So, you may have picked up from my recent blog posts (and newsletter if you subscribe to it) that I’ve been feeling pretty tired and run down – not because of anything particularly bad or especially stressful; just because the whole family have had a lot on and there’s not been a lot of space for my ‘introverted self’ to replenish.
Fortunately we’d always planned to have a few days away over the bank holiday and half term, travelling to the West Coast of Scotland to see some dear friends.
It’s a long way to go from York, but we have a particular affection for that part of Britain (as well as a particular affection for our friends!), because we once lived in those parts, pre-kids.
If you get the West Coast of Scotland at the right time of year, before the midges are out in full biting force and with some luck in the weather stakes, there’s nowhere quite like it. We hit the jackpot on this visit, as the weather is just divine. The quality of the light and air, the breathtaking beauty of the scenery, the explosion of lush green and blue blue sea – all just what the doctor ordered.
My amazing Coach Supervisor has a question he sometimes asks me in my supervision sessions – “What are your minimum requirements to do good work?”
It’s such a great question, because it reminds me that I have needs too, and I cannot be of service to others in the way I want to be if I don’t meet them.
The emphasis is also on ‘minimum needs’, which reminds me it doesn’t have to be perfect, and it’s not about me becoming a right diva.
This short holiday has brought me back in touch with what some of those minimum requirements are:
- To feel connected to people I care about, whilst having my space and privacy respected.
- To feel connected to nature and growing things.
- To breathe fresh air and spend a little time each day outside.
- To have space to sleep well and wake naturally every once in a while.
- To every now and then have the space to be spontaneous and choose to do, or not do to in the moment (rather than have every moment scheduled in).
I know I have a few others too (which involve space for expression and creativity, and some other aspects of respect), but these are the ones this break is feeling so good for ‘filling up the tank’.
So what would yours be? Tell me your ‘minimum requirements to do good work’.
