Become Durable

In level 4 lockdown deliveries and post is all that we have to break the monotony. I have become fascinated by the way that my parcels are labelled, packaged and treated by the couriers. My hair styling products were labelled - dangerous, my new computer equipment although quite fragile was packed extremely robustly, and wasn’t labelled fragile. Apparently my new chair was packed in a way that had been ‘drop tested’ to ensure it arrived whole and functional. I have been fortunate that nothing has arrived smashed by the delivery process as some people have experienced.

For those of us working hard throughout the global pandemic we can feel a bit like those packages. We can feel thrown around, battered by events, needs and organisational systems outside our control. In the past few months we have had a Level Four lockdown, a never ending level three lockdown, floods, a terrorist attack and gale force winds. Life is definitely throwing us around, it can feel like the world that we thought we knew has suddenly become unpredictable and unstable. It seems like another lifetime ago that we were planning overseas holidays and attending concerts. We never could have imagined this new normal where we protect ourselves from our own extended families and friends, wearing masks and PPE to do our jobs and not having the freedom to go out when and how we want. The question becomes are we fragile or prepared to withstand the pressures of what we are facing.

Structures, routines the predictability of our world have all been removed. It can feel like those things that prop up our well-being and ability to manage in the middle of our difficult work are suddenly withdrawn. Our client’s needs have increased and the demands on us at work have risen. Our hearts ache for the impact that we are seeing all this have on our clients, yet it has also had an impact on us. We are experiencing the fears, worries and challenges right along with our teams and our clients.

In this environment where there is just so much going on around us it can be easy to get caught up and become reactive to all the struggles, stresses and strains that we face. If you have become fragile you may not be as robust as normal and little things suddenly seem big. You may feel as if how you are is dependent on what is happening around you and no longer in your control.

It is no longer enough to be resilient, to have the qualities needed to ‘bounce back’ after this is over. We can’t wait until later to rebuild our well-being, as that is a while away yet. A spider doesn’t just wait until their web is destroyed by the wind and then rebuild it. Rather they design and build a durable structure from different fibres that will withstand different types of challenges that come at it. Sometimes this means softening so that it can flex with the wind, sometimes it means sacrificing a small part of the web in order to strengthen the rest. We too need to build a durable web that supports and maintains positive wellbeing in spite of, or in the face of all that is going on around us. You can develop the techniques and strategies that you need to feel strong, stable and grounded in face of all the challenges that the world is throwing at you. You can learn to support yourself through tough times, maintaining your balance and adaptability as the winds blow around you.  You can reconnect with your inner sense of yourself, your own experience and the peace that comes from your connection with God.

In this 90 minute interactive workshop you will receive an introduction to the four essential building blocks of durability.

• Valuing – understanding and acting in line with your values.
• Stress management – understanding your stress response and how to manage it.
• Emotional Proficiency – understanding and responding to your own and others emotions.
• Well-being literacy- understanding and acting on information that can increase your well-being.

You will have an opportunity to reflect on your current capacity in each of these areas. Then we will learn and practice new techniques and skills in each of these areas that you can use in everyday life to increase your ability to withstand all that life sends at you.