Last week we hosted the very first Brain Crawl for Fort Collins Startup Week! The aim of the event was to reduce stigma around mental health and brain conditions while connecting people with resources that promote mental health and well-being, and build community. The event was a great success!!
Fort Collins Startup Week Brain Crawl
One of the things we had people do throughout the Brain Crawl was to check-in on their own mental and emotional well-being by using the green, yellow, and red system. Green means you’re feeling good, yellow means that you’re okay but distracted and red means you’re under severe stress. Attendees were instructed to grab the color paper that fit their current state and keep as a reminder that they checked-in on their mental and emotional well-being that day.
I found the act of checking-in for myself quite powerful, especially since I instinctively grabbed a green card. Yes, I was enjoying myself, and it was a fun event. However, as a co-organizer, I found myself slipping into not being fully present. I went into auto-pilot, worried about the needs of everyone else and slightly detaching from myself. I was also distracted by the fact that I had to speak directly following the event – I was on!
Sadly, when I left for the day I realized I was actually slipping from yellow into red. I was so detached from myself the entire morning, that I quickly became drained. My inner critic was having a field day at my expense – “look at you, organizing a Brain Crawl to promote mental health and you’re a wreck as you leave it. Some leader you are!”
Despair was starting to sink in, doubt became my unwelcome companion and I just wanted to hide from the world by engaging in all my go to numbing strategies. Instead, I recognized that I needed to give myself some time and space to recover. It was a beautiful day, so I went for a walk outside by the river. I laid down on a bench and let the sun bathe me. Then I came home and called a friend who is always a good listener and compassionate. She graciously let me dump what was on my mind and process it.
“I took a green card because I was playing a part and not being honest with myself. But if I was being honest I would have taken a yellow card.” I confessed to her. And there’s no way I can be honest with other people if I’m not being honest with myself!
As I held my ill-fitted green card in my hand, I realized how powerful checking-in like this can be. It’s a simple way to deepen self-awareness, especially of the roles we play and the ways we tell ourselves we are supposed to show-up in those roles. And this is particularly eye-opening for those times we serve in leadership! Even though I know, intellectually that I am a better leader when I show-up in my truth, I still have moments where I fall into the false belief (and limiting pattern) that I need to have it all together, have it all figured out and be the rock for everyone else otherwise I’m not worthy.
Here are a few reflection questions for you to ponder about your own mental and emotional well-being.
What if you checked-in on your mental and emotional well-being, are you green, yellow or red?
When do you notice yourself falling into roles and limiting patterns?
What would make you feel safe enough to be honest with yourself and others about the state of your mental and emotional well-being?
What’s Rosabella Consulting Up To? We’ve got some exciting new programs we are about to launch this spring. Stay tuned for more information and to get opportunities to be in on these fun professional development opportunities first!