You’re a positive force of nature. You’re a helper. A fixer. You solve problems quickly. You’re so outcome focussed. 

So when your workmate asks you how you’re going, you reply: “I’ve got major Zoom fatigue and I’m struggling a little bit.” And it’s quickly followed by: …”but it could be worse.”

You’re not the only one.

We’ve seen thousands of people who are starting to scratch the surface with how they’re feeling but dismissing it before they’ve had a chance to fully acknowledge it, let alone process it. 

I’ve still got a job. It could be worse. Some people have it harder.

Which all might be true. But each time you do that, you miss the chance to validate your own feelings. 

The problem with not validating your feelings, is that they don’t just go away on their own. 

You have to process them. If you ignore them, they can so often pop up somewhere else in unexpected ways, like when you snap at a colleague. 

While it’s important to maintain perspective and empathy, it’s also really important we validate what we’re experiencing. 

Validating our feelings helps us process and move forward on the fly, rather than getting stuck. 

Validating each other’s feelings, helps you as a team to process and move forward on the fly, rather than getting stuck. 

It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everyone that grinds your gears, it’s about learning the skills to make each other feel seen and free up some of those emotions so you can make way for a more helpful, encouraging and productive focus. 

Though our programs, leaders and teams are not only learning resilience and mindset tools, but also ways to disrupt unhelpful patterns and feel more connected even during a time when so many people are feeling close to burnout, disconnection and loneliness. 

When teams learn these skills, we’re seeing them shift from a bunch of individuals to being called the strongest team they’ve ever had.

One of the easiest ways to validate someone is to say: “it makes sense you feel that way.”

So if you’re feeling burnout, disconnected, lonely, overwhelmed, unmotivated – it makes sense you feel that way. 

If you’re looking for helpful, encouraging, and productive tools to reconnect and strengthen your team, let’s talk.

Excited regards,

Clare Desira
CEO, Top Five Movement

:: 2022 TOP MENTAL FITNESS, LEADERSHIP + CULTURE SPEAKER ::
:: 2020 – 2021 INTERNATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR ::
:: NUMBER 1 CHARTING LEADERSHIP PODCAST – LEADING GENEROUS TEAMS ::