Unlearning the armour
These are 52 powerful, two-minute experiments anyone can try. Together, they form a programme designed to help our community rise above today’s high stress levels and build real resilience—through small, intentional actions that fit into everyday life.
How often have you been told you can’t change the world? Who decided that? What’s really stopping you?
With inner strength, you can become a SUPERHERO.
Every superhero starts with self-belief—then learns how to master their environment. And that’s where we come in. We’re here to help you unlock your power and begin the journey.
Holding the Edge
Para visualizar o pôster desta semana em português, clique aqui: Semana 6: Limites para uma Liderança Sustentável
The “Always On” Mode
This week is about boundaries.
We can learn to read emotions, practice deep curiosity, and be fully present, but without boundaries, none of it holds. We often mistake boundaries for barriers, but they are actually edges. An edge is what stops us from drifting into a "yes" when we truly mean "no." It is the vital distinction between being genuinely kind and being merely compliant, or between helping someone and completely overextending ourselves.
We live in systems that quietly praise those who do "more"—more hours, more availability, more emotional labour. This praise often acts as a trap, turning our natural desire to contribute into a source of chronic guilt. These challenges shift throughout our lives; teenagers may struggle with the FOMO (fear of missing out), while older adults might find boundaries difficult when shifting independence challenges their identity. Ultimately, boundaries are not just about protecting ourselves; they are about respecting the edges of others too.
True sustainable leadership requires us to identify one boundary and practice holding that edge. It might be as simple as stopping emails after 9pm or finally saying what we actually mean. When we practice sentences like "I’m happy to help" or "I can’t be spoken to like that," we must pause and notice the internal reaction, whether it is relief, anxiety, strength, or guilt. Boundaries aren’t about becoming harder or more distant; they are about becoming clearer. Clarity, when held gently, changes everything.
One Boundary, One First Step
To begin drawing your edges with clarity and kindness, try this practice:
Identify the Boundary: Look at your week and pinpoint one specific area—whether it is related to your time, a decision, or an emotional or relational limit.
Write One Sentence: Clearly define this boundary in a single, simple sentence to give it shape and weight.
Take the First Step: Act on that sentence and hold the edge.
Reflect on the Difficulty: If holding this boundary feels hard, pause and ask yourself why that is.
The Check-in: Remind yourself that if you don't draw the edge, the system will eventually draw it for you—usually through the lens of exhaustion.
Presence & Situational Awareness
Para visualizar este guia em português, clique aqui: Semana 5: Pulso de Presença.Semana 5: Pulso de Presença.
The “Always On” Mode
There is a state many of us live in without even realizing it. We aren't necessarily busy or overwhelmed, but we are "braced". It is a half-presence where we are constantly scanning for what might go wrong. While this feels responsible, prepared, and efficient, it comes at a significant cost. When we are braced, we don’t really notice reality; we misread situations, forget to pause, and shield ourselves from the present. Curiosity quietly disappears, and without that curiosity, our genuine connection to others fades too.
Chronic stress acts as a double-edged sword in this environment. It can make us effective, helping us move through tasks quickly, make rapid decisions, and keep the plates spinning. However, that same speed reduces our sensitivity and reflection. We lose the space to truly consider our actions. We become efficient, but we are no longer present. Presence isn’t about slowing life down; it’s about stepping fully into it, and often, that can start with a single pulse of noticing.
The Present Pulse: A Small Practice
To reclaim your awareness, choose one moment you experience every day—like the school run, making a cup of tea, or walking into work. In that moment, try this practice:
One Pause: Stop and ask yourself: Am I in scan or brace?
Check Your Reality: Ask what is actually going on here and whether you need more clarity or more contact.
Assess the Energy: Notice if you feel Hot, Warm, or Cool, and if the environment feels like Chaos or Care.
Give and Notice: Ask what you can give in this moment, then choose three words to describe your state—such as Engaged, Tired, or Calm.
No Judging: Just notice with awareness; there is no need to fix or judge.
Finally, choose three words to describe your state.
Curiosidade da semana 4: clique aqui
Our brains like to make things easy. When life feels busy, stressful, or overwhelming (too many plates spinning), concentration drops and we start jumping to conclusions. This isn’t a flaw — it’s how our brains cope.
Over time, repeated thoughts and emotional responses create familiar pathways, like ruts in a well-travelled road. Without realising it, we can get stuck in these patterns. We may not be able to name it — we just know something isn’t working.
This is where curiosity helps.
Instead of asking “Why?” (which often brings judgement and defensiveness), try asking “What?”
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What am I noticing right now?
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What might I be missing?
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What’s really going on for me?
“What” questions open space. They slow our automatic reactions and help us step out of old ruts. You don’t need to fix everything — just start noticing.
Get curious. Awareness is often the first step towards change.
To navigate life and protect ourselves, we often learn—sometimes without realizing it—to hold in our emotions, to hide what we truly feel. Like a gambler carefully guarding their next move, we build a kind of armour: a protective shell that shields us from hurt and helps maintain our self-esteem.
This is normal. It is part of how we cope.
But when this armour becomes constant, always on, it can start to distance us from ourselves. Our reactions may no longer reflect what we truly want or feel. We may find that the person behind the armour feels hidden, even from ourselves.
One way to understand this armour is to notice our triggers. When do we feel the need to put it on? When do we hold our emotions tightly inside? Which people, places, or situations fill us with energy, joy, and connection—and which leave us feeling drained, guarded, or closed off?
By observing these moments, we begin to see not only the armour we wear but also the freedom to choose when, and with whom, we truly lower it. In doing so, we reconnect with ourselves—and with the life that gives us energy and joy.
Haz clic aquí para ver el póster en español
The focus this week is ’The Pause ‘— learning to pause before reacting.
Notice where stress or anxiety shows up in your body? Is it your chest, shortness of breath, a sensation in the pit of your stomach like the downwards twist in a rollercoaster, or maybe a headache?
Pause
Take a breath
Look around you
The choose how you respond
This small moment of awareness can create space, calm, and choice- even in the middle of a busy or pressured day
Dr Sarah on Call: Step 2 Mental Health, Viral or Bacterial Infection - how can you tell?
Clique aqui para o Rastreador de Hábitos Matinais da Semana 1 (Sua Bússola Matinal)
We begin the first 52 two-minute experiments designed to build resilience — small, intentional practices that fit into real life.
At the beginning of each day take a moment to notice where your tank is: full, half -full or running into empty.
From there identify just one thing you want to achieve that day, which is the thing / behaviour that will make the most difference to you. Why does this matter. Head (thoughts), heart (feelings) and hand (actions).
Anticipation and stress can quietly shape our days before they even begin.
If you expect a difficult day does that affect your sleep?
Does poor sleep make the day harder creating a self-fulfilling cycle
As we move through the course. Does understanding energy levels, choosing manageable goals, improve sense of achievement and drive increasing confidence.
Give it a try;
Head (thoughts), heart (feelings) and hand (actions)Try this
- How is my energy today (it is JUST information at this stage)
- What matters most for me today.
- What will keep me remain grounded … where is my help, my brakes … is it stop taking on board more, ask for help?
Dr Sarah on Call with Geoffrey Smart : A Few Thoughts on Humanity