As an instructional coach, I deal a lot with values. Teachers, and people in general, are driven to do what they do because of what they believe and value. Understanding and acknowledging our core values is essential to knowing yourself well enough to make change. Now, more than ever, it's important to pay attention to our feelings and determine where those feelings are coming from. Those of you reading this blog are living in intense circumstances - you are experience loss, working without childcare, teaching your children, doing all the housework, living in close quarters with a lot of people, balancing caring for young children, maybe dealing with unemployment/illness/outside stress ... all at the same time. Try this core value exercise to help you figure out where some of the big feelings you are having might be coming from.
Use this core values list to:
1. Circle 10 values that strike you as important to you at home and at work.
2. Narrow down to 5
3. Narrow down to your top 1-3
Once you have your top 1-3 core values established, write them down and keep them in mind for a few days. What do you notice? What is driving you to make the decisions you make? What is triggering you through your day and how does your core value relate to the event that triggered you? What are you missing right now in this shelter in place context that feeds your values?
My strongest core value is connection. Connection is what gets me out of bed in the morning, I yearn to be connected to my family, friends, students, neighbors and co-workers in a deep meaningful way. I come alive at work when I can help others connect ideas, connect to themselves, or connect to their students in deep ways. Although, the "connect to my family" department is at an all time high right now for me... I'm very much mourning the loss of my connections to the people in the outside world. I'm missing the small connections between moms during school pick up, friends at an outing, as well as the deeper connection between my co-workers as we problem solve together in our (quiet, pleasant, toy-free) office. I miss outings with friends and extended family where I can read body language and encourage others during long meaningful conversations. I know I will get these experiences back some day, but acknowledging the loss is helping me understand why I'm a bit edgy and make decisions like calling an old friend and going on a walk to connect, having a date night with my husband, scheduling 10 feet apart running dates and more to make sure my connection needs are being filled.
Try the core value exercise and consider how this shelter in place is affecting you at the core. You might just find safe solutions to ease some of your stress and anxiety.
Lucky for me, I have a husband who understands me and planned a date night where we could put Netflix aside and connect (we even dressed up!).
Use this core values list to:
1. Circle 10 values that strike you as important to you at home and at work.
2. Narrow down to 5
3. Narrow down to your top 1-3
Once you have your top 1-3 core values established, write them down and keep them in mind for a few days. What do you notice? What is driving you to make the decisions you make? What is triggering you through your day and how does your core value relate to the event that triggered you? What are you missing right now in this shelter in place context that feeds your values?
My strongest core value is connection. Connection is what gets me out of bed in the morning, I yearn to be connected to my family, friends, students, neighbors and co-workers in a deep meaningful way. I come alive at work when I can help others connect ideas, connect to themselves, or connect to their students in deep ways. Although, the "connect to my family" department is at an all time high right now for me... I'm very much mourning the loss of my connections to the people in the outside world. I'm missing the small connections between moms during school pick up, friends at an outing, as well as the deeper connection between my co-workers as we problem solve together in our (quiet, pleasant, toy-free) office. I miss outings with friends and extended family where I can read body language and encourage others during long meaningful conversations. I know I will get these experiences back some day, but acknowledging the loss is helping me understand why I'm a bit edgy and make decisions like calling an old friend and going on a walk to connect, having a date night with my husband, scheduling 10 feet apart running dates and more to make sure my connection needs are being filled.
Try the core value exercise and consider how this shelter in place is affecting you at the core. You might just find safe solutions to ease some of your stress and anxiety.
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