by Paula Quinsee

I heard so many people saying this phrase during these past few weeks. I remember when I first noticed the decorations going up in Pick 'n Pay and thought to myself, "No, not yet. I'm not ready for December to come around, there's still so much I have to get done!"

People I speak to in my various circles and networking groups are all saying the same thing, that it's been a tough year for many personally and business wise. The daily hustle is real, whether you own your own business or whether you're in corporate - we're living faster paced lifestyles, the pressures are overwhelming and we seem to get stuck on that proverbial hamster wheel more often than we care to admit.

So will your December break really change things or is it just a temporary relief from the chaos? How will you as an individual or organization ensure the chaos does not continue leaving you stressed, burnt-out, overwhelmed and anxious, but rather feeling engaged, inspired, motivated and actually achieving what you set out to achieve?

We often associate stress to change, negative events and surviving in today’s complex world. Stress occurs, we respond, often after the fact, ineffectively using various coping mechanisms, usually unhealthy ones. Then we rinse and repeat.

The most common type of stress and the most tricky is known as allostatic stress ("the wear and tear on the body" that accumulates as an individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress), not to be confused with event-based stress (experiences that disrupt an individual's usual activities, causing a substantial change and readjustment like divorce, death, moving house/jobs, baby etc).

When we are tasked to comprehend and navigate new complexities, allostatic stress is experienced and can have the following implications:

Accelerated aging (around 10 years)
Wear and tear on brain and body
Compromised immune system
Increased rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes

To function anywhere remotely normal in today's VUCA world, we need to develop our emotional agility. Viktor E. Frankl, a neurologist, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor spoke to this concept:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Emotional agility = an individual’s ability to experience their thoughts and emotions and events in a way that doesn’t drive them in negative ways, but instead encourages them to reveal the best of themselves. What plans are you putting in place to develop the emotional agility for yourself and those around you? What will be different next year?

If you're looking for ways to help you grow and develop your personal capabilities in 2019 then consider the Mancave Mastermind Program for men or the Womenology Masterclass Program for women. Each person gets their own individual personal development assessment and action plan and we work together on your goals, developing your leadership traits, personal and professional relationships and much more. If you would like to discuss your own personal development needs, please do get in touch - we would love to support you and ensure you set yourself up for success in 2019.

Lastly, we would like to thank you for your continued ongoing support and wish you and your loved ones a peaceful festive season and prosperous New Year.

Warmly,
Paula

Paula Quinsee: relationship expert, Tedx speaker and author of Embracing Conflict. Certified Imago Relationship Therapy Educator and Facilitator, NLP Life Coach, PDA Analyst, MyPDA Coach and Trainer. As a Relationship Expert, she teaches individuals and companies tools and skills to immediately and positively enhance the quality of their personal and organisational relationships. She conducts regular monthly workshops, for more info: paulaquinsee.com