These are not, as they say, normal times. And, extra-ordinary times demand extra-ordinary tactics. As I’ve conducted a number of training sessions and speaking events over the past several weeks, I realized that much of the solution to the low-grade anxiety that many of us are feeling at the moment comes down to three things, all of which start with the letter “B”:

Buffers: We need to establish some space “between” our commitments, including space at the beginning, middle, and end of our day, so that we can stay engaged and focused.

Backburners: We need to have some way of engaging creatively beyond our on-demand work. This might look like developing a new skill, establishing a hobby, or finding some way of expressing ourselves and taking creative risks that are relatively actually low-risk because no one is judging our work.

Breakwaters: We need to establish a bit of a sea wall against the onslaught of media and news that can easily overwhelm us and cause us to feel disengaged. This means putting some boundaries in place to help prevent overload.

In this episode, we dive deeper into each of these three areas and offer some practical tips for implementing the three “B’s”.

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