Discovering a framework to enhance well-being and impact
Hey there!
Finally, it’s time I tell you about the framework I’ve been developing. I’m excited to share it with you, and also a bit nervous to talk publicly about it for the first time.
OK, I’m taking a deep breath so we can start!
The backstory
About six months ago, my dear friend Josh asked me to send him my bio for a project highlighting what made my coaching different. This led me on a two-month soul-searching journey.
If anyone ever asked you to describe what makes your work unique, you most probably know what I mean! 😅
My initial response was eyes wide open, mind completely blank. I was pretty sure I would’ve never been able to articulate it. Luckily, I realized someone else had already done it for me.
I reviewed all the testimonials and feedback I had received from my clients in the past five years, and I started seeing some common threads and tools.
Following each one, a mosaic started composing. It still missed something, though. So, I researched and reflected on my personal experience. And then the mosaic was complete.
It felt like all those years of experience as an evolving human being and coach finally came together to create an image that made sense—a word, actually.
What I saw —two months and a half after that ask— was the word CARE.
I knew it had to become the acronym for my framework. I knew it would harmoniously integrate all the threads and tools I saw. And it did. And it blew my mind how much the acronym and each word composing it made sense.
The context and the concept
We —my clients, I, and you, most probably— are people who care about our work, our impact, our communities, and our world.
Care is our strength and the fire that propels us. And it can also turn against us, consuming us because of two main reasons which may co-occurr:
We were raised in a society dominated by a system that promotes exploitation and extraction, and consciously or unconsciously, we replicate that system against ourselves.
We were raised and taught to care for other people’s needs, and we became disconnected from our own needs and desires.
Also, we tend to be:
Curious minds who crave novelty and need to pursue new paths (projects, research, businesses, jobs, etc) to feel stimulated enough.
Passionate advocates who want to do everything they can to contribute to their communities and the collective good.
Plus, for ages, we have tried to consciously or unconsciously conform to cultural and social norms that aren’t aligned with our way of being, strengths, values, and how our minds operate.
Mix and match these elements with the two root causes, and you’ll have the perfect recipe for overwhelm, exhaustion, and burnout.
But I don’t want us to burn out (again).
I want us to feel good, be well, and have all the energy and capacity to live a good life, make a difference, and join forces to dismantle capitalism, patriarchy, and all the systems that want to crush us.
The tool
That’s where the CARE Framework comes in handy.
It’s a tool to prevent burnout—to make us practice pre-care instead of having to engage in after-care when we’re already beyond the point of no return.
It does so by helping us notice, make sense of, and track four areas so we can clearly see what needs more care at a specific moment in our lives.
We can then define how and when to give some loving care to each of the areas.
Once we’ve learned how to use the framework and adapt it to our own way of being, it becomes a lifetime companion we can use daily and return to when we get lost.
The theory
The CARE acronym stands for Connection, Alignment, Regeneration, and Engagement.
My theory, supported by empirical evidence, is that we tend to spend most of our time in the last of those four areas, which is more action-based and driven by our vision actualization and/or community work—Engagement.
This wouldn’t be an issue if we also didn’t tend to neglect the other three areas—Connection, Alignment, and Regeneration—to be always on, always active, and always caring for others’ needs.
Putting the CAR areas back into the picture helps us re-harmonize the attention and practices we dedicate to each area, thus nurturing our energy, restoring our capacity, and improving our well-being.
The purpose
Everything in nature is cyclical, and our lives should be, too. Cycling between the four areas while incorporating practices supporting each one in our daily lives would enhance our overall condition and help us prevent burnout.
It’s hard to live in cycles in a society driven by a 24/7 mentality, but it can be done.
Also, it’s hard to believe that we —the ones who care— can stop, ask for help, and give care to ourselves, but it can be done.
I dare say those two things must be done if we want to reclaim our sanity and also be good ancestors for those who will come after us, sparing them from struggling with all the disempowering narratives we have to unlearn every day.
The CARE Framework is my contribution to this reclamation and liberation work. It’ll help us reconnect with our deeper selves, find our aligned way to act, allow ourselves to rest and play, and bring to fruition our vision for a more just and joyous world.
In the next issues, we’ll explore each area of the framework.
I’m grateful to share this journey with you!
With care,
Giada