Have you ever had one of “those” days? A day when nothing seemed to go right… or you got some news that shook your stability… or you just felt sick and tired all day? Yeah – I thought so. It probably doesn’t require much of a long term memory to remember the last one either. Maybe it was today…
As a Certified Wellness Coach, you know your clients experience these days too. And there’s a pretty good chance that when they do, they’ll turn to you. What do you do? Some wellness coaches may jump on the situation to say “You know – if you were eating better and exercising like I’ve told you, you probably wouldn’t be feeling this way.” Others may throw out simple, pithy comments that look good on paper but not so much in the midst of the heartache like “There’s always a rainbow after the rain” or “Tough situations never last but tough people do.” Both will not only fall on deaf ears, but have the potential to negate your client’s faith and trust in you. There may come a time to discuss the first and to mention the second, but in the moment is not that time.
So what does an effective wellness coach do in this situation? Listen… listen some more… and more… softly offer some authentic words of encouragement… listen again… and maybe stop there. At some point, but maybe not this same conversation, it may help to bring to mind what matters most in your client’s life. Clearly, in the case of a tragedy (spouse or child’s illness, divorce, death in family), this approach has no place. However, oftentimes, the aspects that make up one of “those” days are much more temporary, and the perspective check may be very beneficial.
Yesterday was one of those days for me. I’ve been injured so unable to train at full speed (strike 1), sick for the first time in 2 years so unable to train at all (strike 2), and then we received some very disappointing news about our business that was completely out of our control (strike 3). Ouch. Thankfully, the evening included some treasured time with close friends and my bride. As we turned out the light, I was able to say with conviction “of all the things that matter most in our lives, none of those changed as a result of today’s events.”
Life is difficult. It always will be difficult. As a Certified Wellness Coach, you will likely be allowed into the lives of your clients like few others. If done tenderly and with compassion, helping them find perspective around what really matters can go a long way – even further in many cases than exercise and eating right 🙂
