What a lot of us are facing right now is fear.
IT IS HARD! Everyone seems to be facing that in one way or another and it causes us to freeze. So what do we do? How do we handle it? Getting started is often the hardest part.
1. Talk About It
Talking can relieve stress. In a world where we are currently limited in our interactions, opening a new line of communication alone can lift some of that weight. Share about the problems you are facing and why you feel frozen and what the problem is and ask your peers for solutions. Whether it be with people in your industry, your friends, or you family creating that conversation will allow for your brain to focus on a solution rather than solely the problem.
2. Map it Out
Not sure what is causing your freeze? Talk or write it out. You can start with how you are feeling if you don’t know why are you are feeling that way and then ask the why or what. What is causing me to feel this way? Why is that? Go deeper than the obvious crisis.
3. Take action
Whether it be small or big taking action will make you feel in control. It allows us to get past the uncertainty by taking control of what we do know. So you talk or map out your problem and then look at what steps you can take. Ask yourself what will make this less stressful or feel better? What is one thing I can do to make myself feel better about this in this moment? Can you reach out to someone who could help?
Okay, so that is all big picture right? Let me give you an example. I was on track to buy a house as this crisis began. Then as everything become more murky that became unclear whether it was possible. I didn’t even know where to began. So I talked through my fears. We didn’t know how the market was going to look, I became reduced hours and I wasn’t sure how to get a loan with that in play, didn’t know where I would live when my lease was up if I didn’t move forward, and so many more unknowns. So I focused on educating myself on what I could do. I talked to my lender even though I was initially advised not to as it could potentially hurt my ability, yet they were the experts! I talked to my current landlord to see if I could extend my lease or go month to month. I talked through with my realtor what he was seeing in the market. I took steps to educate myself and see what my options were right now. While none of us can predict the future, we can talk to people in our network and problem solvers to help us get unstuck.
Event professionals are problem solvers and creative thinkers. That is what we do regardless of it is designing an event, managing a venue, or providing services and rentals. We solve problems. Those steps may seem easy to say and hard to do so let us know what you need help with and help you unfreeze!
