Have you ever felt real rage? The sort of rage that you have no control of even though you are normally quite a passive, gentle person?
I don’t mean the kind where you have an urge to hurt someone, but the kind where all day long you are unsettled and antsy and snappy and not like yourself?
When we have the kind of uncertainty that we currently are in that seriously impacts our personal and professional lives, or when we are thrown into crazy situations that we have no control of, it is this type of rage that starts to simmer deep inside our bellies.
Yesterday, I had it all day long and I kept asking myself why.
Yes, my professional life has again been turned upside down as a professional speaker.
Yes, I have no idea when conferences or face-to-face workshops will be something I am allowed to do.
Yes, how embarrassing it will be when everyone sees how grey I really am in about one week’s time due to not being able to go to the hairdresser!
But really my rage yesterday was all about the anniversary of waking up in a burning building after a group of eejits (that’s a term I now use after being married to a leprechaun for 22 years) decided to throw petrol bombs at my bedroom with the intention to burn me and my team alive while we slept.
I eventually decided to feel OK with my rage because even though that night changed my life forever, I did not have control over it.
What everyone should know is that it is completely OK to feel rage, sadness, uncertainty, anxiety and be overwhelmed with the world we are now living in.
Feel it. Acknowledge it. Say it out loud.
It does not make you less of a human. It does not make you less of a leader. It does not make you less of a professional. Let’s take the stigma away from being able to say out loud, “I’m feeling wobbly/shitty/angry/overwhelmed/depressed today”.
Please reach out if you and your team are struggling with the current situation. I promise you, despite my recent rage(!) I have relevant, practical strategies that will help you be mentally stronger, more optimistic, more productive and perhaps even put a smile back on your face. I know this because I have dug myself out of rock bottom once before and can help you all do the same.
For those who are interested, just behind those big flames was the bedroom I woke up in. If you would like to know more about what I learnt from that violent crime and how I now apply it to my professional life, my book ‘Her Middle Name Is Courage’ talks about how I found the #courage to turn this rage into #resilience.
