It’s been told that the COVID-19 pandemic is the kind of storm that puts us all in the same boat, unfortunately, this isn’t exactly the case. When such things happen, some are hit worse than others, adding an extra load of concerns on top of the regular woes we currently have. Too often, our response or reaction to all the stimulus that’s coming our way, can alleviate or aggravate the situation as it is.

Justice Clearinghouse favorite Dr. Kimberly Miller leads the discussion and teaches how to navigate storms, stay afloat, and steer and sail back into the right direction. Dr. Miller is a renowned speaker, trainer, and consultant working with various agencies across the US on individual professional and organizational development.

Points she unpacked on this webinar are:

• Working proactively on ourselves before we even get into the tumultuous event.
• The importance of consistent practice to regulate our mindset, energy, and emotions.
• Mindset as a critical pillar in the foundation of our ‘ark’ which determines our default story and temperament when things – both bad and good – come our way.
• Why we must commit to an intentional and regular wellness refill which enables us to create space between stimulus and response and come up with better choices.
• The value in awareness of and understanding our emotions, as well as the drivers of negative emotion to better address and respond to them.
• A look into the most common but often destructive coping skills that we tend to adopt and tips on how to more effectively cope with what comes our way.
• Dealing with the storm by acknowledging its presence, holding space and breathing to process it, utilizing a physical outlet to release the tension, assessing the situation, and moving forward from it.
• The Storm Reduction Pyramid: A step-by-step guide on how to weather our life’s storms and walk away from it with a sunnier disposition.
• Focus on what you can control by setting boundaries and not being affected with or carrying others’ issues.
• Practicing empathy when dealing with individuals who trigger and suck you into their vortex to better understand the situation and what leads them to behave a certain way.
• Realigning our perspective to better deal with challenging characters and situations without being triggered.

Webinar participants questions were on:

• How challenging events and personalities can be learning opportunities.
• Applying the techniques discussed to personal lives, particularly with kids.
• Dealing with an individual who deliberately tests our patience by being out of line.
• Determining when all efforts have been exhausted and there’s no other way but to cut the rope.
• Practical tips on how to document and track subordinates’ performance and character.
• Recovering from a situation when you caused the storm.
• Leading up a supervisor who seems to be constantly caught up in a storm.

This is the first of a 2-Part Series:

• Part 1: Calming Your Storm (this webinar)
• Sept 2: Being Water, Not Gas

Resources and Handouts

• Guardian Tracking

Audience Comments

• “This was fantastic. Better than some therapy I’ve paid for.” –Lara
• “First of all, that I am not the only one who goes through this with others. LOL But mostly to stop and take time to not engage in the other person’s storm. I just went through this and remained as calm as possible, cried to my supervisor while venting, and moved on. This would be an awesome book to learn from! If it was a book!”  — Yvette
• Can’t really point of one thing/topic in particular – Everything was great! Extremely useful for both my personal and professional relationships. — Zaira
• “Oh my Goodness I loved the entire thing! I have never been so hooked on a webinar!!” — Skyler
• “Introspection in the moment of the storm. Don’t succumb to the external forces and realizing that your reaction is YOURS not the fault of the other party.” — Sean
• “Fantastic, inspirational, and empowering! Thank you.” — Nadine
• “Fabulous presentation and so needed this right now in the current storm we are all navigating with the Pandemic and so many other storms as well. THANKS!” — Karen
• “Dr. Miller gave a great presentation felt like I was having a private session with a therapist. She gave great strategies to use in my personal and professional life to help de-escalate certain emotions. I enjoyed her candid expression on this topic and look forward to part II.” — Karla
• “I appreciate everything was broken down into steps, categories, and was applicable to “real life.” … Dr. Miller kept things informative and practical. Thank you all very much for hosting this and thank you to Dr. Miller for presenting!” — Liz