Our award-winning coach Kim Morgan gives advice to one women who is a non-stop fretter and in desperate need of some perspective

ILLUSTRATION ANDREA DE SANTIS

the life lab

coaching

*NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED

COACHING SESSION 1

”I can’t escape the constant stream of bad news from the moment I wake up”

When Georgina* arrived for her first coaching session, she spoke non-stop for 50 minutes about her excessive worrying. She said that she had always been a worrier, but in recent months this had spiralled out of control. ‘I’m worried about everything, particularly world events. I worry about natural disasters, plane crashes, terrorism, Brexit, the environment, climate change, education, the likelihood of another world war, my children’s future…” Georgina’s voice trailed off and she shook her head in despair. She looked exhausted. ‘It’s a non-stop stream of bad news, from the minute I wake up. I can’t escape it.’

I asked Georgina what had prompted her to have coaching now. ‘A few things: I have noticed that my kids, who are six and eight, are starting to pick up on my worries, and now they’re also worrying. I don’t want it for them – they are too young. The other reason is that I can’t seem to get a sense of perspective any more. I can’t think about anything else. People tell me not to watch or read the news, but I feel that is an irresponsible decision. I don’t want to stick my head in the sand. Shouldn’t I be concerned about the world and what is happening in it?’