Bounce Back Techniques
Coaching Tip #54
We are fourteen days into 2021 and I have a question for you? What are your bounce back techniques? The ones that work for you when things are not going the way you imagined they would.
The year 2020 gave us an opportunity to use these tools, but have you stepped back and spent some time understanding what strategies you used to cope and how you can call on them at will?
Now that 2020 is over, with hindsight, take time to do this.
When we have monumental challenges, we simultaneously have monumental learning. But to get the most out of your experiences, you must be an active participant in your learning process.
This coaching tip will lead you through 5 techniques I have to bounce back. Hopefully this will help you articulate your own methods or feel free to borrow mine! While 2020 is over, the challenges of your life are not. The bounce back tools you used to cope can prep you for the tests ahead of you.
For me, it has taught me to move away from asking how I will cope, toward discovering what options I have right now. While none of these techniques solve the immediate problem, they do something ever so important: they put me back in control, feeling like I can figure it out.
5 Techniques to Call Upon When Things Don’t Going to Plan
Ask a question: Questions open up possibilities and move us away from habitual patterns which include our reactions. Create a list of 3 to 5 go to questions and put them in an easily accessible place. I keep my questions both on my phone and my computer. For me these questions give me an opportunity to challenge my thinking, gather information and work toward an alternative solution.
What is surprising about this?
What is it that I am missing or avoiding?
Is there another way to think about this?
What can I do to have a better outcome?
How can I work at maintaining momentum?
Use A Strength: Using a strength puts us back in “our lane”. It says - I know who I am! I’m in charge! I am going to be that person right now. This is a powerful way to shift a bad moment into a past moment and set you back on track. Like questions, keep your list of strengths handy. This quick turn-a-day-around tool can give you the needed boost of endorphins to tackle the larger issue.
Distract Yourself/Give Yourself Some Space: Sometimes we need to step away from our challenge and give ourselves time to connect the dots. This space allows you to gather the needed fortitude to handle the problem at hand and allows the emotions to calm down. We all use this technique; we just might not recognize it. Have you have left your desk, gone to do something else and then all of a sudden, the answer pops into your head. The next time that happens make a note of what you are doing. Is it listening to your favorite play list, having a power snooze or going for a walk? For me doing something creative like cooking or designing a social media post puts my needed focus on something else and lets my brain do the necessary background connections.
Vigorous Exercise: Exercise is a form of a distraction but merits its own category. Different from a walk, this type of exercise is where you elevate your heart rate to a safe but challenging level. The benefits of exercising are extensive, but from our perspective a good workout can provide an avenue to release your worries or frustration, force you to narrow your focus to the task at hand and benefit from the feeling that you have accomplished something.
Phone a Friend: Sometimes we need a different perspective or just some support from the people we trust. The challenge sometimes is in the asking for help. Don’t fall in the trap of thinking you always have to do this on your own. You don’t. You are surrounded by people who care. Just pick up that phone (or send a text) and make a request. “I want to bounce an idea off you. Do you have some time we can chat?”
Melinda