For those of you who have been following me this year, we have previously talked about the qualities of V.U.C.A. that we have been experiencing throughout the pandemic. V.U.C.A. is an acronym that stands for “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity” When you are forced to deal with those four qualities over and over again, they stir up chronic stress and they force you to try and make decisions during situations where you do not have enough data to be able to make your best decision. Certainly what we’re witnessing happening in Washington brings us back to V.U.C.A and back to volatile, very uncertain times.
Anxiety
So the question becomes, how do you cope with that ensuing anxiety? Well, my first suggestion is be honest with yourself about your feelings. This is highly upsetting, and I hope you will take some time and space to be honest with yourself about that. Secondly I want to encourage you to look for small things that you can take control of, and these may feel very small but they can be beneficial none the less. For example, while you cannot control what’s happening in Washington, you can control how many hours you are and are not willing to spend doom-scrolling reading article after article about it. You can also control whether or not you reach out to your therapist or a like-minded friend to process everything that’s going on. Be on the lookout for the small things that you can take control over. And finally make sure that it does not overshadow your daily existence. It’s heavy, it’s big, it’s concerning. But please continue to be on the lookout for hope and moments of joy. And to allow yourself to experience those by being present in them.
Executive Therapy
If you are an executive experiencing stress and anxiety during these very V.U.C.A. times, consider how having a therapeutic relationship can help you instill hope and relief back into your life. Right now one of the best things about being a therapist is this: Every single day a client who I care about, tells me hey so-and-so that I care about just got the vaccine. And then my client and I like to pause for a full 30 seconds and just feel the relief, hope and joy that comes with knowing that yet one more loved one is safe. That’s just one possible example of some juicy moments of joy, hope and optimism that you can continue to be on the lookout for, even while these very disturbing events unfold.
We are here for you as individual, couple, and executive therapists! We offer individual counseling, couples counseling, and executive counseling. If you would like more information about Flourish’s counseling services, reach out to us at 303-455-3767 x. 5 or fill out our contact form today.