EMERGE with Me!

After a few months of looking inward, focusing on family, working on projects in the home, and creating my Immunity Gardens, I am ready to emerge from the cocoon that I so happily created around myself. Just as anxiety plagued folks when they were forced to stay home or change habits because of COVID-19, anxiety can also accompany re-entering the world, albeit with a mask and social distancing.

I have created a challenge called “EMERGE” to help myself and others create a structure and action steps for emerging from our hunkering down period.

I will be revealing challenges or assignments every few days, and I hope that you will find them engaging and helpful. Some of us thrive with accountability and “gold stars.”

For Accountability & Gold Stars

• Print the checklist and color in the gray boxes and write how you’ve completed the challenge .

• Post your progress (e.g. before/after) or your checklist on Insta or FB with hashtags such as #emergefromcocoon or #changehappens. Feel free to tag me!

• Text me (205-427-4549) with a pic or a description of your progress!

Assignment #1

E is for ENTRANCE

We are ENTERING summer, the season of light and bright colors. Summer Solstice gives us hope for the future!

HOME - What can you do to make the entrance to your home more appealing? Clean, brighten, sweep, organize, hang a picture or mirror. Change a lightbulb. Check the front porch. Does it need flowers or a new doormat? Wipe down the outside of the front door.

SOCIAL MEDIA - As people enter onto your FB, Insta, or LinkedIn, what do they see? Change the picture to be a fresher, more vibrant you!

CAR - As you enter your car, what do your senses tell you? Do you need a clean-out? Does it need a better smell - try a bar of soap in your side pocket for a fresh scent that isn't overpowering - or a dryer sheet. Fill your car with gas; get your oil changed and your windshield wiper fluid filled if needed. We are entering a new season, and it's time to get ready.

Assignment #2

M is for MAKE

Fill in the blank after the word MAKE in order to customize the next day or two with what you need or want to do to make life better for yourself.

Here are some ideas:

Make an appointment (e.g. hair, checkup, colonoscopy, mammogram, nails, massage, attorney, financial advisor, or with me!)

Make a payment or donation ( to a cause, to your alma mater, to your place of worship, credit card, mortgage or rent, to the housekeeper who hasn’t worked, to your own savings account, to your IRA, to your kids’ college fund).

Make a mess (cook, garden, paint).

Make love (no description provided on this one!).

Make your bed

Make the world a better or more beautiful place (Read/Watch Miss Rumphius and how she planted lupines.)

Make an order to make life easier (Imperfect Foods or Hello Fresh - special deals with these links.)

Make a decision (an especially good one for those of us who are prone to procrastinate.)

Make a zero inbox.

Make the announcement - that thing you’ve been nervous about sharing with friends and family.

You have so many choices! If you want more ideas, Google “make” or “make your” or “make a” and see what pops up!

I can’t wait to see how you finish this - Make _____ .

Time to get started!

Change happens. I wasn’t kidding.

So, how are you?

When I am asked that question, if I take a moment to really reflect, I am tempted to say I feel as though I am in a labyrinth. I wind around and turn, determined to move forward, and at times I think I am right back to a spot very close to where I was earlier. I know I am heading toward something, but I am unsure how long it will take to get there, and I don’t even know exactly what the “there” is. I have faith that the center of the labyrinth actually exists and will be good. I keep going forward. This is forward, right? I am heading toward the new normal.

20 Habits While Winding Toward the New Normal

1. Make up the bed and get dressed in real clothes.

2. Have a specific “start time” every day.

3. Watch the news one time a day. Don’t over-indulge in the news of the hour.

4. Walk outside every day even if it is raining.

5. Take a picture of something beautiful or unusual outside and share it.

6. Make a list of household tasks each day.

7. Make a list of work tasks or a schedule each day.

8. Connect with others every day through FaceTime, social media, texting, phoning, and writing notes.

9. Remember to be kind, considerate, and patient with those stuck in the house with you. (This may be the hardest one on the list.)

10. Practice yoga and/or exercise.

11. Pray, meditate, and read inspirational words.

12. Find some whimsy in each day - a joke, a funny meme, a silly video. LAUGH!

13. Find ways to be creative - crochet, doodle, paint, color, cook, move furniture, dance.

14. Remember to eat your vegetables.

15. Drink water, and limit caffeine and alcohol.

16. Do a little laundry every day.

17. Learn something new - a game, a recipe, a dance move, a skill.

18. When possible, make your food look a little fancy with a garnish or special plate.

19. Listen, read, or watch something new and different

20. Acknowledge your feelings and list the ways you want to feel each day.

Cultivate resilience by making some easy and positive changes in a normally traditional area. Think holidays! Your holidays will change at some point whether you like it or not. Make a small change this year and every year to create a new mindset of around tradition and flexibility.

Here are some of my favorite ways to change up the holidays:

• Add a new dish to the menu.

• Take a non-traditional photo.

• Send out Valentines instead of cards in December.

• Celebrate in a different location.

• Invite someone from another country to celebrate with you. Check with local schools and universities to see if they have students who would love to experience your traditions.

Check out the January city schedule for the “Who Are We?” workshop. Openings currently available for you to schedule this workshop for your school, university, or nonprofit. Email Kathryn@kathrynwbarr.com for more information.

#1 The number one holiday office party rule is very simple: GO!
#2 Don't drink too much.
#3 Carry on non-work conversations.
#4 Talk to your boss and your boss's boss.
#5 If spouses are present, make conversations with them, too. These conversations may present good networking possibilities, plus it’s just the kind thing to do.
#6 If the party is at a home, take a small gift such as a favorite jam, bottle of wine, ornament, fancy soap, etc. This can be under $5. It is truly the thought that counts. Be sure to put a little tag/card on there. It can be left for them to open later. (From experience, it is SUCH a treat to find a little gift after all the guests leave!)
#7 Email or write a note to the host and/or organizers to say thanks.

When I first discovered iTunes, I compiled playlists for rainy days, busy days, and stressful days. I sent playlists to friends - one going through a divorce and one parting with treasures at her Connecticut tag sale. Maybe you are going through a change. This song is for you in this moment. Depending on your age, your first exposure to this song was either in the seventies or in Shrek II. Enjoy Changes by David Bowie!

Happy International Kindness Day. I pulled on my favorite suit pants today and reached for the matching jacket. Then, I remembered seeing a Facebook post that recommended that we wear cardigan sweaters today in honor of Mr. Rogers, the king of kindness. I like that Mr. Rogers infused his show with kindness but didn’t steer clear of controversy. We have all seen the picture of Mr. Rogers with his pants rolled up sharing a kiddie pool with his African American friend in a time when that simple act seemed outrageous to some folks. My recommendation for today is to be kind. And, if you can muster the courage, find a way to be kind in an unexpected, maybe even controversial, way.

Trying to figure out why you ran every day with your friend, but when she moved, your running shoes became planters? Take the Four Tendencies Quiz by Gretchen Rubin to learn more about how to get yourself to do what you want to do and need to do. Having this insight will set you up for more success. You can also begin thinking about others’ tendencies for a more harmonious home and workplace. Check out Gretchen’s books, especially Better Than Before and The Four Tendencies .

Here is a simple way to mark the transition from morning work to afternoon work. Keep a scent in your desk drawer. After lunch dab the tiniest bit under your nose. This scent reminds your brain that you have afternoon work to complete. No afternoon drowsies allowed.

My favorites are Tocca Florence and Bulgari’s Omnia Coral.

If you are a teacher, try standing at the classroom door after lunch with a few scented chapsticks. Give each student the opportunity to put a dot of chapstick on the back of her hand or on her wrist. The older students may think it’s funny at first, but once they see the benefit of a peppermint whiff during the PowerPoint in the dark room, they will thank you!

I LOVE PODCASTS. They are perfect for commutes. If you haven’t jumped on the podcast bandwagon, please pull yourself out from under the rock and begin asking friends and colleagues about their favorites and how to listen. I love that most podcasts are dropped on specific days, so I organize my mornings and afternoons with podcasts, and I fill in with books and phone calls in the other spaces. 

Here is my podcast routine: 

Monday morning: A Little Happier with Gretchen Rubin. These are very short podcasts — five minutes or less. Aside from the fact that many of the episodes start with kitty litter ads (Who wants to think about cat poop first thing on Monday morning?), I absolutely love them. They are often cerebral with quotes or big thoughts. What a great way to start the week. 

Tuesday morning: We Love You (and So Can You) with Kristin Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg. This podcast focuses on a guest shares who shares a problem or situation with Kristin and Jolenta. The two podcasters “draw on [their] extensive knowledge of self-help to provide a prescription of wellness practices, creative activities, media consumption, and more, which the guest follows while we eavesdrop on their progress. The goal: for the guest to find the outstanding person who was there all along, and learn to love themselves more.”

Tuesday afternoon: Satellite Sisters with the Dolan sisters. These women have been in media for a dozen years or more, but I just discovered them since starting my commute. Lian, Julie, and Liz Dolan dish about the news, trends, their own lives, and advice. More often than not, I expel a snort of a laugh. They remind me of the humorous conversations that the women in my family have, except they have a bigger audience and get paid for it!

Wednesday morning: Happier with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft. This sister pair are smooth podcasters with different personalities making for an entertaining session on how to be happier, more creative, and more productive. Gretchen is the first blogger I regularly followed, and I am one of her super-fans. I look forward to seeing her in person for the second time this fall during her “Happier Hour.” Have you read her books?

Thursday morning: Happier in Hollywood with Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, a TV writing team. Ostensibly, the podcast is for writers in Hollywood. I love it anyway! When super specific Hollywood writer topics come up, I fast forward, but when they talk about the workplace, creativity, self care, or writing in general, I pay attention...and often laugh along. 

Thursday afternoon: By the Book with Kristin Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg. Kristin and Jolenta, after reading a specific self-help book, live “by the book” for two weeks — recording their wins and their challenges. Sometimes I listen or read the books they live by, but even if I don’t, I love listening to their adventures. Their husbands get roped into the fun, and every episode includes some laughs and/or tears.  

On the weekends, I usually don’t drive to work, but while running errands or walking Leo, I do enjoy the podcast Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. I love a good gameshow that includes interesting personalities and humor.

What podcasts do you enjoy? Please email me with your favorites. And, if you are not a podcast fan right now, let’s get you started! Listen to podcasts!