The Fall Reset Button: 3 Qs To Think About

Leadership & Management | Written by Dr. Soliman

1- What small-win, short-term goals can I realistically achieve over the next 3 months?

Make sure that these goals are independent of the change of external circumstances. This would not only help you gain confidence and feel in control but also will give you a leeway to adapt to the ever-changing COVID-19 associated circumstances.⁣

Examples:⁣

  • Reaching out to 15 LinkedIn connections every week.⁣
  • Scheduling information sessions with new professional contacts through social media.⁣
  • Taking a free online course on Coursera each month that you always wanted to do but never had time for.⁣

2- What coping skills could I build to handle what I have little control over?

Emotion-focused coping skills are ideal for situations we have little control over. Please click here watch.⁣⁣

  • It might be a five-minute breathing exercise or 10-minute mindful eating or walking, or any other self-soothing activity.⁣
  • Consistency is key to adopting a new coping skill.⁣

⁣3- How could I be held accountable to achieve my goals?

After deciding which small wins you would like to focus on and the coping skill(s) you will build, the question becomes: how can you be held accountable?⁣

  • Having an accountability partner works magic. This could be a current colleague or friend, people you trust from your workplace or even online tools such as tasktwin or supporti.

1. Mindfulness: become aware of your own emotions. It could be “I feel angry. What kind of a human being is she?” or “He is such a devious person to break our business now. Doesn't he see how it will affect my life?”

2- Commonality: In the second step, you will acknowledge that other business partners might be going through the same tragedy under this economic pressure. You might even start to think about specific people in the same domain that you know where similar situations happened in the past and you noticed how it affected them emotionally and professionally. This will help you feel that you're not alone.

3- Kindness: if your best friend is seeking your advice on the situation, what would you tell them? Maybe you would say something on the lines of "It must be shocking!" and follow-up with "what options do you have that can help you survive this unexpected move?" you might suggest them doing something that they like to distract themselves from the immediate emotional impact of the unexpected betrayal.

Exercising self–compassion encourages us to see what we can change and accept what you can't. It makes you acknowledge that you're not alone in this setback. Simply put, self-compassion exercises are tools to discover how to help ourselves the same kind way we will help others who are going through a setback or a failure.