Love in action

Abstract

How can love in action learning help us in times of uncertainty and anxiety? Fear and love, the two ends of the spectrum of human emotions, take us in two different directions and greatly influence the actions we take individually and collectively. In times of great uncertainty, where fear dominates, our primitive fight/flight defence mechanisms are triggered as a way of helping us adapt to a threatening situation: our behaviours may be defensive; protective and reactive. Within organisations, as stress flows through a system, the extent to which it impacts our work depends on the capacity of the organisation and individuals within it to work effectively with anxiety. Left unchecked anxiety can leave us isolated, vulnerable and impact our mental health (Morrison 2006). Organisations that take a more compassionate loving approach to manage anxiety, acknowledge stressors, and recognise that our survival depends upon forming strong bonds with each other and working collaboratively in groups. My practice is trauma informed and draws on the latest developments in neuroscience which offer fresh perspectives on group behaviours. This shows that our emotions are contagious and that we have a tendency to mirror those around us. How others feel has a huge impact upon how we feel and behave ourselves. These findings urge us to nurture our emotional lives, create safe environments and foster healthy connections. It seems we all flourish when we are in environments where we are met with compassion, empathy and love. This understanding of the brain gives us permission to bring love and relationship into groups as essential tools for accomplishing more together. Action learning is an ideal forum to encourage participants to gain a greater understanding of what helps them thrive in groups and experiment with different ways of knowing and different ways of practicing being in relationships. As a practitioner, I begin with a listening exercise as a way of inviting members to slow down, to listen quietly to themselves and to each other in a nourishing environment. These restorative processes can reawaken our capacity to think, feel and connect.