Monday Motivation in the Midst of Madness

Do you ride an emotional roller coaster? Fear does funny things to people. Switching on their sympathetic nervous system and letting it dominate.

It’s got me thinking about how can social workers stay resilient and motivated. When it feels overwhelming already and people look to you drowning in their own fear and overwhelm?

Well the thing that I do is to ask myself how can this obstacle be the greatest thing that happens to me? I won’t lie, running a small business this year hasn’t produced rainbows and unicorns (or Idris Elba 😍) but I’m grateful for the growth and to be continually stretched to be on top of my own thoughts and emotions.

Here's what else I do. I ask myself, who is likely to be resilient and at the top of their game right now. And then I stalk them hard! What are they doing, what are they saying, what are they connected to, how are they feeling, how are they priming themselves to ensure they can cope.

The three people who got me through this week and shifted my perspective are:
Bruce Perry. His view on childhood trauma and adaptation is always so refreshing and so relevant at this time.
An Anchorman Podcast. Because it stops me taking it all so seriously!
And, Elizabeth Gilbert who has worked tirelessly with fear and creativity and has a lot to say about the topic. Sometimes when we look outside of social work other industries can provide a great new perspective.