Reduce stress and be kind, says and Cosmos and Avalon Waterways chief executive Giles Hawke
Can’t sleep for worrying? Trying to plan for your business or your personal situation without any idea how long this is likely to go on for? Worried about paying bills and making ends meet? Concerned about loved ones and friends’ health? Frustrated about the selfish idiots stockpiling food and other goods? Confused by the constantly changing advice and what support is available? You’re not alone.
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A few days ago I was wide awake from 4.30am worrying and thinking through the current situation and possible outcomes. I put something on Twitter shortly after 5am and received replies within minutes from people in the same predicament. This is exactly the sort of situation that can put very real pressure on all of us, create anxiety and lead to depression.
Focus on what you can control
We aren’t in control of our situation and are subject to the decisions of others about something we can’t do anything about. I’ve had some great advice from a number of people about focusing only on the things you can control and working within your ‘sphere of influence’. This involves looking at the positives and things you might not normally get to experience, and being grateful that you have a roof over your head and food on your plate.
We have a long way to go until this crisis is over, but these are useful pieces of advice. It’s easier to be grateful for the smaller things and feel blessed when some of the practical and immediate concerns are dealt with. There is myriad advice out there and human resources departments and Citizens Advice Bureaux are a very good first port of call to see how your personal circumstances can be helped.
Our HR manager recently sent a list of places offering help and support, as has Travel Weekly online. Stress relief app Headspace is to offer a free section over the coming months with meditation, sleep and movement exercises.
Check your own finances
Another way to reduce stress is by getting on top of your personal finances. We all have many direct debits and it’s easy to carry on paying for things we don’t really use. Check your own list – there may be things you can cancel. If not, try calling providers to get payment holidays or reduced rates on your bills.
One of the key things to remember is that you’re not alone. The vast majority of people are trying to do the right thing for their business, their colleagues, their family and their friends – and trying to be good human beings. Never before has the #BeKind social media ethos been so appropriate.
From a work perspective, we should use any extra time available to train, read and develop ourselves. For agents, that could be accessing operators and cruise lines’ training, becoming a Clia expert, doing in-house training, mastering some of the free Google and Microsoft tools – all so as to be the best you can be when business returns.
We will get through this, we will travel again and we will be able to socialise once this is over. In the meantime, we all need to hunker down, focus on the positives in life and do all we can to ensure our businesses survive so we can get our lives moving once the opportunity is there to do so again.