Amy, a financial services professional
The work/life balance is a cliche for good reason: most of us are juggling more than ever before. Amy is co-owner of a successful business and mother to two young children. When I met her first, she was feeling frantic, overwhelmed and anxious and needed more focus and calm in her life.
“Juggling my business and my family has always been my issue: which comes first? I chose Lucy because of her background in positive psychology – I was feeling rather low and felt things had come to a crescendo so needed to redress the balance. Lucy was someone I could talk to who was quite separate from my work and family life who would act as a bit of a sounding board. She was also a psychologist and coach so I knew she would be an excellent source of information and advice.”
Amy’s part of the “squeezed middle” generation and felt divided between her professional career, her family at home and her ageing parents. We began with a few intensive phone sessions in quick succession so I could get to know her well and understand the pressures she faced.
Amy says, “Lucy was quick to pick up on key phrases I used and ask why I was using them. She also recommended other courses, books to read and mindfulness and yoga activities. It was a very subtle and organic process but it made me reflect on my mindset. The biggest change has been simply my perspective on life and how I feel about things.
Society expects a lot from us and it’s all too easy to feel terribly guilty about everything but Lucy helped me reprioritise. She helped me understand that running myself ragged was not achieving anything and it gave me the clarity to not beat myself up over things I can’t control. It’s been quite a journey, but I’m learning to be myself, to evaluate what is important to me. I’m now able to take stock more, calm myself down and be more laid back, both in the business and at home. Internally now, I feel I have so much more of a barrier to stress.”
Amy finds a daily 10 minutes of mindful meditation and regular yoga has also helped carve out some much needed time for selfcare. After a 6 month break, we met for a recap – something she says was hugely helpful.
“It was such a positive experience because it really helped me to see how far I’d come and how much progress I’ve made. I feel in such a good place now and I consider Lucy a trusted colleague and friend. It’s such a shame that in our industry burnout and mental health isn’t something that’s discussed, yet it affects us all. Personal wellbeing is essential on a professional level – after all, my clients come to me because they like to work with me. If I’m happy and balanced, my clients experience the benefits of that too. I think what we’ve all learnt through Covid is to take stock and reassess what’s important to us. We all need to be kinder to each other – and kinder to ourselves.”