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SUCCESS COACHING 2021: DEBRIEF AND RENEWAL by Kimberly PA. Perone, MA, CLC
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s you begin pandemic year two, it is time to debrief the last 12 months and open to the possibilities this year will bring. 2021 will be the year of clarity and self-care to ensure sustainability. It is time to work as smart as you do hard. After so much uncertainty, pivoting, and patience, begin this second year with a debrief and renewal exercise.
• Does exhaustion show in your face or a slumping posture? • Does anger appear in a clenched jaw or pounding heart?
Debrief: Breathe, Feel, Write, Reflect and Release
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The last 12 months were filled with stress on top of our usual stress. Regular work, additional rescheduling, and an abundance of uncertainty made up most of 2020. There is a time to “plow through” as we often say in times of crisis, and you did it. Now it is a time to tend the field by clearing. Start by taking a few cleansing breaths. Inhale and exhale 3 times. When we are stressed, our breathing becomes more shallow. You may now have a chance to breathe deeper than you have in nearly a year. Congratulate yourself on getting through difficult months. Now, recognize the emotions you have pushed down for months. It is okay to feel exhausted if you feel exhausted...or angry.... or sad...or disappointed...or afraid. Recognize your emotions. Notice where they may still linger.
• Where do those feelings reside in your body? • Is fear in the pit of your stomach? PAGE 6 | MARCH 2021
Inhale fresh air sending it to those parts of you holding onto last year’s stress. Exhale stress. Next, spend at least a few moments writing about the experience of last year. What happened? What was accomplished? What is new and what remains? How do you want to feel in 2021?
After some time breathing, feeling, writing and reflecting, you can release the crisis stage of the pandemic and prepare for the ongoing uncertainty with renewed energy. With this coaching exercise, you can transform the energy for the next several months into hope and ability for new growth. You are ready to plant. A field of potential exists in front of you. Thank you for taking care of you. Life, Self, and the Renewal of Spirit Now that you have debriefed the last 12 months, let’s focus on the next several. By doing the important work above, you are ready to renew. As we know, some challenges remain. The calendar changed but some things are the same. You have expended an enormous amount of energy adapting, addressing, and administering different ways of moving about the world and navigating time, space, and emotions at home.
