this spring, give up something far more harmful than chocolate!
Stress is something we all know, we all see it. We all experience the physical, emotional and psychological symptoms of excess stress, and if you have spent any time with me at all you know that stress is one of the foundation blocks of burnout.
Deal with stress you deal with burnout, right?
Well, yes, but the problem is that a lot of the information and guidance we’re given about stress is a bit… basic.
We’re told to limit stress.
We’re told not to let stress affect us.
We’re told stress is a killer!
But what do we do with that when we work intense, complex, rewarding and yes, stressful, jobs?
The truth is that you don’t want to give up stress - you want to give up the negative, deleterious, harmful effects of stress.
You still want to feel the push, the challenge, the reward, without all the sweaty palms, churning stomach and 4am cold sweats.
It’s time we take a more subtle, nuanced approach to stress.
During give up stress for lent I will be helping you to understand:
What stress is
…and what it is not!
How to take a more holistic approach to stress management
Why stress isn’t the universal baddie we’re told it is
How to identify your individual stressors and take action on them
Cut out and keep tools to help you deal with key stressors
How to identify when and how stress is impacting you and take action in an effective, timely manner
Sound like a plan?
How are we going to do this?
When you sign up to Give up Stress for Lent, you will receive a daily email throughout the lent period (Wednesday 2nd March to Thursday 14th April 2022 for anyone unsure!) which will take you a maximum of 10 minutes to review, diving deeper into understanding and managing burnout.
Each day is it’s own standalone training but the combined effect of 40 days of daily short training combines to more than 6 hours of knowledge and development!
All you need to do each day is read your email and then consider it as you go about your day, pretty simple
Why not a full day’s training session or webinars?
Stress management isn’t a one and done process and the action of small daily changes and reflection create habit stacking, micro adjustments and are more likely to create a longer-term outcome. This iterative growth and development cycle allows you to make changes as we go, without blocking out a whole day and then trying to implement after the event.
Whilst right now we are seeing some of the most significant changes to our working lives than ever before, it can be difficult to ringfence days, or even single hours, to something so personal and individual. This format makes it easier to weave into your every day life and means you’re less likely to fall off the wagon, feel too behind to catch up or unable to effect meaningful change.
Plus, you’ll still have access to the content after Easter, so there’s no fear or ‘now or never’. Make it easy on yourself!
Here’s all the nitty-gritty
We start on Wednesday 2nd March and run until Thursday 14th April 2022. You will receive a daily email of content covering information, tools, resources, approaches and exercises to a total of 10 minutes each day.
All the resources will also be made available in my training hub (the place you sign up to buy) and you will be able to watch/read again after the 40 days are up.
In addition and because I reward loyalty…
The first 10 people to sign up to Give Up Stress for Lent will also receive a bonus Let’s Talk call to book before Easter, as a way of saying thank you. Let’s Talk calls are my heavily discounted 45 minute 1:1 telephone call coaching sessions that are all about you. Whatever issues, questions, problems or challenges you’ve got coming up, share them with me and I will do my best to offer help, perspective, advice, support and resources in the time given. Let’s Talk calls ordinarily cost £25 (and if you’re not one of the first 10 who gets it as a bonus, you are free to book one of these calls separately to help implement the course, if you so wish!)
The cost of Give up Stress for Lent is just £30, which works out to 75p per day throughout the Easter period. Can you swap your daily Creme Egg for something a little more sustaining, like stress management?
Are you ready to get started?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this going to cure all my problems with stress in 40 days?
Honest answer? No. It’s a tongue in cheek title because actually stress is so much more complicated than just cutting it out like chocolate (and truth be told I haven’t managed that either, nor do I want to). The aim of this course is to give you a deeper understanding, to shift your perspective and approach to stress management and to give you practical, applicable tools to help you make meaningful changes. But the implementation isn’t something I can control. If you need more help and support as you’re going through this course, reach out to me directly at hello@searchingforserenity.co.uk and if it’s a quick fix, I’ll talk you through, and if not, we’ll explore the options for how I can help you more thoroughly (or signpost you if that’s appropriate).
PS Anyone who offers to cure anything for you in 40 days using a group programme should have rotten tomatoes thrown at them IMO.
It’s titled Give Up Stress for Lent, is this programme invested in Christianity or religion?
No, not at all, and if you’ve known me for a while you’ll know about my somewhat infamous ‘£1 easter eggs’ rant from 3 or 4 years ago. This course is fully secular, as is the practice of giving up something for Lent for many people. I don’t discuss faith in my works unless we’re talking trust generally, or the character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Eliza Dushku I heart you).
Will this teach me stress resilience?
Not exactly. I don’t think stress resilience is actually such a great thing as it’s often taught as a way to endure more stress. My preferred approach is to understand, rehabilitate and work with stress, as it’s not all bad and identifying what doesn’t help, making changes and taking back some agency and control over the stress in our lives is far more effective for the long term. But that’s not a sexy snappy headline is it…?
Didn’t you run this course in 2018? Is this a re-run?
Of course absolutely no-one asked this question because why would you? A dozen or so people took that course back in the day! Yes I did run a daily content course called Give Up Stress for Lent at Easter 2018, but that’s where the similarities end. This is brand new content - I’m not even looking at the old course - and is created with my 2022 knowledge.
However, if you attended that course in 2018 I’d like to offer you the updated 2022 course for just a tenner - because if you’ve put up with me for four years you’re either awesome or terrifying and either way I want you on my side. Drop me a message and I’ll give you your discount code - and yes, I know who attended so don’t try to play me!
I’m a current 1:1 or The Resilience Academy client and I want this content!
Awesome - also message me and I’ll give you your code to join for a tenner, loyalty is a special thing and deserves reward.
Why would I work with you?
Good question, let me introduce myself. My name is Leah Steele and I’m the founder of this business called Searching for Serenity. I’m a coach, trainer and mentor working in issues around burnout, imposter syndrome, stress and resilience. I’ve been running this business for 6 years and prior to that was a lawyer working in high value and traumatic litigation work. Guess how I discovered stress!
Over the past 6 years I have worked with hundreds of private individuals to deliver 750+ hours of 1:1 coaching, I’ve delivered more than 3 dozen courses and workshops and, in my corporate training guise, have delivered burnout and wellbeing workshops to around 2,000 delegates across more than 60 events. I’ve worked with corporate clients like DAC Beachcroft, DLA Piper, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Managers as well as Junior Lawyers Division groups, Resolution and Yres, Kent Law Society and Kings College London’s Law Society.
I work with a lot of lawyers and law-adjacent people but the tools, skills and resources I’m sharing in this course are applicable across any industry and work, and my private clients extend beyond lawyers to marketeers, medical professionals, teachers, scientists and vicars. These issues are universal, even if you feel alone with them.
I’m currently studying the Institute of Leadership and Management’s Level 7 Certificate for Executive and Senior Level Coaching and Mentoring (should be awarded by the end of the year), am a member of the Association for Coaching and comply with their Global Code of Ethics. I am regularly supervised (currently by David Clutterbuck, founder of the EMCC) and fully insured for PII with Hiscox.