Ending the War Within

“As Within. So Without.”

This is ancient wisdom, perhaps Rumi. Deep down we know it, but in our day-today, we don’t…

As Within

This is to say, that the same problems that we struggle with on a personal level are the very same problems that are causing problems at work—inside the organization and outward, client/customer-facing.

…human problems—health + body issues, relationship struggles, feelings we don’t know what to do with, and situations that seem bigger than our ability to handle…

Most of this internal struggle stems from early conditioning and the beta-brainwave patterns, elevated cortisol levels, poor posture, over-breathing, imbalanced and compensatory movement, lack of movement, food choices, communication patterns, etc that go with it get ingrained into habit.

…I can go on at length, but suffice it to say that this conditioning drives us to live “in our heads,” overthinking, doubting, worrying, scanning our environment for threat. We've become so good at "making sense" we never question whether or not it's true, and end up making choices based on out-dated, low quality information. We expend increasing amounts of energy on surviving instead of engaging in ways that would actually lead to thriving

So Without

Over time this over-cerebral modus operandi deteriorates our physical health. We don’t feel as good and the body outwardly expresses the internal struggle inside: IBS, hypertension, asthma, autoimmune disease, depression and anxiety.  Our coping mechanisms begin to fail and we add obesity, injury, and insomnia to the list.

When we don’t feel good and have poor emotional handling skills or crappy thought hygiene—where our minds are cluttered with negative thinking and low quality content—we don’t show up well. Physically and emotionally fatigued, we’re not innovative or cooperative, unable to focus, emotionally unstable, insecure, and lacking resilience, hesitant and withdrawn, poor listeners.

It’s bad enough when this is a personal struggle; but it’s multiplied and magnified when lots of individuals bring it to one place and play it out on each other.

People problems like this are pervasive and persistent; but they are not permanent.

The Problem Within the Problem

Conventional programming and adult learning isn’t well-suited for how our brains are designed. With the idea that “knowledge is power,” programming has become data-heavy and put us in information overload…inadvertently triggering resistance, overthinking, and emotional disorganization.

…and it’s BORING. They emphasized this in my wellness coordinator certification training. Dry content is one reason why participation is such an obstacle.

This isn’t just ineffective, though. It’s inhumane.  Learning and disseminating information doesn’t have to be serious or dull. It’s actually less effective that way; and disrespectful of the precious attention we are asking people to invest.

Not to mention, that this conventional programming doesn’t really address the loneliness and lack of community that is a huge driver of both disengagement and the mental health crises we’re in. Taking a hard line when dealing with humans doesn't work.

Forbes, the World Economic Forum, Gallup, and more all declare soft skills are essential for success in today’s market—including dealing with internal people problems that eat away at your bottom line. You need your people working well, together. So they have to feel better individually and as a team.

Heart-Centered to Get to the Heart of the Matter

We have the innate capacity to re-write, over-write, and re-program our minds and recondition our bodies. It is through this process of re-wiring and releasing survival drive behavior that we cultivate these “soft skills.”

As we develop our self-awareness and emotional handling skills, improve our communication, we build resilience, grow in confidence, and foster calm. We become better leaders and better listeners, more creative, enjoying higher levels of achievement and productivity that allow us to thrive individually and collectively.

Developing soft skills won’t happen through technical training, though; and almost impossible without repetition and reinforcement. This level of healing and growth will only be available through heart-centered, playful approach.

It’s possible; and it’s NOT that difficult to do. It just isn’t being done well (in the workplace), until now...

the HAPPINESS clinic® bridges the gaps in employee wellness + experience programming so it works for you.

We put FUN back into the fundamentals and integrate with your other programming to create a coherent suite of tools to educate, entertain, and improve medical self-care, emotional handling skills, and communication patterns so you get people who feel better and work better together.

To learn more, check out some of the unconventional programs available for you on the services page; or email me with questions about (re)engaging your workforce.