Halloween: COACH

The British School of Coaching has started a series of new blogs that focus on different aspects of wellbeing for both coaches and their clients.  This wellness blog has been developed in response to extending the dialogue with coaches as a way of supporting all coaches consider their own wellness as well as that of their clients. It isn’t prescriptive but a mechanism to keep a live debate going as well as caring for the coaching community.

The blog is based on five tips for maintaining wellbeing for all coaches to be to contribute to. Using COACH acronym as our framework the blog will be structured in the following headings of:

1. Care
2. Opportunities
3. Action and awareness raising
4. Conversations and feedback
5. Health

Protecting ourselves and our clients

Did you know that Halloween comes from All Hallow Even, the eve (night before) All Hallows Day? Halloween therefore is the eve of All Saints Day. As long ago as 750BC, the Celts believed that evil spirits came with the long hours of winter darkness. They believed that on that night the barriers between our world and the spirit world were at their weakest and therefore spirits were most likely to be seen on earth. So what is the relevance to coaching?

Life Coaching in 2015 made the observation that the term personality is derived from the Latin word persona meaning a mask. Personality is the sum total of an individual’s habits, traits, attitudes and ideas. It is reflected externally in our behaviour and the roles and statuses we adopt, and internally in our motivation, goals and how we perceive ourselves.

The masks we wear are the subjectively edited and decorated versions of ourselves that we prefer to show to the world. The masks shield those parts of us that (for whatever reasons), we don’t like, we don’t accept, or that others need us to hide to make them feel more comfortable within themselves.

Question to self
Do I wear a professional mask? If so is it getting in the way my coaching role? Do my clients wear masks? Is this affecting the coaching relationship?
For further information please see here

1. Care

As well as taking care of our clients it is equally important to take care of ourselves in order to be the best we can be when coaching.
Continuing the theme of good and evil it is important at this time of year that coaches consider the potential risks of infections such as colds and flu than tend to peak in the winter. Whilst the colder air can mean spending more time inside where it’s warm.

Did you know that good ventilation, as well as high indoor relative humidity, renders the influenza A virus inactive?

Did you know that one of the most effective ways of preventing colds and the flu is the promotion of good hand hygiene?

2. Opportunities

Celebrating light is a theme throughout the world in October and November. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists on 30th October. This festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness or good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.

Why not find out who is celebrating near you?

3. Action and awareness raising

Seasonal Flu

Are you aware of whether you or a family member is eligible for a seasonal flu vaccine?

If you are:

65 years of age or over, pregnant, have certain medical conditions such as diabetes or a long term illness, are very overweight you qualify for a free vaccination. For further information please see here

4. Conversations and feedback

This section is for coaches to provide their hints and tips for maintaining wellness as well as share experiences that may also be used in coaching network supervision session. If you have any models or thoughts you would like to share in this blog please email them to: amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com

5. Health

So how does light affect our wellbeing?
Did you know that our biological clock controls our biorhythm, and under natural conditions light synchronises our internal body clock to the earths 24 hour light-dark rotational cycle?
Throughout the shorter days it is worth considering how light effects how you feel and the potential it can have on you coaching practice.
Click here to find out how light and lighting affect people – visually, biologically and emotionally – and how, if deployed effectively it can promote recovery.