Who knew? All that complaining about remote support that we all did at some point in time. Do not lie, you complained too, even if under your breath. Who knew that we would have to remotely support our family and friends thru good and bad via a 6-inch screen?
Sick parents, no hospital visits, milestone birthdays, troubled and maybe stranded college kids, scared anybody and in some cases even our pets.
Mentally and physically we are pack animals, protectors, and survivors. Being unable to fully engage on the first two because of the third puts us off-balance. Being off-balance is extremely dangerous. It can cause bad interpretation of information, bad logic, and ultimately bad decisions. It causes us to be in a “flat spin” we can see now way of correcting or escaping. It can be the root cause of depression, the perception of self-serving behavior where we do not expect it and the creation of a perpetual high stress environment of our own making.
All the above causes, lightly stated, “cranky attitudes.” Because I am trying to be that remote support individual for all my networks, I have become empathetic to the real remote support teams. That job is even harder now because I am sure there are few of us that get on a call for remote support and are happier than we were 10 minutes before. “I apologize now for my attitude I know it’s not your fault,” should be on your cue cards before you even start the call.
This conflict between self-preservation and self-worth (gained through the helping of others and tangible accomplishments) is starting to take a toll on everyone. You know you have reached a limit when mowing the lawn gives you a sense of gratification like winning a gold medal.
So how do we regain balance? Many advisors are saying things like, “create a peaceful work space and create routines to lower your stress…”, “write a personal note to someone and mail it (assuming the post office doesn’t collapse between now and when the mail is scheduled for delivery (leadership issue, not your post persons).” I think it is simpler than all that.
The moral to the story: Everyone in your sphere of influence is in the same “flat spin” as you are. None of us can eject without pulling a “Goose” from Top Gun. So…Be Calm, Be Nice and Breath. If you feel like you can’t, play a little Call of Duty, run laps, run laps with the dog or just drop and give me 20. Once you are done with that:
- BE CALM
- BE NICE
- BREATH
Finally, act, empathize and behave like the best remote support person you can imagine. You know, the one you need and want. The payback will be helping your networks get through all of this “stuff” with less pain and hopefully increasing the level of support you get when you really need it. So, if you pass by the house and you see me pounding my head on the cement, give me some remote support and I will do the same for you.
Until next time my friends.
Stay Safe…Stay Healthy…Stay Human