Day 09
...Honesty is the anchor
Welcome to Day NINE of our A-Z+ of Seasonal Sanity Savers – 2024.
Today, we meet the letter ‘H’, and I have chosen ‘Honesty’ as the Sanity Saver word for today. To me, it begins with being honest to ourselves – festive season or not?
Honesty is the anchor at this time of year for we introverts, as we sail on the good ship ‘Noisy Exuberance’ surrounded by festive jingles and non-stop activity. I could pretty much share an ‘adherence list’ to try out –
1. Start by being honest with yourself about your capacity, needs, and your priorities.
2. Be honest about agreeing to attend events you only really want to be part of.
3. Be honest about politely declining the ones that feel overwhelming.
4. Choose to assess your energy needs before making social commitments.
5. Be honest with the host about how long you can stay, without being apologetic.
What I am saying is that you give yourself permission to honour what feels right for you. Setting realistic expectations for yourself can prevent burnout and help you navigate the season with more ease.
Honesty with others is just as important. Communicate your needs clearly and kindly, whether it’s letting someone know you’ll arrive a bit later, or that you can only stay for an hour. When you express yourself authentically, you allow others to adjust their expectations and respect your boundaries. Simple but honest communication without over explanation.
Here’s one to avoid though – the so-called brutal honesty. This can slip past our politeness filter when we’re overwhelmed or worse. So, even more reason to look after your needs.
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So, tomorrow’s letter is ‘I’ – go deep within and guess what the I will be? Well, I guess I gave that away didn’t I?
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Quietly, and honestly yours,
-Joanna
Cage Rattler & Bias Shifter – Helping organisations unlock potential by shifting extraversion bias | Coaching quiet leaders | TEDx Speaker | Trainer | Founder, CEO – Flourishing Introverts | Host – The Flourishing Introvert Talks and (dropping) Pebbles in the Pond | Author – The Flourishing Nudge | Co-Flourisher, Co-Founder – Intent to Flourish