Week 4: Reflective Entry

I thought that this week’s assignment went even better than the last one. Everyone opened up, and we felt comfortable around each other. In fact, everyone shared some of their concerns and troubles relating to the different activities of the life-balance form, such as results of not focusing enough on one or several of the activities. In addition to opening up, I noticed that we were all more active than the last time. We asked more questions, contributed more to the conversation, and we were able to draw on each other’s experiences.

I felt it was easy and safe to share thoughts, and I wasn’t as nervous as I was the last time. I was able to only use the balance form when discussing my assignment, and then speak freely without having the need to check my notes. Being detached from my blog entry allowed me to add different aspects that I realized then and there, that I hadn’t mentioned earlier (such as Facebook being a stress-factor).

When I was being coached, I felt my coach asked really interesting questions. For example, I mentioned Facebook as a stress-factor. This is because I gradually have become so accustomed to it, and it’s become such a big part of my daily life. And it’s made me feel like I have to be available all the time, and answer people as soon as possible when they message me. My coach asked me how I felt if someone asked me to do something that I couldn’t, and I didn’t answer right away. And I told her I would feel stressed and guilty. Then she turned it around, and asked how I would feel if someone didn’t answer me right away and had to cancel? And I thought it was an interesting perspective, because I really hadn’t given it that much thought. When I ask people to do something, and they don’t have the time, I understand that. For me it’s not a big problem if someone has to cancel something. So why do I feel guilty when I have to cancel? This is what I need to work on – learning to not feel guilty for saying no, and prioritizing myself once in a while.

I also felt more secure in my role as a coach this time. Last time I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to contribute enough to the conversation, but this time I noticed that it wasn’t as scary, and I felt more comfortable in my role as coach. I still find it difficult to know what questions to ask to help the coachee realize different perspectives, but I felt more relaxed this time, which enabled me to take a more active role.

The life-balance form really helped put things in perspective. It made me realize what I need to focus on, and why it’s important to do so. I also found it interesting to see how my form varied from the others', and see how differently we choose to prioritize our activities.