That 2020 was not an easy year for the majority of the world population, this is a fact. But what can we do in the face of a situation that is not under our control? I, for one, decided to take a break.
A pandemic on a global scale that little was known about generated panic around the world, in addition to bringing social isolation, compulsory home office, homeschooling for their children, in addition to the global economic crisis, rising unemployment rate, among many other consequences.
On the other hand, technology gained even more strength through digitalization and, with it, came the flood of information from all sides – the infoxication, already discussed in the previous article. Our mind needs rest while processing so much information and taking a break facilitates the assimilation process of them. So, I used this interval in my career to delve deeper into a theme to which I have dedicated myself most in recent months: developing more self-awareness.
Although Emotional Intelligence is based on three other pillars: self-awareness, empathy, and relationship management, my conclusion is that everything starts with self-awareness, and should continue along this never-ending journey towards the inner self. The truth is that the more you know yourself, the more you are able to understand others and, only then, is it possible to contemplate the other pillars.
I had been doing this journey for some time, through therapy and immersing myself in the knowledge brought by neuroscience through neurolinguistic programming. However, with the need to take a break amid the chaos in which the covid-world finds itself, I decided to try a self-care program, which would not necessarily mean going to a spa or receiving skincare, as commonly can be associated.
It goes far beyond this: it is a proposal to take an internal and deep path at the core of the human being, through the construction of habits to promote benefits for the individual’s physical, mental, and, above all, emotional health.
“For better or for worse, when emotions dominate, the intellect cannot lead us anywhere.” (Daniel Goleman)
Self-care consists of introspection rituals and, for that, I counted on the support of my integrative therapist, who developed a program based on activities such as daily meditations, music to increase the body’s vibration in the morning, as well as to decrease it before sleeping, and moments of complete silence.
The place chosen for this was Madeira Island, a Portuguese paradise found in the middle of the Atlantic, with a mild climate, even in the middle of European winter, paradisiacal beaches, and breathtaking mountain landscapes! Considered the safest destination in Europe since the beginning of the pandemic by the “European Best Destinations”, the island had very low cases of Covid-19 due to the strict measures to access it, such as mandatory testing at the entrance and monitored quarantine until the result was released and, also, a repetition of the test after 5 days of stay.
They detected controlled cases on the island and social life was able to continue with a light lockdown. Obviously, nightclubs and other possible crowds were closed. In this way, it gave a sense of relief in the context of social isolation. This allowed me, even with hygiene measures in mind, to also explore my social skills, increase awareness of the external factors that influenced me, in addition to better understanding how I also impact the environment around me.
Photo: Porto da Cruz, Madeira Island, Portugal. Dec 28, 2020.
However, the most important thing for me was to ensure that I was completely connected to the emotions that were generated from all this, and that is only possible and real when one is actually present – mindfulness!
Self-care helps to promote positive thoughts and cultivate a relationship with yourself, which enhances self-esteem and self-confidence. According to Harvard Business Review (2020), self-aware people are better teammates and positively influence the environment, thus contributing to increased productivity and efficiency.
Another factor that makes people up to 31% more productive is happiness, which, according to Positive Psychology research, has an intrinsic relationship with the emotional quotient and is aimed at bringing success, and not the other way around. Happiness, according to the same studies, is considered a skill and can be practiced. Self-care, therefore, seems to be one of the viable ways to foster this attitude of happiness in our lives.
Anway, during difficult times or between cycles of changes in life, taking a break is one of the best ways to reflect on the transformations we have undergone in order to enhance the results we expect from them.
Associating it with a self-care program was essential for and I could have more disposition and energy to continue my projects.
In view of the observed aspects, self-care is based, therefore, on how much we turn our attention to building healthy habits in order to promote benefits to our body, mind, and spirit. However, we should not take this break due to self-dedication only in extreme cases, as an isolated and unique event, but, instead, make it our own agenda, as a daily and common practice in our life.
For this and more, please also take a look at Cultivating Agility
About me: I’m a High-Performance Coach who uses a Neuroscience-based method to support you in Achieve More with Mental Well-Being.
