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Showing Up in the Rough
Walking through the woods on a crisp spring morning, I came across these beautiful tiny flowers. They were determined to bloom again another year. The metaphor was not lost on me: how hard it can be to just show up again and again, amidst the bramble of current stress and the remains of past struggles. We tire and yet we rise. Often it feels as though we cannot find the energy to come back, but somehow we do.
Lately, leaders have been asking me: “How do we continue to rise, and to help others rise, when everything feels so rough? The uncertainty of funding, of managing salaries, of meeting promised deadlines makes it hard to reassure our teams. It addition it feels like the basic kindness of our neighbors is less assured these days. How can we help our teams feel well enough to continue to meet the moment?” When uncertainty is knocking at the door every day, it can lead to relentless stress.
The answer?
Regulated nervous systems encourage nervous system regulation.
Creating a team culture which allows everyone to rise starts with a felt sense of safety. If you are a leader with a stressed-out team, shifting your own nervous system into a regulated state is the first step toward fostering a culture of safety and growth. Once you are able to respond (rather than react) to the challenges in front of you, your well-being and regulated communication will help to grow the good in your team.
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