered emotions they have chosen manifested as this sinus disease.  What we emotionally refuse to feel our bodies will reveal!

That evening I decided to take an Epsom salt bubble bath and to sit with my thoughts, I mean I truly sit in silence, and feel my emotions. In no time I had tears streaming down my face from the fear and pain of my past. Miraculously, the next day I was feeling 90% of myself with my energy back, and my head nearly clear. I did not realize how much I was burying my underlying feelings. And how powerful that fear truly was.

Those 30 minutes of allowing my true emotions to surface was monumentally healing.

What are you not feeling? What are you burying or running away from? Again, What we do not express emotionally our bodies will express (reveal) physically. When was the last time you took a deep emotional inventory?

Matt, what are your thoughts.

[Matt Schlegel]

Thanks, Kimberly, for sharing your powerful story.

I’m so glad were talking about this.

From a mental health point of view, this month has been very tough for me.  We experienced a mass shooting in Buffalo that has impacted me very deeply.  I am horrified.   The shooter was inspired by ideologies of Replacement Theory and Eco-fascism.  It seems that some who are having an anger-based emotional reaction to the climate crisis will be targeting those who are not like them. And here we are in our Roaring 2020s, one hundred year after the rise of fascism in the 1920s led by Mussolini in Italy.  This is a truly horrifying echo from the past.

So how do I process my feelings about the horrors of mass shootings and of climate change?  Firstly, I talk about it with sympathetic friends, which is one of the reasons I am so grateful for both of you and our ability to have these important conversations. I also will take long, mountainous hikes with friends to work out these feelings, getting both the conversation and a great workout.

Also, I have joined a rock band! I find that immersing myself in learning and playing music helps me process my feelings. When I am playing with others, I become so focused on the music that it gives my mind a healthy escape from my anxieties.

We all need to acknowledge that we live in a time of extraordinary stress and these stresses are impacting our emotional health. Please take time to be aware of how these stresses are affecting you.  Learn some techniques that help you identify your triggers, like we discussed last month.  Take measures to manage your mental health. We’ve mentioned a few: conversations with sympathetic friends, exercise, playing music, and taking a nice bubble bath.  Seek professional help if you start feeling overwhelmed. Importantly, be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you.

Thanks for listening.

Roaring 2020s—The Will Smith Moment and Amygdala Hijack

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A viewer recently suggested that the 2020s are less roaring and more raging – the Raging 2020s. We recently saw Will Smith lash out on a national broadcast, and this month we take a moment to reflect on amygdala hijack, the triggers, and what we can do to avoid them. What can we learn from both Will Smith’s and Chris Rock’s behaviors?

I am joined by fellow authors and coaches Kimberly Layne and Twiana Armstrong.

Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/

Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong

[Video Transcript]

[Twiana Armstrong]

I recently read the following quote, “Resilience requires the ability to learn from and bounce back from failure.” What does that look like when the failure is suddenly our inability to show up as our best self? From healthcare to self-care, some would argue that the evolution of American medicine from the Roaring 1920’s to the roaring 2020’s, is challenged to provide a complete cornucopia of care.  “Throughout the 1920’s new technologies and new science led to the discovery of vitamins and to increasing knowledge of hormones and body chemistry.” In the 2020’s, the cornucopia of medicine must include self-care breakthroughs that promote resiliency. Resiliency for emotional and mental well-being, especially during trauma inducing episodes, is at the heart of the evolution of medicine.  Traumatic events are often triggered by incidents referred to as amygdala hijacks that sometimes activate a fight or flight response to highly emotional and stressful situations. Situations characterized by fear, anxiety, aggression, and anger that can generate illogical and irrational comebacks. Whether leading self or leading others, identify and establish self-care goals that not only build your emotional intelligence, but will also drive your ability to be resilient.

[Kimberly Layne|

Yes, Twiana, self-care is at the heart of our wellness. We all can act out with an emotional response or impulse when we are triggered by someone or something, that “attacks” ourselves or our connections; and we fail to do the “self-check” before we react- to this “amygdala highjack.”

Recently we had all witnessed the “Will Smith Moment,” at the Oscars Ceremony and Will’s emotional response to Chris Rock’s comment.

I imagine the Chris Rock also had an amygdala hijack – “I was just hit by Will Smith.”  Yet, his response was quite different than Will Smith’s.

What sets us up for those reactive, unprofessional, emotional responses that put our emotional brain in full absolute control? Could it be the visually and globally connected world, the prevalence of self-promotion or self-display on social media, our own health, wellness and stress levels, and ceaseless “noise” of monumental expectations?

How can we come from a different place in those moments, or catch ourselves before we do or say something we might regret?

Chris Rock appeared to catch his amygdala hijack moment. He paused with a   moment of self-awareness which led to his self-regulation and restraint. Moreover, in his recent public engagements, he continues to state “that he is processing and will continue to process what happened that night, and his response to it.

I believe National Televisión provided us with this poignant moment as a “Learning Lesson” for all of us to take inventory of our own emotional health and wellness and determine if we have our own self-awareness and self-control running at the highest capacity or show up as the best version of ourselves?

[Matt Schlegel]

This topic reminds of Robert Sapolsky’s book Behave.  Not only does Sapolsky talk about the brain chemistry of amygdala hijack at the moment of the hijack he also talks about the preconditioning of the brain leading up to the hijack and the influences that result in these predispositions.

When your amygdala is hijacked, the emotional part of your brain takes over and disconnects from the reasoning part of the brain.

In this state, we can lose our ability to assess the consequences of our actions, and can lash out in highly inappropriate ways.

Many times, our amygdala is hijacked out of our very strong fear of experiencing feelings of shame.  Humans will go to great lengths to avoid feeling shame.  Ironically, their behaviors often lead to a greater shame than the one that they were trying to avoid in the first place!

Twiana mentioned that greater self awareness can help us identify our triggers for amygdala hi-jack.  I think that the Enneagram is a terrific tool for becoming more self-aware. In fact, there is an Enneagram type that is highly sensitive to feelings of shame, for instance.

Once you know your Enneagram type, you will better understand your possible triggers.  That self-awareness can help you recognize when your amygdala is at risk of hi jack and help you avoid taking an action that you may later regret.

Chris Rock’s behaviors have served as a great model of self-restraint—holding back on lashing out with an emotional response. I really applaud Chris Rock’s conduct throughout this entire incident. And we all have a lot to learn from this.

#emotionalintelligence #enneagram #amygdalahijack #EQ #selfawareness

Roaring 2020s – What Are We Letting Go Of?

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This month fellow authors Twiana Armstrong, Kimberly Layne and I discuss Woman’s History Month, The Great Resignation, the increasing need for emotional spaces in the workplace, and how leaders can create transformative change in the workplace when they lead with intention. We identify that changing times require us to let go of old ways of thinking and looking to new ways of doing business.

Find Kimberly and Twiana here:
Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/
Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong

#Roaring20s #Roaring2020s #Leadership #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion #WomensHistoryMonth #EQ

[Video Transcript]

[Twiana Armstrong]
The last 2 years have been a laboratory of change – the world as we know it has twirled, swiveled, and pivoted depositing a dichotomy of what’s normal. The1920’s workplace ushered in legislation in some industries mandating an 8-hour workday and the workweek fell to 50 hours. Influenced by such changes, business leaders argued across sectors for either goods and growth or for leisure time which addressed the social construct that long hours were unhealthy, dangerous, and counterproductive, especially to marginalized groups such as women and children. In the 2022 workplace we witness the Great Resignation. Leaders, what are you deciding to let go of this year in the face of this dichotomy? Do you argue the “Gospel of Consumption” for goods and growth, or do you argue on behalf of worker self-care? In this whirlwind of changes, we saw some business results exceed expectations. We also recorded a record number of women exiting the workplace in the face of competing priorities. As we honor Women’s History Month, the Letting Go Conversation will breathe life into solutions to rectify this exodus, as well as solutions to fix worker shortages. Leaders, add the “Letting Go Conversation” to your strategic plan. You owe it to your consumers and your employees. Kimberly, what say you about the Letting Go Conversation?

[Kimberly Layne]
Thank you Twiana, before I share the letting go
I want to acknowledge that this is women’s history month, let us recognize the capacity of women to be nurturing and typically more comfortable with their emotional content. Leaders can learn from this presence of an emotional factor in managing their employees such as nurturing, care, and empathy, that women tend to bring into the workplace. These characteristics have been proven to be an intrinsic motivator for our employees to feel valued, connected, and understood.
So, I ask the leaders of today. what have you decided to let go of this year, to ensure your capacity to lead and grow your teams individually and collectively to their personal best, can be achieved?
Many of you know that I am big on the Power of Human Connection and the importance of in person communication and energy exchange to maximize the emotional connection between ourselves and our employees.
So, you might be surprised to hear me say that I am encouraging my leaders in my coaching sessions to let go of the mindset that we cannot be effective leaders, have high engagement, community, and creativity if we are not seeing or meeting with our employees, and clients in person.
These dear leaders, NOW is today’s reality, and our future – Hybrid or fully virtually environments. We CAN build connection, inclusivity, acceptance, and community and we must let go of the belief that we cannot.
Creative teams, employee connected cultures, and community workspaces can be achieved, and the typically labeled female “soft skills and a High EQ are the keys to creating the strong engagement, community, and inclusivity in your now reality.

Matt, what are you recommending that we let go of this year?

[Matt Schlegel]
Happy Women’s History Month.

The Great Resignation has much to do with women’s role in the workforce, especially those with the dual role of managing a household and juggling career and kids.

Increasingly, there’s a tremendous amount of emotional work being placed on us all, our family, our friends, our co-workers and ourselves. Dealing with the pandemic, now the war in Europe and all against the backdrop of climate change. It can be emotionally overwhelming. We need leaders who will let go of outdated stereotypes and envision a future that is more just, equitable and inclusive.

I found one such example at my own Alma Mater, Harvey Mudd College. In 2006, Dr. Maria Klawe was hired as the first woman president of Harvey Mudd. When she started about 30% of the student body were women, about the same as when I attended 20 years earlier. Today, women compose half of the student body. Further 40% of the faculty are female. Dr. Klawe illustrates the possibility of transformative change in an organization when change is undertaken with intention.
Also, she shows how you can let go of stereotypes like “Women aren’t good at math and science.” When women are giving the opportunity, they can perform equally well to their male counterparts.

Also, we need to let go of the idea that emotions aren’t allowed in the workplace. We’re human beings, we are emotional creatures, and it’s important to acknowledge that fact especially, during challenging times.

Successful leaders will intentionally create diverse and inclusive workplaces, ones that acknowledge our humanity.

 

 

Roaring 2020s Leadership, Wellness and DEI

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New Year’s Resolutions check-in time!  Our Roaring 2020s discussion continues in 2022 with a focus on leadership, wellness and DEI (Diversity—Equity—Inclusion). Speaking of wellness, I have a personal goal of living happily and healthfully to one hundred.  To that end, I do a 3-week cleanse 3-times a year. This year, I took advantage of the Omicron wave to avoid going out (another resolution is to avoid CoVid, if at all possible) while I did a restricted, elimination-diet cleanse. It’s giving me a fantastic feeling to start the new year!  How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions?

My Roaring 2020s partners:

Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/

Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong

#Roaring2020s #Leadership #Wellness #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion

[Transcript]

[Twiana Armstrong]

As we forge into 2022, 3 key and critical life impacts command attention – leadership, mental health/wellness and DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion. Leadership – whether leading a team or leading self, in order to realize results, cement accomplishments, or even fulfill personal achievements, a strategic plan is required. Mental health – pandemics on multiple fronts continue to plague our sensibilities. Self-care is a priority, assuring we are taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of those in our ecosystem. Thirdly, DEI – We must sustain our efforts to ensure that every person is seen and heard. Strategic plans must include goals and objectives for saturating belongingness into our lives. Join us every month in 2022 as we explore leadership, mental health and DEI, as we share how we as leaders can and should make positive impacts in each arena.  We encourage you to engage in the conversation, share your point of view and perspectives – utilize the platform to educate and to learn.  Steven Maraboli tells us “We were placed on this earth to achieve our greatest self, to live out our purpose and to do it courageously!” Leaders, as you define normal in 2022, make space to build clarity around leadership mental health and DEI.

[Matt Schlegel]

Thanks, Twiana And Happy New Year to you both! I am delighted that we’re starting the year on the topic of wellness. I have a overarching goal of living happily and healthfully to a hundred. So wellness is a big part of that. Typically I do a 3 week cleanse three times a year. It’s hard to find 3 weeks in a row when there aren’t fun things going on that make it hard to stay on the cleanse. Well this year I’m taking advantage of the Omicron wave while I am hunkering down to do my cleanse. Now Clearly getting Covid would not make me happy nor healthy nor help me live to a hundred, so I want to avoid it if at all possible. And Because I am not going out, I’m happy to report that I have been able to stick with the cleanse perhaps the best ever. And, I’m loving how I’m feeling now. The first week was a little rough, mostly from coffee withdrawal. Now in the second week, my energy’s back and I have all the energy that I used to have but used to relied on coffee for. It’s great to see my body snap back and respond so well. So that’s how I am starting off my Roaring 2022. How about you, Kimberly.

[Kimberly Layne]

Forty percent of our working population experienced mental illness such as sever depression and anxiety in 2021. Yes, that number is scary but what is the even bigger concern is that this forty percent is double the figure from the previous year.

We are on an increasing trend of mental illness, depression, feelings of isolation, anxiety, in the workplace. I speak often about the isolation epidemic where 50% of Americans feel isolated, (before the pandemic) and with the onset of covid went up as high at 80%.

Working from home, family illness, the increased ambiguity, uncertainty, and lack of social and physical contact in our working environment, has led to these increasing numbers. We as organization, and leaders must ensure we put a lens on the overall wellbeing of our people, not just physically but mentally. We must make a conscious plan and effort to allow for our people to feel safe to express their own challenges in their emotional wellbeing.

In my role as Principal at Performance Leadership Intl. I am passionate about engaging leaders to be more conscious of how they lead, manage, and communicate When I coach and consult with leaders and teams I do so with the intent to create more connection, by defining  better ways to engage, motivate, and affirm our employees and teams.. When we do this as leaders, we help the workplace become the new thriving community place where everyone feels heard, valued, supported, and most importantly belong.

 

Join us as we discuss these important topics of Dei, mental health and emotional wellness in the workplace in our 2022 series.

What are you doing at your organization and as a leader to ensure D@A, wellness, and mental health stereotypes are eliminated and your people feel safe to express who they are, how they feel, and what emotional and wellbeing challenges they may be facing that inhibit them from being and doing their best?

 

 

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