I meet with each member of my team individually every week. Before we discuss the projects they are working on and any challenges I can help them to resolve, I want to take some time to see how they are feeling on the inside. I have built more than a work relationship with each of these individuals and I care about them.
I don’t have to tell you these are stressful times… it’s impossible to not feel it. There is so much uncertainty… so much fear.
Recently, I learned about two more suicides of friends of friends. These were healthy adults who were productive members of society and have families who love them. And children.
This makes me stop and really think. How broken were they inside? Did anyone have any idea of how much pain was in their heads? Did they have any idea how much pain they were going to cause? Did they care?
I don’t know.
What I do know, however, is that we’re all in this together. Now, more than ever before, we HAVE to pull together. I’m not talking about holding hands and singing “Kumbaya”. I am talking about looking out for each other. Checking in with everyone in our circles, not just those closest to us.
Oddly, sometimes it’s easier to go psychologically deeper with someone who is NOT part of your immediate family or group of friends.. That little bit of distance from the “inner circle” can give a person the freedom to go another level deeper. And I think this is where we each have the opportunity to truly “be there” for another person.
We are so past the “us and them” mentality. Or, at least, we need to be. The future is all about us pulling together… left/right… black/white… rich/poor… prude/whore. We are the human race. One team. We either win together or we lose by ourselves.
This is why we need to check on each other. The way I see it, we are all on the same team. We need to make sure we are ALL healthy… inside and out.
So… how’s your head? Do you want to talk?