3 Invaluable Coaching Questions for "PPSD" [Post Pandemic Stress Disorder]
Ever heard of PPSD? If not yet, you will soon.
We've all been through a lot. Church leaders and businesses have had to move online. Schools were closed or disrupted. There were racial tensions on several fronts. Political issues were divisive. Social media moved from being a place to share pics of babies and celebration events to a rant fest.
Let's take a quick review. How many of these were true for you?
___You added some new initiatives, especially if you are a church or business leader and you added online offerings.
___You adjusted to different ways to connect with family or friends.
___You learned Zoom or another online video connecting platform.
___You got some sort of government money and you either needed it because your financial situation was severely affected, or you felt awkward and weren't sure why you were gifted and what, ethically, you should do with the money.
___You had to adjust your life around school being virtual at times.
___You were quarantined due to someone else's COVID diagnosis or exposure.
___You either got involved with an area of concern or wished people would stop saying the same things over and over.
___You had to put off or re-envision vacation(s).
___You postponed or made adjustments for major events like weddings, graduations, significant birthdays or anniversaries, and the like.
___You tried to buy a home and found the seller's market prohibitively high, and either paid more than you expected or had to put off your purchase.
Ok, count your number.
If you scored 6 or more, your stress level was significantly raised over this last year.
If you scored 5 or less. Really?
We all experienced some form of decision fatigue. We were forced to make choices we didn't want to make and most times we made them with our best guess as we moved forward with cloudy information.
So, what's next? What should we do now?
At different paces, our world is moving back to "normal". But will it ever be the same? Should it ever be the same?
Here are three invaluable questions we all need to ask and answer.
1) What do we want to keep?
What was started during this last year has proven valuable? Maybe you have learned to meet with people virtually and it is saving time and money. Perhaps your reach is broader as you explored online offerings.
Make a list of new initiatives and decide which should continue and how you will retain them.
2) What should we begin to let go of?
Some habits were started that can now be relaxed or released
Restrictions on greeting people, having in-person gatherings, or working remotely, pauses on planning events... in essence what changed during this season that needs to be reevaluated now.
3) What is it time to start?
Remember back before this all when you were working toward a couple of new initiatives?
Is it time to pick them back up again?
If you didn't put anything on pause, there's still a natural new season coming up. Is it time to pursue the new nexts God has for this season?
Whether you use these questions for yourself, a group you lead, or someone you are coaching deciding what to keep, what to release, and what to pursue will provide needed traction for the journey!
There's always going to be stuff, God always offers a plan and we always make choices!
May God direct your steps as you discern His presence!