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Strategies To Help Rebuild In The “New Normal
STRATEGIES TO HELP REBUILD IN
THE “NEW NORMAL”
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BY AYSHA CORREA, AICI CIC
If you are an image consultant, you probably enjoy serving people. It may also be a case that your passion has inspired you to give up a previous career to become an image consultant. I have a similar story and I love to constantly add value to and improve my services, so in January I started a self and identity course at Harvard Extension School.
If I had to summarize my favorite lesson learned, it would be a quote, not from a great researcher, but from a familiar and mundane source: “In case of emergency, put on your own mask before assisting others.”
In challenging times, collective hurt can consume us. If we don’t take good care of ourselves, we won’t be able to help the ones who need us. So, in this article I’m sharing the best strategies I learned this semester to help rebuild in this “new normal” scenario:
LOOK INSIDE
At Harvard I came across the work of Laura Crandall, Ed.M. and management strategist. Her subject of study is character.
She defines character as what you develop when you act in a way that aligns with your values. Character can help you feel steadier and find balance as you navigate in times of crisis.
To demonstrate this concept, she asked us to write 10 to 15 words about the qualities of our character (our virtues or values). Later, we narrowed the list down to 3 or 4 words. The words could be about intellectual qualities, e.g. creativity, curiosity; about interpersonal skills such as compassion and connection; or active things like courage and confidence.
According to her, the key to find balance now is to take those 3-4 words that are most important to you and bring them into your life every day. I found out that helping others is one of my character traits and it has guided my choices even during quarantine. When I wake up uninspired, I ask myself “how can I help people today?”
I recommend that you to do this exercise. It feels easier to face uncertainty when we reflect on who we are, what matters to us, what drives us and what makes our decisions. As Ms. Crandall says, those things are timeless. The world might change in unprecedented ways, but you can always count on your character!
REDEFINE PRODUCTIVITY
We need to redefine productivity because social distancing has forced us to perform new roles. We now have to teach our kids, clean the house, cook and work from home, and it’s hard to feel productive with so many identities and tasks. Why don’t we shift from a perspective of how much I am doing to how well I am doing?
Another challenge is that our job as image consultants may feel lonely. To rebuild in this new reality, it is important to increase our sense of community. I encourage you to participate in AICI teleclasses, traumatic experience and showed signs of increased appreciation towards life. (Joseph and Butler, 2010). She recommends an exercise where at the end of each day we should write 3 good things that happened to us. The objective of this practice is to raise awareness of the positive things we experience, and enhance the capacity of seeing the good even when things are challenging. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE HUMAN It’s OK to feel bad about lost opportunities and cancelled events. A global pandemic is not the moment to expect perfection from yourself or others.
webcasts and online events. Meeting other members We help people communicate between the outside
who share the same worries and passions has made a huge difference to my quarantine days.
NETWORK WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING
Besides engaging in online events, you can try to increase the online visibility of your business. Use this time to create or update your social media profiles, connect with old friends and join industry discussion groups that can make a positive impact on your
BE GRATEFUL
I learned from positive psychology specialist Deb Levy about research which suggests that between 30-70% of individuals who experienced trauma also report positive change and growth coming out of the
We may not perform to the best of our abilities when we encounter big changes, and that’s why it is important to be gentle to ourselves when things are changing.
I will never forget a message from my mentor and AICI founding member Alyce Parsons in our 26th magazine issue. She stated: “We have a noble profession. We are a source for good in this world. career.
and inside and help them develop a vision of who they are.” As we go through the trials and tribulations of COVID-19, we need to take care of ourselves first, and then rebuild. We need to improve our industry and prepare for our future achievements.
WE DEFINITELY NEED YOU TO BE A SOURCE FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD, AS ALYCE BRILLIANTLY SAID!
AYSHA CORREA, AICI CIC, is the first Certified Universal Style Consultant™ in Brazil, and holds a certificate in adult teaching from St Giles College (London). Aysha has been using her experience to talk about style in events and institutions not only in Brazil, but also in Angola, Argentina, Portugal and the United States. She is the founder of Aysha Correa Consultoria de Estilo and has served as the Secretary and VP Communication of AICI Brazil from 2016 to 2020. Aysha is now pursuing a master’s degree in applied psychology and is VERY grateful for the amazing people image consulting has brought into her life!
