1.5 What is Coaching ?
The ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.Coaches can support women to create positivity, lightness and momentum in their lives.
Since coaching is a forward looking process, it can empower women to eliminate stress and negative beliefs to generate space for more harmonious and fulfilled life. Life Coaching can essentially provide them the means to regulate themselves in a positive manner.
In the author’s opinion, the following areas that can be helped by Coaching:
- Parenting skills
- Gender sensitivity
- Conflict resolution
- Adaptability to change
- Balancing work and the family
- Communication
- Socialization and social support
1.6 Stress management by life coaching
1.6.1 Providing unconditional acceptance / Lack of judgment
Women in general strive to please others and their words and acts are usually directed towards gaining acceptance. Coaching can provide them with a safe and trusting place where there is absolutely no judgment. This, in itself, can work towards stress reduction.
1.6.2 Providing Resources/Tools
This is one of the most powerful ways to support. Coaches can make available relevant resources, for example, busy professionals can find parenting related resources very helpful as they may not have time to go hunting for the right resources. ‘Letting Go’ exercises can be useful in a variety of ways towards stress elimination.
1.6.3 Examining belief systems
It is an absolutely critical step towards understanding the source of stress and overwhelm. Self sabotaging beliefs can lead to stress/disempowered states and consequently imbalance or stagnation. At the same time, positive beliefs have to reinforced, acknowledged and appreciated. In India, most women hold disempowering beliefs due to gender biased upbringing. This is changing with education and coaching can help accelerate the process. Questions such as these can be asked:
- Who has influenced my thinking about myself, others, life and success?
- What beliefs, attitudes, and habits of thought have they passed down to me?
- What societal attitudes, religious beliefs, or teachings are part of my mind-set?
- Are these thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and teachings enhancing my success or limiting it?