Are you afraid of burning out?

Maybe you are getting close: end-of-year stress, holiday stress, covid-stress (numbers are on the rise), general stress… What is there to do?

As a certified business coach, supervisor and burnout coach I have clients who have stress. One thing they have to do is recognize the signs of burnout and to find ways to complete the stress cycle (more about that next time). But one of the things you can do is change your focus with the PPFs Model.

Past, Present, Future (PPFs) a self-application for preventing burnout- for myself, for my clients, AND for you.

The PPFs explained:

PAST: Remember the past and be grateful, PRESENT: savor what we have in the present and FUTURE:  anticipate the good things the future holds with hope.

PAST:

Recently I received a phone call from my client thanking me for helping her to learn premortems so that she was prepared for a very important (and last-minute) work meeting that went so well she is still reeling with joy.  At that time I was able to savor her thanking me as she remembered the past week and how it had gone so well, despite the stress of the preparation along-side other work she had to do. I have several work and many friends and family moments that I savor over and over again when life gets rough.

I can relate to having a lot to do while having other stressful situations at work (or home) to deal with at the same time.  That’s why premortems are so helpful: they help you see possible future glitches in a plan and prepare for them.  More about that in a later blog will come, now we are focused on the PPFs of life to carry on with a good attitude.

My PAST for this week is the wonderful weather we have been having and celebrating my husband’s birthday with family.

My PRESENT right now is the beautiful sunshine streaming into my window and the sunny yellow buildings vis a vis from me. It is a morning ritual of my to read and watch the sun rise.  I am savoring the color and the light, breathing in the present moment and just being for a moment.  I am enjoying this moment, and breathing.

My FUTURE for today is a near future activity:  I am meeting two former clients for a coffee today- looking forward to hearing how they are growing (one specifically thanked me in an email and wanted to share how I had helped her personally). This is really something to look forward to.

This is a week will be fun, as a friend is coming to visit tomorrow and will stay for a week - looking forward to Swiss trips with her, too!

Now it’s time for you to try PPFs:  

What can you remember from the past right now that brings you joy?  Where is that joy coming from? Let it come and enjoy the past experience once more.

Then what can you savor right now?  Maybe it’s a cup of coffee or tea during your mid-morning or afternoon break.  Maybe you can go for a walk and enjoy the beauty surrounding you.

What can you look forward to?  I have a very very future plan to visit a dear friend who recently moved to Germany.  But that is far future.  I have two nearer future activities to look forward to:  a small family Thanksgiving dinner and a friend coming to dinner on Saturday, and the very near lunch meeting today is like a cherry on top of my sundae.  I hope you can find (or make) some things you look forward to and that those activities can give you strength when life is difficult.

Now, make a PPF Plan:

You need to make a plan to remember the past, savor the present and anticipate a hopeful future and practice it.  If you do make PPFs a habit, it will help you get through tough times.

Everyone knows it’s hard to make changes so I give you these three tips to plan a change:

·      Make a plan how you are going to set PPFs in motion

·      Tell a friend for support- and allow them to check up on you

·      Fix your environment for positive success (eg: turn off the news until further notice, or buy treats to enjoy in these next difficult days)

There will be more on this next week as we move closer to Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday season. If you want to talk more about the difficulties you are having and how to fix your life for the better, just give me an email.  

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Patricia Jehle                           patricia@jehle-coaching.com