In my coaching practice, I create holistic strategic plans to help clients achieve their desired results, customized to their unique circumstances and goals.
However, it’s common for individuals to come to me feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances and stresses, often making combating overwhelm or finding clarity the first objective. Once calm and clarity is attained, we can then focus on creating aligned goals and taking actions that lead to the life they envision.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, I offer you this outline of a possible approach to navigate your way through either solo or with coaching strategies we can employ to support you.
Strategic Plan
The objective of this strategic plan is to guide you in overcoming overwhelm and with gaining clarity, empowering you to make informed decisions, set meaningful goals, and pursue your aspirations with confidence.
1.) Recognize and Deactivate Fight-or-Flight Response
In times of stress and overwhelm, our brain naturally triggers a fight-or-flight response where our bodies and minds respond to perceived threats or stressors with heightened arousal and reactivity. Our nervous system activates, triggering the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
In this heightened state, the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, becomes highly activated, while the prefrontal cortex, responsible for problem-solving, rational thinking, and decision-making, becomes less engaged. You must deactivate this state since it is not conducive to rational decision-making or finding solutions to complex challenges.
- Solo Activities:
-
- Recognizing that you’re in an activated state is the first step!! Experiment with deep breathing, physical activity, meditation, or other practices to deactivate this intense stress response.
- Coaching Support:
-
- Introduce various techniques that can be conducted within the coaching container and independently to encourage calming of the mind, body, and nervous system.
- Assist in being present with feelings rather than being consumed by them through connection to and expansion of highest self.
2.) Deepen Your Awareness and Consciousness
This is key because through our conditioning and culture, we’ve become critically disconnected from ourselves and our inner strengths, weaknesses, and resources. Mismanaged thoughts and emotions that can easily overtake us if we don’t deepen awareness.
Coaching deepens awareness by providing a supportive and structured environment to explore their thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and behaviors. There are things you can do on your own as well.
- Solo Activities:
-
- Utilize tools such as journaling, mindfulness practices, and personality assessments to enhance self-awareness and consciousness.
- Coaching Support:
-
- Provide guidance to connect with your highest self and become aware of your thoughts and feelings.
- Thought analysis to raise awareness of thoughts and cultivating higher quality thoughts.
- Assist in being present with feelings rather than being consumed by them.
- Help with reconnecting with your body, intuition, and deepening trust in your inner wisdom.
- Offer exercises to deepen understanding of unique values, strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations.
- Collaboratively establish clear coaching goals and objectives based on individual needs and desired outcomes.
3.) Find Your North Star
Finding your north star or your purpose helps with clarity because it provides a guiding light, aligning decisions and actions with meaningful objectives. It offers a sense of direction and fulfillment, enabling individuals to prioritize tasks and navigate challenges with clarity and conviction.
- Solo Activities:
-
- Seek out new experiences, reflect on them, discuss life goals, and gather feedback from peers.
- Coaching Support:
-
- Facilitate exploration to identify core values, passions, and purpose in life.
- Identify and encourage personal and professional interests to align activities with intrinsic motivations.
4.) Develop or Refine Your Decision-Making Process
Developing or refining your decision-making process helps with overwhelm by providing a structured approach to evaluate options and make informed choices. It enables you to prioritize tasks effectively, reducing overwhelm and fostering a sense of control and direction in navigating life’s complexities.
- Solo Activities:
-
- Reflect on your current processes to determine if there is room for improvement. Ask yourself how you can make decisions faster without feeling reckless.
- Coaching Support:
-
- Foster the creation of more effective decision-making frameworks.
- Conduct values appraisal, weigh pros and cons, consider long-term consequences, and gather necessary data for informed decisions.
- Provide exercises to empower and build trust in intuition for decisions aligned with values and long-term objectives.
5.) Create More Aligned Goals
Creating more aligned goals and taking aligned action helps you focus your energy effectively, reducing overwhelm and increasing clarity in pursuit of your aspirations.
- Solo Activities:
-
- Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) that match your values.
- Coaching Support:
-
- Assist in slowing down to set more meaningful goals aligned with values, purpose, and aspirations to support desired RESULTS.
- Provide support with prioritization and time management.
- Break down long-term goals into smaller, manageable milestones to foster a sense of progress and achievement.
- Offer continuous support and accountability through regular coaching sessions.
- Promote accountability for actions, informed decisions, and active pursuit of clarity.
This strategic plan will support you developing the necessary insights, mindset, and skills to overcome confusion and uncertainty, ultimately achieving greater clarity and fulfillment in your personal and professional endeavors.
By fostering self-awareness, embracing intentional decision-making, and setting meaningful goals you will embark on a transformative journey towards clarity, purpose, and success in what matters most to you.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
If you’re in a state of overwhelm, chances are this read isn’t registering.
A little support can go a long way. Schedule a complimentary holistic coaching consult today to get support with your strategy.
