Leading During Dysregulating Times
The current tumultuous socio-political climate impacts all of us, no matter where we live. In this episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz provides practical and tangible practices that not only can be implemented immediately but can also remain a part of our evolution as trauma-informed leaders. She provides tools and techniques to take care of ourselves in order to continue to function effectively.
Show Transcript:
Katie Kurtz (she/her): Hi everyone and welcome back to A Trauma-Informed Future podcast I'm your host, Katie Kurtz. If you are listening to this in real time it is election week in the United States and no matter where you live, this election impacts everybody.
And it is been a contentious emotional dysregulating time. It is paramount that as trauma informed leaders, we really take extra care and tending to our nervous system because that impacts our capacity and our capacity impacts how we work with and lead others.
No matter how you're arriving to this podcast today, all of this is transferable. It's transferable no matter what times you're listening if it's a few months from now a year from now, whenever. These are really practical implementable and repeatable practices that are part of our ongoing evolution as trauma informed leaders.
[00:01:00] Whenever times feel heavy whenever you're reading headline after headline, post, and you're seeing dehumanizing demoralizing, traumatizing account of something happening globally or in your own backyard. The typical human response is to feel tired, to want, to avoid, to want to run to numb out to desensitize, maybe to feel anxious, angry, or avoidant or weary.
All of those are very human responses. And the question then is how do we continue to show up and hold space during all of this? As trauma-informed leaders, We're not only leading others we're leading ourselves and we are all feeling the impact of different events and environments we exist in right now and whatever is to come. And so I wanted to share a few reminders and a few invitations [00:02:00] on really practical ways that you can tend to yourself right now.
Remember trauma informed care is a bi-directional approach. So we are included. Times of weariness times of uncertainty, of crisis, whatever, whether that's personally or collectively that these reminders are pertinent. I will also share a few tools that you can have in your back pocket, whether you use them now or in the future. To utilize On an ongoing practice, because again, this is a practice it evolves as we evolve.
Wherever you are, however you woke up to the world today I invite us to pause to remember you're here in this moment, you belong. Your humanity matters. And trauma informed care is a choice. In the world we live in right now, it is a radical choice of compassion it's radical choice of empathy. It's a choice to shift the culture away from harm and pain and individualism and [00:03:00] oppression towards a culture of inclusion and belonging of trust of humanity.
It's a long game. It takes time and it can feel demoralizing when we exist in systems when we exist in a world that continues to dehumanize. So whenever we can pause together, whenever we can come together as trauma-informed leaders we can re calibrate, we can replenish our energy we can rejuvenate and reaffirm our choice to move forward.
This podcast is a sanctuary for trauma informed leaders who come to discern, to pause, to affirm, to feel validated and to find community. And if you want and need further community, I encourage you to join us in the trauma-informed leadership studio.
It's a space designed for us to come together, to create community, to be in relationship to navigate these ebbs and [00:04:00] flows to critically think. as trauma-informed leaders, we are culture makers to practice these skills and harness these skills and build confidence in these skills. And to find ways to actively integrate them into our personal and professional lives. You are always welcome to join us.
So first and foremost, let's just take a pause. All right. Wherever you're at. If you're listening to this driving walking, be safe, but take a deep breath in. Open your mouth. Like audibly, sigh. Audibly side, like you should hear it. I have been audibly sighing for weeks now, and it feels so good and , people are like, whoa. What's going on, but I don't care because I need to get it out.
The issues are in our tissues. We need to get it out. Breathe in.
Stick out your tongue, make a noise, moan, whatever you need to do to let it out.
And breathe however you need to breathe, nervous system care doesn't have to be this clinical [00:05:00] therapeutic thing. It can be whatever it is to be. Humanize it don't take it too seriously. Add, play, enjoy as much as possible. And also remember it can be in micro doses. It can be small, intentional practices.
So wherever you're at right now, just finding the pause, maybe bringing your attention to the present moment, perhaps. You if safe, you look around, maybe you gently looking around expanding your peripheral vision, because we know when we are in times of stress, our vision may narrow and so when we can. Expand our vision. It can help and send those signals to our nervous system.
Perhaps you're noticing anything that's tense and maybe you tense it up a little more and do some progressive relaxation movements, like tensing up your fists and then gently releasing. Maybe you do that to your face. If you're like me, you're always furrowing your brow. Maybe you [00:06:00] pinch it a little bit. Squeeze those cheeks. Let it go. Can you unclench your jaw? Can you unclench your butt?
Whatever you need to do in this moment, just to notice where the tension is and release, curiosity over judgment always. Maybe you tug at your ears, pull your ear lobes, pull the tops of your ears. Signaling to that vagus nerve.
Maybe you sway from side to side. I like to have my arms out and literally just like fling them around right to left. I've been really loving. One of those like old school fitness balls that you blow up and just bounce around on that bilateral midsection crossing movements. Humming. Can you hum. Your favorite song or just anything? Just to create that vibration within your nervous system.
Again, activating the vagus nerve. So many little practices. And then just doing them. On repay it whenever. Sprinkling them throughout your day.
So I just want to [00:07:00] provide some reminders as we're pausing as we're attuning. Just taking a moment sighing. Maybe you need to let out a good scream. I'm all for screaming into the void. A good cry, whatever you may need. But wherever you're finding yourself, however, you're landing here whenever you're listening.
Just remember. That although you may have the capacity to hold a lot. You don't have to hold it all. You don't have to hold on to the thoughts, opinions, or feelings of other people that don't honor your humanity or the humanity of others. You can take space away from being online if you need to. You can stay and share space online if you want to. You can ask for someone to hold space for you, if you need it. You can take space away from people even if you love them, even if you have to show up, if you need it. You can [00:08:00] communicate and let others know you don't have the capacity for them or the situation right now.
You can honor your lived experiences, your neuro-diversity, your health, your humanity. While also showing up for others
Our capacity is how much we can hold. And as humans, we can hold a lot, but it doesn't mean we should hold it all. And so how do we communicate to others during this time? Whether it's people in our lives, people we don't know our clients. Maybe because of the current state of the world.
Again, whether you're listening to this now or in the future. If it's impacting your capacity, even if it's personally or collectively or both, how do we communicate to others so that we can best tend to ourselves?
As trauma-informed leaders we can practice this approach by attuning to what is my capacity today? What is my capacity this week in this season? And [00:09:00] transparently communicate that. And then also honor that and the boundaries we create, where we begin and where we end.
Some of my favorite ways to communicate capacity. And again, this is my language. This is , the way I speak. It's just to give you a frame of reference. You use your own voice, use your own words. Do whatever feels best and most aligned for you. So here's this a few things you can have in your back pocket.
Don't have the capacity at the moment. Let's reconnect next week tomorrow. In a few months. I'm being realistic about my energy right now and therefore I may take a little longer to respond than normal. There's a lot going on in the world right now. So I'll be taking extra time to care for myself. And perhaps you invite others to do the same.
Unless this is urgent. I will not be responding until after this day, this week. Et cetera. To my honor, my capacity, I will not be. Insert, whatever that is here. [00:10:00] And simply you can just say, I don't have the capacity right now and let that be it.
We can honor the capacity of others by being adaptable through our communications and critical thinking skills.
If the world's on fire. Or something has happened in your community or whatever. Just honoring the acknowledging, the realities occurring pausing, maybe taking it slower, pacing yourself. Being. Able to adapt. Maybe your calendar is full and it's. The day after something happened. Or your just tuning in and noticing the energy of the team or the energy of your clients are just lower.
Can you be adaptable and rearrange the schedule? Can you adjust? If you don't have a choice, that's okay. Just name that. And just offer a little more grace. Can you check in with yourself during this time? Check-in with others. Can you encourage care practices as much as possible giving again, autonomy and choice to [00:11:00] people. And just remembering we're human first.
Grace goes a long way in this practice and trauma informed care is really a grace forward approach.
There's been so much cumulative stress over the years. And so honoring ourselves as much as possible is so key. That's how we build trust. That's how we improve engagement and satisfaction and retention in so many different levels.
Trauma-informed care as a practice, as a leadership approach deeply respects boundaries, personal pace, self-care capacity and rest, rest in all its forms, not just for others, but also for ourselves. We create a trauma informed future when we honor our humanity in the process.
So how ever you're arriving here I encourage you to pause. Take that moment. We can counteract our culture of unnecessary urgency, that too much, too fast, too soon by [00:12:00] pausing and shifting. And then making the choice to lead with this approach.
So wherever you're coming from today, again, I hope you can pause. I hope you can find rest and all its forms. Physical rest, emotional, psychological, spiritual, playful rest. Seek out the small joy honoring your nervous system in all its ways.
Nurture your capacity and find community. The number one thing to prevent, mitigate, and heal. Stress and trauma individually and collectively our safe, healthy, nurturing relationships. So thank you for being here. And until next time, take a care.
