‘We all know that times are strange; Coronavirus is changing everything that is familiar to us’ - Insights Thought Leadership, March 2020

Times are, indeed, strange. Never before have we experienced anything quite like this and it is pulling on all of our reserves and inner strength to navigate the way through our individual journey and to support others on their road too.

I have found that I am not an exception to this rule. In fact, I have been challenged in ways that I would not have deemed possible 4 weeks ago before the social distancing and lockdown measures. Under these extreme civil limitations and unprecedented circumstances, I have had to dig deep to find my inner-self to help work through the fact my business is temporarily closed and my daily routine severely disrupted, whilst dealing with the frustrations of anxiety and apprehension about the future, naturally for myself but also for others.

As the Business Director of Creative Chiro, I am passionate about opportunities for learning and development – not only for myself but for every member of the team too; I believe that these opportunities help each one of us to reach our full potential and develop resilience. This, in turn, enables us to offer the very best treatment, care and support to our patients.

Today, I want to share some thoughts and tools that have really helped me during these testing times.

According to researchers Porter and Davis in a recent 2020 study, not only do we feel unsafe as our limbic system reacts to the real threat posed by COVID19, we are also dealing with the anxiety triggered by our emotional response to uncertainty and change. The limbic system is the portion of the brain that deals with three key functions: emotions, memories and arousal (or stimulation). We worry about family and friends, our finances, social isolation, loss of freedom and control (and, of course, potentially the reduced availability of soft toilet paper!). From our perspective we are experiencing unsafe uncertainty.

For those actively involved in the crisis it is less a question of building resilience, rather of responding to trauma. There will be loss and heartache and perhaps fundamental changes as to how we live (or choose to live) our lives in the future. Yet there is also compassion and dedication, selfless service and sacrifice, innovation and creativity. Whilst we are grieving for what we stand to lose - is there some learning for us from these current events? Do we have the chance to recalibrate and reflect on what really matters to us? If we can take a breath and pause - if only for a moment - this will help us to stop reacting and trying to ‘fix’ everything. From this pause we can shift our perspective, see things more clearly and make wiser decisions.

Daosim (Taoism) has a phrase Wu Wei - probably best summarised as ‘an attitude of genuine non-action’. This is in no way advocating delay or inaction in addressing the response to the COVID19 crisis; but rather creating a pause in the reactivity of our own emotion-driven reactions.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) teaches distress tolerance skills to help you deal with crisis situations. A distress tolerance skill taught in DBT is called STOP which is a tool used to help deal with crisis situations and is worth reflecting on, when you feel yourself starting to react:

STOP is an acronym for:  

• S: Stop – pause and try visualising a red STOP sign in front of you. Don’t react when your emotions are hot and filled with energy

• T: Take a step back – mentally or, if necessary, physically. Once you’ve taken this step back, notice how you’re breathing. Try to take a few slow, deep breaths

• O: Observe - what’s going on both inside you and around you. If there are other people around, notice what they’re doing or saying. Notice what you’re thinking and feeling

• P: Proceed - be present and be aware. Use mindfulness skills to consult your wise mind and ask your wise mind what to do

Personally, I have found the STOP tool really helpful and it has encouraged me to think even more deeply about how differently people are responding to our current circumstances. One person told me that this situation is ‘giving them permission to not be sociable’ whereas another said: ‘I’m SO bored!!!  I need interaction!’.  The same situation but two different perspectives.

I have long been fascinated by the range of approaches and preferences that people have and – here at Creative Chiro - we have invested in Insights Discovery® to really help us understand ourselves and each other.

For centuries, philosophers have identified four broad types of personality. Dr Carl Jung further developed this idea in the 20th Century. He suggested that all four personality traits or energies are present in all of us and the different balances between them are what make us unique. The Insights Discovery® Personal Profile is a highly accurate and validated system for measuring those balances. (You might have noticed our 4 coloured foam ‘lego’ blocks representing each personality/behaviour type when you have visited the Practice). When I was asked recently what I had found most helpful during the COVID19 crisis I answered honestly that it was the personal insight that Insights had given me (they chose a very good name for their product!).

The current ‘perfect storm’ of the Coronavirus crisis is, as indicated above, a situation that is uncertain and unsafe. We cannot change the fact that uncertainty exists but we can give thought to what makes us, personally, feel psychologically safe; this, in turn, is likely to support our wellbeing and resilience.  

During a recent Insights session, a group of people were asked what made them feel psychologically safe when viewed from the perspective of their individual preferences and approaches.  The responses were overlaid onto the Insights ‘four colour model’ of personality/behaviour types, producing results that are really quite fascinating.  You will see from the graphic below that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ . . .  and it would appear that our natural preferences and approach to life influence the factors that help us to feel safe. Being aware of this – for ourselves and others – could be a ‘game changer’ right now.

The impact is different for everyone and how far our personal inner elastic band is being stretched and the amount we are needing to adapt will vary hugely from person to person. During recent ‘check in’ telephone calls with some of our patients, their feedback has varied from “other than some inconveniences, life has not really changed too much for me” right through to “my whole work, social and personal life has been turned upside down.  I feel like my legs have been taken out from under me.”

Two of the Practice Team, Rhiannon, one of our Chiropractors and Serena, our Senior Massage Therapist, were keen to share their thoughts about Insights and how they have used their experiences both professionally and personally and the impact it has had on them, particularly through these very tricky times.  

Here’s what they had to say...

“Insights has helped me to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for different personality types.  During these challenging times, it has promoted a greater sense of respect for how other people respond to pressures or anxieties and how I can adapt my behaviour to support them by encouraging individuals to express their point of view.  Not only as a Chiropractor but also in personal settings, it has allowed me to express empathy and reassurance instead of pre-empting what an individual is going through.” 
- Rhiannon

“In the current climate, I have found that knowing so much more about myself through Insights has helped me handle many situations in a healthy, calm way and with a clear plan. I’ve understood that I need to switch off from a lot of the daily news and because my natural preference is to be around people, it’s been tough so I’ve used social media and FaceTime a lot to make up for that aspect. I can honestly say that without Insights I would be really suffering and I’ve handled situations better as well as being able to be there and support people in a way that suits them too” - Serena

How could Insights Profiling help you?

Research suggests that if we understand how we and others are likely to respond in a given situation, we can communicate with them in a way that allows everyone’s best qualities to be celebrated and valued, ease any tension and reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings. The Insights Discovery® system encompasses a simple model: Understand me ….. Understand you ….. Adapt and connect for greater communication.

In fact, I have been so impressed with the benefits that Insights Discovery® has given me personally and professionally over the years, that I became an accredited Insights Licensed Practitioner.  I am very passionate and place great value on the aspect of my role within the Practice which involves the nurturing, inspiring, developing and empowering of each person within the team. 

By becoming accredited and joining Agar Management Consultancy as an Associate, I am delighted to say that I am now able to offer Insights personality profiling and I am even more delighted to say that there are circumstances where I am able to offer a free Insights profile and a one-to-one follow up debrief session (usually £220 + VAT).  

With the Practice temporarily closed (and I can promise you that we will be back as soon as we are able and you will be the first to hear that news!), I would love to personally share this learning and opportunity with you. If you would like to chat with me further about this please contact me directly at linda@agarmanagementconsultancy.co.uk 

In the meantime, from all of us at the Practice, please stay physically and psychologically safe.

If you would like to find out more about the Insights Discovery® Personal Profile, click HERE.