Even though our home wasn’t at risk, my own reaction to the bushfires and smoke over the holiday period surprised me- I was tentative, worried, frustrated, lacked focus and was generally a bit stressed, even around family and good friends, and even more so with strangers.

It reminded me of the challenges of getting things done when people are stressed, and I remembered a few things I have often found helpful in similar situations….

  • feel, feel, feel- show that others matter- acknowledge how people feel
  • listen, listen, listen- acknowledge and understand what matters to others first. Then people may be willing to listen to what you have to say
  • build the relationships before you tackle the job
  • acknowledge that you do not know- what to do…., what is best…, where to start…. etc, and that it’s OK to ask for help
  • understand that the solutions are best not coming from you, but are better to emerge from conversations with others (even if you think you know what to do!)
  • expect the next steps will not necessarily be the “answer”, but will be a start towards finding some solutions together
  • accept that it will take time and people can’t be rushed.

Looking at the list also made me realise how hard I find trying to think and act like that- my default is often the opposite!

Do you have other ideas that might help?