The roller-coaster ride continues. I thought by week 2 of the pandemic, I would have found my groove. The universe had other plans for me and my family.
I thought I would briefly share what the 3 most important things I learned this week before continuing on with The Enneagram as promised.
Here are the 3 things that rocked my world (learned) this past week.
1. A grade 1 student is now expected to spend 3 hours a WEEK on school work.
I was going way overboard and felt overwhelmed by all the fantastic resources being shared on-line. I dialed it way back and the magic happened. My son started a Lego Challenge and has spent hours playing. We are still going outside twice a day too.
It’s working for now and I know it will change. I’m seriously considering “unschooling” but haven’t looked into it yet. If you are an “unschooler” please let me know. I am curious!
2. Scheduled coffee dates on-line are awesome!!
I’ve been using Zoom, Messenger and Facetime to talk face to face with friends and family. I know these tools aren’t new but scheduling face-to-face dates give me something to really look forward to. Life-giving!
3. Practicing self-compassion and not dismissing are more important than ever.
This week my husband was laid off from his job in the oil and gas industry. At first my mind freaked out but then I immediately began beating myself up for freaking out. This is all happening in my mind.
I was already picturing us homeless and our future going up in flames. Probably a bit of PTSD from last time my husband was laid off during a previous economic downturn.
We made it through last time and we’ll make it through again.
I have faith but in the mean time I’m practicing self-compassion more vigorously. I remind myself that there is nothing wrong with any feeling I’m experiencing. There are no good or bad feelings so I can stop judging and be kinder to myself.
If you would like to learn how to practice self compassion I highly recommend Kristin Neff’s book, “Self-compassion” AND becoming a student of The Enneagram.
The Enneagram shows you how to extend compassion to yourself and others.
On that note I’m going to shifts gears and share how the 9 personality types of The Enneagram are organized into 3 parts called The Centers of Intelligence. Knowing your center can help you find your type if you aren’t sure yet.
The 3 Centers of Intelligence are HEART, HEAD and BODY.
Ideally we use all 3 of the centers of intelligence to help us make decisions but each of us has 1 that is dominant and 2 that we neglect.
HEART (types 2-3-4)
Heart types rely on feelings to make their decisions. They are focused on authentic relationships. Their common emotion is sorrow.
HEAD (types 5-6-7)
Heart types rely on logic to make their decisions. They are focused on gathering information and analysis. Their common emotion is fear.
BODY (types 8-9-1)
Body types rely on gut knowing to make their decisions. They are focused on taking action and controlling their environment. Their common emotion is anger.
As a type 4 my dominant center is the HEART. I definitely rely on my feelings when making a decision but I’m still able to use logic and access my HEAD center. Following a hunch, trusting my gut or listening to my intuition don’t come easily to me so I’ve been working on strengthening my BODY center. We become whole when we are able to tap into all 3 centers of intelligence.
Next in The Enneagram series I’ll explain each of the types by center, beginning with the HEART.
As I sign off, I want to remind you to cut yourself some slack this week and practice some self-compassion.
Big shifts are happening and it’s a lot to process. Trust that you can handle whatever is around the corner.
Invest in your relationships, make adjustments as needed and reach out for help.
Wishing you ease, joy and freedom!
Anastasia Hendryanto
Life Design Coach and Enneagram Teacher
P.S. If you want a personalized plan and accountability, ask me about my new offering, Surviving to Thriving. I’m available for 1:1 coaching so you can reach your NEW goals faster and design a life that you don’t want to run away from.
Reach out so we can set up a time for a FREE discovery call to explore what thriving would look like for you. What new opportunities are opening up as others have disappeared or changed. No commitment required, I just want to see you get what you want.
If you have questions about the Enneagram or how to use it in times of stress, we can talk about that too! I’m also setting up a free private Facebook group and an on-line workshop. Stay tuned!
