#as much as humans can be kind and empathetic. we also set up traps designed explicitly to kill people! so. y’know | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mirkwoodshewolf · 4 years ago

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Guardian of creatures; AU! Queen x oc female x reader Chap. 3

*Author’s note*

Wow just two days of writing and here we go with the next chapter. Now here you as the reader finally learn the truth about the owners of the BEWITCHED nightclub, as well as it’s star employees. More of a background will happen in later chapters but for now I hope this will do for you all enjoying this series.

Warnings: Objects coming alive, some swearing, graphic mythology.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@kinole009x

@queen-paladin

@queensdivas

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@dancingcoolcat

@queendeakyy

@klausidiot

@geek-and-proud

____________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

Monsters are real!?

Hissing, deep roars, flashing lights, and something scaly. That was what was flashing through your mind like a film. You also remember hearing faint voices of Serafina and John talking to someone, but the last thing you could recall seeing was two eyes staring down at you.

The hypnotic, enticing yet warm yellow eyes staring down at you. You also remember feeling something smooth and scaly wrap around you before everything went black.

Finally you find the strength to open your eyes and you let out a loud, breathless gasp. The kind of gasp you make when you’ve been underwater for too long, the kind where you’re so desperate for air it didn’t matter whether a fly flew into your mouth or not.

The first thing you feel is a cool rag at the top of your head and you take in your surroundings. You’re in a large bedroom. The walls were a mix of purple and grey pattern wallpaper. One strip of the wall was a beautiful dark shade of purple, and the other was a grey with a floral design, then another strip of purple, and the pattern continued around the entire room.

The bed you were lying in was the softest thing you had ever felt. It was like sleeping on a cloud and the blankets were the softest of silk. Or was it Satin? Whatever it was, it was soft. Much better than any bedsheets you’ve ever slept on. After removing the damp cloth from your forehead you turn to see a beautifully hand-carved dresser.

Through the blackwood, you could see that engraved onto it were what appeared to be wolves. Wolves running alongside the entire dresser. You continued to look around to also see a large wooden wardrobe to your right and a small purple loveseat just at the foot of the bed.

Two Elegant candelabra lights were also on both sides of the room as well as one more right above you. Slowly you get out of the bed to feel the soft yet fuzzy texture of the carpet beneath your feet. The fuzzy points of it tickled your bare feet but one thing was screaming in your mind.

Where the hell were you?

Sneaking towards the door, you open it up to reveal a grand hallway. The wooden walls and low lighting gave it almost a haunting quality to it (and it didn’t help that it was still dark out).

Quietly as you could, you sneak down the hallway hoping to find a way out. As you walk, you can’t help but notice some of the pictures that hung along the walls.

In normal homes you’d see pictures of family members, paintings by famous artists or paintings of family members themselves. But this house—well one picture was of what appeared to be an evolution of some kind of human-serpent like creature.

Another picture was of the ocean but under the waters of the picture were terrifying creatures with sharp teeth, claws, webbed-like hands and tails like a fish. After what felt like forever of walking down this dimly lit hallway, you finally arrive at a grand staircase. A split staircase with one set of stairs (that you were in front of) and another set of stairs across from you joined together on a grand landing and then continuing downward to the main floor of the mansion.

The carpets were blood red and floral designed as well as some other intricate designed patterns that you had never seen before. You hold onto the railing as you quietly sneak down but of course the floor creaks beneath your foot.

You quickly take back your foot and quickly look around, your heart racing with anxiety. You then try your luck at a different part of the staircase and you thank God above that you didn’t hear a creak beneath your foot this time around. Cautiously you walk down the steps when you hear the strangest sound you had ever heard.

It sounded like a mixture of animals, it had the light cooing sound of a dove, but it had the deep resonance of an owl. You thought you also heard the purr of a cat mixed in there too. Slowly you turn your head around and you were frozen in fear to see the wooden shape of some sort of snake.

Half it’s body had lifted from the column that stood by the top of the staircase. It’s head tilted curiously at you as it’s wooden forked tongue occasionally came out. You and this wooden snake didn’t break eye contact with each other for even a split second, it’s unblinking eyes staring straight at you. You feared if you had blinked once, you’d be dead in an instant.

Suddenly all along it’s neck began to spike up into some sort of frizzled up wooden mane as it let out a demonic hiss/roar like sound. You yelp as you suddenly felt yourself falling backwards along the staircase.

The loud roar like hiss soon began to call up an alarm as the lights began to flicker on and off, the sound of an organ began playing but you saw no one was pounding on the keys and a few suits of armor started to come to life.

You let out a terrified scream as you scramble yourself up and tried to flee out the backway but you hear the sound of the locks clicking, telling you that it had locked itself up. Keeping you trapped inside. The suits of armor continue to come towards you so you now run to our left and you soon arrive at a very large den-like room.

Thinking fast, you shut the door and pull a chair towards it and lean it against the doorknob so that nothing could enter inside. As an extra measure, you ran towards a giant desk and hid underneath it trying to control your breathing.

“Oh my god, oh my god oh god oh god!” you whimper fearfully. Slowly you peek over the desk just to see if anything is trying to break down the door.

Unaware of a dark green tail that was slowly slithering towards you. Slowly feeling around your ankle you feel something cold wrap around your ankle. You look down and see a dark green snake tail wrapped around your leg. It then begins to tug at you hardly but you quickly grab onto the desk and try to hold on.

It’s a tug of war as you scream and beg for the tail to let you go. You kick at it with your free foot but it does little to deter the snake tail. Soon coming through a second door that you had no idea existed, John and Serafina are there.

Serafina grabs you while John shoots out a purple light from his hand down onto the snake tail which reals back and vanishes from sight. You scream up at Serafina as you try to escape from her grasp.

“(Y/n), sweetie it’s okay. It’s just us.” She tried to assure you. But you let out another terrified scream.

“Well that’s one way of saying thanks.” John said in a sarcastic tone.

“John behave!” she snapped at her husband. Wait, you then noticed that her low, southern accent wasn’t there. She sounded British. Was she faking the accent when you first met her? She turns back to you and says softly, “I know you’ve been through something traumatic but……”

“Traumatic!? TRAUMATIC!? You call that traumatic!?” you yell at her.

“It’s a lot to take in but please just let us……”

“What were those people!? Who are you!? Are you both gonna kill me?!”

“What no. No we’re not gonna kill you.”

“You guys are gonna kill me. You’re gonna chop me up into little pieces and serve me up in a pie!” you panicked.

“Sweetie no one’s gonna chop you up and bake you into a pie.” Serafina assured you.

“Then why did the house attack me!? Why am I here? Why—” suddenly your voice goes quiet. You can still feel yourself speaking but no voice is coming out of you. You panic once more and mime out a scream as you rake your hands through your hair.

“John Richard Deacon!” Serafina snarled. You stop screaming for a second to see John lower his hand as he said.

“Well how else were we gonna get them to stop overtalking you?”

“Uhh not with magic. And like civilized people with compassion and reassurance.” Magic? Did she really just say magic?

“Yeah like that was going so well just now.” John sassed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“John I’m serious. Give them back their voice, and try to be empathetic about the situation. You were the exact same way when we were told of this.”

“That was a different story.”

“Not really.”

“Yes it was!”

“No it wasn’t.”

“Yes it was!” I tapped Serafina’s shoulder and she turned to me and sighed softly.

“Sorry love. We didn’t mean for things to go out the way they did but—we had to make sure the curse on you was fully gone. That’s why we brought you here. To our manor in Cold Spring.” Cold Spring?! You were in Cold Spring New York?!

You then feel a warmness coming back in your throat and that’s when John said to you.

“Try not to go screaming at the top of your lungs again. Otherwise your voice will be gone for a week.”

“John!” Serafina warned.

“Who are you guys?” you finally ask. The two young owners of the Jazz club looked at each other when John said.

“That’s—a long story.”

“At this point I don’t care. I want the truth!” you tell them.

“Come with us.” John said as he walked out of the room. Serafina held out her hand for you. Her red eyes giving you a sense of calmness and maternity. You give her your hand and she helps you stand up and walks you out of the study room.

You now stand before a grand library filled to the brim with books. Shelves so high you swear they touched the ceiling, you also notice that there is a giant globe at the center of the room, a few display tables with some pretty interesting and freaky stuff. Like one was a mummified hand or a golden statue of a cat.

As you walk through the library with curiosity that’s when Serafina asks you.

“What’s your knowledge of witches and wizards (Y/n)?”

“Not much. I mean I know about the Salem witch trials that happened a long time ago. But other than that……pointy black hats, broomsticks, and are said to be green skinned, old and ugly.” You say as you look at some of the books and items in the display cases.

“Well, I think they’re a little bit more than hats and broomsticks.” Serafina said as she sat down on one of the red velvet chairs.

“And they’re not ugly. That’s just a stereotypical characteristic.” John said as he came up and stood over Serafina’s chair.

“Well I don’t know. I’d classify your mother as one of the ugly bitches if I could.” Serafina teased.

“Can’t argue with that.” John chuckled.

“Wait.” You say as you turn to them. “Are you saying—you guys are witches?”

“The technical name for a male witch is a wizard. Or Warlock but that’s only reserved for the most powerful of wizards. But—yes. We are.” John replied.

“Does that frighten you?” Serafina asked.

“That depends. Are you both good or are you bad?”

“Well, it all depends on what you mean by ‘bad’. I’m nice but not that good.”

“You always degrade yourself love. You’re the best potions brewer I’ve ever met. You can name every single ingredient of every potion known to any wizard and witch. And you don’t even need a spell book. Not to mention your knowledge of magical creatures.” John said as he lowered his head towards Serafina’s and pressed against it lovingly.

“You’re one to talk Mr. Honor’s degree. You were the top wizard of our class in everything.” Serafina said as she gently poked John’s shoulder.

“A school? You mean to tell me there’s a school for wizard’s and witches?” you ask.

“Yes.” Serafina say breaking her eye contact with John to turn back to you. “There is only one school where wizards and witches go to become the best they can be—”

“But it was a long time ago when we went. I can barely recall it’s name.” John said as he turned his head away from Serafina.

There was a look in his eyes that read out—anger? Regret? You didn’t know but it you did know that it seemed John didn’t want to talk about it anymore. You see Serafina take John’s hand and stroke the back of it.

“Look, it’s been a long night for all of us. I think it’s best if we all go back to sleep, we’ll continue this discussion in the morning with the others.”

“You mean…….” Serafina placed her finger over her lips in a shushing motion.

“Come now dear, I’ll take you back to your room. John, you can go downstairs and apologize to you know who for the shock you gave.” She sat up from the chair and placed an arm around your shoulder to guide you out of the library.

“If I end up a ghost after talking to him, I’ll be coming for you first.” John told her.

“Please I know what you would do to me as a ghost.” Serafina called out back to him.

The two of you walk back up towards the room you were just at, every now and then you watched as Serafina ordered the suits of armor to go back into position, silence the piano, and shoo the wooden snake back against the column pillar.

“Do you and John always fight like that?”

“What married couple doesn’t? John and I can go at each other like dragons but through all our fights, we’ve never loved each other any less. Trust me when you’ve been with someone for over 1000 years you learn to compromise through your fights.”

“1000 years!?” you exclaim. “You’ve been married to John for a 1000 years?!”

“Technically we got married in 1465 so it’s only been 500 when we legally became husband and wife. However we were childhood sweethearts back in 1020. So we’ve just counted our relationship from when we first met.”

“So do witches and wizards age slower? Or are you guys immortal? Sorry if it sounds to personal. It’s just that you don’t look a day over 24.” She chuckled softly.

“Thank you dear. Well it goes both ways. You can form a spell to keep your immortal looks, but typically wizards and witches do age slower than muggles.”

“Muggles?”

“Oh that’s what we call humans back in England. Muggles, people who can’t do magic.” You nod.

Finally you arrive back to the bedroom and Serafina guides you back to the bed. As soon as you get into it, she tucks you in gently and adjusts your pillow.

“There we go. Comfy?” you nod. “As I said, we’ll explain everything in the morning. But for now rest is the most important thing you need right now. Goodnight (Y/n).”

“G’night.” You tell her. She then leaves the bedroom and with a snap of her fingers the lights go off and the door softly closes behind her.

Okay. So witches and wizards are real. The owners of the jazz club your boss wanted you to look into and expose are a witch and wizard. Just when you thought they only belong in storybooks, you find out witches exist and are real.

You could only imagine what else could exist in this world.

Morning came and you awoke to the smell of pancakes. You open your eyes and saw the sun’s rays coming through the windows in an elegant way, kinda like a hanging halo of light.

You get out of the bedroom and follow your nose till you stand before a grand kitchen. Inside you see the Blonde Siren sitting with Brian at a booth table. The blonde siren had basically every kind of breakfast meat there was on his plate. Bacon, sausages, ham, etc.

While Brian had some toast, two pancakes, and a tall glass of what looked like red wine. What really caught your attention though was the way the both of them were eating. Even a sip of the wine, Brian handled his breakfast with a high degree of grace and decorum (like those high aristocratic people), while the Blonde Siren was eating away at his food like a starving animal and—were those fangs in his mouth.

“Honestly Rog, must you eat like an animal?” asked Brian.

“Must you eat like you’ve got a pole shoved up your arse?” retorted Rog. Was that his real name? It sounded more like a nickname or something but what was it short for?

“Honestly I can’t see how you can devour animals like that. It’s quite sickening to watch at times.”

“You know what else is sickening? Listening to you complain while I’m trying to eat. Seriously Brian, you elves go on hunting parties, and yet you can’t stand the sight of me eating other animals? That’s very hypocritical of you.”

“I never once participated in a hunting party and you know it!” Brian exclaimed.

“I swear do you two ever stop arguing with each other. It’s like watching two children fight over a toy.” John said as he came through the back door entrance of the kitchen and headed back to the stove. He then turns his attention to you and says, “Ahh I see that my wife’s cooking has woken you up.”

When Brian and Rog look up, their eyes widened in shock as they look around trying to pretend their conversation didn’t happen.

“I was just…..I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“Nonsense, come sit. Eat. Regain your strength, you need it. Also I would like to apologize for my behavior last night. I get a little testy when I’m woken up after a battle.”

“It’s okay John.”

“Now we have a selection for breakfast, do you prefer vegetarian or the regular breakfast selection?” you tell him what you prefer and he shows you the selection they have for your preferred breakfast.

After getting your breakfast made, you go towards the table where Brian and Rog sat and take a seat across from the two men. As you take the first bite of food Rog speaks up.

“How—much of that did you hear?” before you could answer that’s when John speaks up as he snapped his fingers and soon the plates began to clean themselves up.

“We told them Rog. Well the partial truth about what Serafina and I really are. So they know to an extent of what creatures really exist.”

“I see.” Brian said.

“Serafina said she wanted to talk about it with you guys as well. Are you guys wizards like John?”

“Thank Poseidon no. I don’t know what I’d do if I were one of those stuck up, pompous, egotistical……”

“Watch it stallion! You forget Serafina is a witch so insulting me means you’re insulting her.” John warned.

“Oh I would never put Serafina with the likes of you. She is something extra special.” Is he sure he’s not in love with Serafina. Cause the way he praises her is. You feel Brian touch your arm as he explains.

“Roger here comes from a Scandinavian race known as the Nokks.”

“Neck, Nokken, Nixy, Nix, there’s a shit ton of ways to spell our name.” Roger waved his hand nonchalantly. “Just depends on where you come from is where the pronunciations differ.”

“Anyways. His kind are nothing more than horny hound dogs that seduce women and lure children away with songs or beautiful music.” John sneered as he took a bite of a piece of toast that had cheese on it.

“I NEVER ONCE LURED A CHILD TO THEIR DEATH!! I could never stomach something like that.” Roger first snapped angrily before softly speaking with solemness.

“But you don’t deny the way you are with women.” Brian said more as a statement than a question.

“Is there anything wrong with that?” Roger asked as he turned to the curly haired man who held his wine glass in his hand with purpose (was that even possible?).

“You have always loved your beautiful women.”

“Beauty should always be praised and treasured, wouldn’t you agree Elf Lord?”

“Elf lord?” you ask. At that point Brian sighed heavily and set his glass down and said to Roger.

“Thank you for that.” Roger merely grinned cheekily at him. Brian then turns to you and pulls back some of his hair to reveal the pointed ears of an elf.

“Back during the middle ages, long before people started over populating the land with their cities and towns. Brian here was known as the High Elven lord of the West. Skilled fighter, wise ruler, protector of the forest, and Seer of the stars.”

“I…..I thought elves like you know—worked up at the North Pole and were……and don’t take this the wrong way Brian but uhh…..I honestly thought you’d be shorter.” At this point Roger began to laugh hysterically as Brian pinched the bridge of his nose groaning.

“I don’t know where humans got that idea that elves were supposed to be as short as dwarves and worked far up North were hardly anyone can survive.”

“Oh man! That is probably the funniest thing I have ever heard! How come you never told us that’s what humans perceive you as?” Roger said through his laughter.

“Because I knew you would react this way!” Brian shouted.

“Oh Trident’s spear. You are never gonna live this down mate.” Brian groaned as he dropped his head to the table.

“Now, now Roger don’t tease him like that.” Serafina’s voice soon spoke up. You look up and coming from the back entrance was Serafina.

She walks up to John and the two of them share a kiss with each other and you see as John wraps his arms around her. You also couldn’t help but notice that in Serafina’s eyes she seemed—sad.

“How you’re awake, how did you sleep (Y/n) dear?” she asks you.

“Better. And the breakfast is delicious.”

“Thank you. John always prepares the best meals.” She said as she looked up at her husband who looked down at her and gave her a kiss to the crown of her head.

“Flattery will get you anywhere my love.” She rested her head against his collarbone when Roger spoke up.

“As lovey dovey as this is, it still makes me sick to my stomach seeing you to act like that in front of me.”

“Which is why we do it.” John sassed at him with a glare.

“Darling, behave yourself.” As they continue to argue, your mind then transitioned back to last night when you met Jarod. When you saw all those creatures with fangs, and then that one man.

The man with the long, crazed black hair, the yellow piercing of his eyes, and the scales all over his body.

“(Y/n)?” Brian’s soft voice calls out to you. You snap out of his and he asks you, “What’s on your mind dear one?”

“I—I was just thinking about…….what happened last night. With Jarod.”

“It’s my fault. I should’ve fought back! He never would’ve touched you had I just not been afraid to reveal my powers.” Serafina snapped at herself.

“My love you were in the right mindset. We all agreed to never show our true selves before the eyes of humanity.” John said as he held her closer to him. Roger whose eyes showed pure sympathy at Serafina now turned to you and you saw them shift into anger as he explained to you.

“Last night you had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting one of the fae Princes, Jarod. Son of Queen Titania of the Faeries.”

“Fairies?”

“No not fairies, faeries. There’s a HUGE difference.”

“What is the difference? Aren’t they all the same?”

“Not in the slightest.” Brian now took over saying. “See, you humans think of fairies as tiny, miniature versions of yourselves. That fly about with pixie dust trailing behind them, and in some cases mending and taking care of the earth?” you nod. “Well there’s not like they are in your books.”

“They are dark, evil creatures. In touch with all things beyond morale and humane.” John then spoke up.

“Faes can take the form of humans, far past the human standards of beauty, and lure humans to be their pets of sorts. Draining your life force or forcing you to bare their children till you’re nothing but a withering whisp of your former self.” Serafina stated grimly.

“And all you have to do in order to form that contract with a fae, is tell them your name.” Roger finished.

Oh shit! That means…….you had told Jarod your name. Does that mean he’ll be coming back for you? Or send in more faes to kidnap you?

“It’s alright though (Y/n). They won’t be coming back for you though.” Brian assured you.

“How do you know that? I told Jarod my name, how could I be so stupid!? I’ve put you all in danger! I could get you all killed!”

“No, no, no, no, no darling no. You are not a danger to us because you’ve been freed of the contract.” Serafina said to you as she came up and cupped your face in her hands.

“What? But he said that I had to tell them my name. And I did…..”

“You did do that yes, but the way to free a human from a faes control is if the fae that knows your name dies, the contract is no longer valid. Jarod is dead sweetie, and Titania isn’t stupid to try and come back for you.” she strokes you cheek assuringly.

“Was it……was it that man with the long black hair that killed him?”

“You saw him?” asked Brian.

“It was fuzzy. But—I remember seeing a flash of scales, and—hypnotic eyes staring straight down at me. And his voice—it was…..soft and warm. Like honey. Yet……”

“Struck the earth like an earthquake.” They all said together. Okay that was creepy that they all said it together in a chorus-like monotone.

“Yeah. Who was he?” they all went quiet. Serafina walks away from you and stands before a window looking outside.

“He is an ancient creature that has been around since the beginning of time itself.” She started off.

“A great race of creature, the like of which no one had ever seen before. A creature that can see the past, and the future.” John spoke ominously.

“His race is said to have been Gods themselves. No other creature would dare challenge the likes of his kind. Except one.” Brian said. You notice his eyes briefly flicker towards John before turning back to you. “Now he is the last of his kind.”

“The last of a supreme race of mythical creatures. All fear yet respect him. For he is law of the world, seer of all, and shaman of life.” Said Roger as he fingered the table, tracing an infinity symbol.

“Freddie Mercury, the last of the Nagas.” They all finally chorused out once again.

You feel a sudden cold chill in the air as that name was said. A shiver ran up your spine and your heart almost stopped. Just hearing that name made something in you feel—afraid, but at the same time comforted.

“What’s a—a Naga?” it sounded so foreign to you and even through all your love of fantasy genres of books, not one book ever spoke of a Naga before.

“They are a hybrid like creature. The first ever to roam the earth. Their upper bodies are human, whether man or woman, but their lower half is full on snake. The biggest Naga ever said to exist was over 60ft long from his human head to her snake tail.”

“They are gifted with all things magic, and cannot be effected by other magical creatures. Which is why the faes let us go when Freddie came to save our arses.” Roger said as he took a bite out of his food.

“But make no mistake. Nagas are neither good nor bad. They stand on a neutral ground, only observing the world around them. But it’s always wise to never, ever anger a Naga. Less you end up their next meal.” Serafina said.

“God knows we’ve all nearly been on Fred’s menu at least once since meeting him.” John said.

“I haven’t.” Brian said.

“Don’t go bragging Elfling.” Roger snapped.

“I’m over 4000 years old Roger!”

“Yes and I have been around since the oceans and seas formed. Which makes me older than you!”

“Enough! Both of you!” John snapped. You sit there in silence for a moment before John asks you. “You alright poppet?”

“Yeah I just…….”

“It is a lot to take in over breakfast.” Brian said. “We don’t expect you to accept it all right away.”

“Will I ever see Freddie?” you ask them.

“He’ll see you when he wants to see you. But now isn’t the right time.” Serafina tells you as she picks up the empty plates from the table and uses her magic to clean them up.

“When I do see him, he won’t……eat me. Will he?” you choke out.

“So long as you don’t give a reason to.” Roger said as he stood up and headed out of the kitchen.

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“We’ll tell you when the time comes. For now let’s just get you properly dressed. Brian, why don’t you take (Y/n) to your room and have a change of clothes ready for them.” Serafina said.

“Of course Serafina.” He stands up from the booth and comes over to you extending his hand. “Come with me dear one.” You look up at the Elf Lord and take his hand. He helps you out of the booth and escorts you up towards his room.

*3rd Person POV*

“I really hope we’re doing the right thing.” Serafina said softly as soon as the Elf Lord and human were out of range.

“It’s what has to be done my love.”

‘He’s right. I thought you of all people expected this Serafina?’ Freddie’s voice soon entered into their heads.

“That was before the faes came into play. Freddie must it be them?”

‘Yesssss. I have seen it with my own eyes. This is the human that will lead us to salvation. To our bright future.’

“It’s just……”

‘That’s why the next part of our plan will come to place; you and John will teach them everything you both know. Turn them into a magic wielder.’

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redroseredemption · 4 years ago

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Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Review

Since I’m getting closer to the ending of Ghost, I’d thought I’d post my review of Ex-Aid. I know it’s been a while since I finished the show but it took me a while to digest it and get all my thoughts together without raging. This is gonna be a controversial one. I know a lot of people love Ex-Aid, but if you’ve been watching my liveblogs, you probably know how this review is gonna end

Still trying to find a suitable review style so I hope you like the one I came up with. Without further ado, let’s get this over with… What I Liked: -The Opening: I freakin’ love Excite! It’s one of the best toku theme songs. Every time I’d watch an episode of Ex-Aid, I would sit through the opening just to listen to this song. It’s that good. Too bad for like 10-12 episodes it was more like an ending song but I didn’t mind it too much.

-Kiriya: Kiriya was, without a doubt, the best character in this show. Loved his lying ass personality. Loved his Hawaiian shirts. Had a pretty heartbreaking backstory and every time he was on screen he was a joy to watch. Also his actor’s hot

- The Game Driver and the Gasthats: At first I wasn’t sure about them. They’re so campy looking with their design and the neon bright colors, but over time I grew to really like them. They’re so different compared to other Rider belts. An odd one but I find when the belt says “GASHATO” very satisfying. -Kuroto and Masamune Actors: I love how much fun they’re having playing their characters. I’ve heard Kuroto’s actor is the one that gave him the crazy personality and Masamune’s actor is a famous musician and carries his gashat to his shows. I think that’s really sweet.

-Brave and Para-DX design: All his forms are great. He’s the best looking rider in my opinion in this show next to Para-DX who designs is just gorgeous. I’m still not a fan of the eyes on the visor, but they work better on them than the other suits.

-Taiga and Nico: Taiga by himself is an emo asshole who withheld the “treatment” of a patient because he wanted a gashat, but when he’s with Nico he’s tolerable. They’re dynamic made me kind of like him as the show went on. I’ve heard what the brave and snipe movie does to him, however I’m only basing his personality on the show, not the movies. In the show, he did get better. He was still an asshole, but less so in later episodes. And Nico, while annoying and bratty, I enjoyed her overall. Together, they had some of the more memorable moments in the show for me. -The Saki Revival Scene: That one scene when Masamune releases Saki and she keeps saying “Become the world's best doctor” is amazingly well done. How there’s no music when Saki keeps repeating her line and her face is glitching out. The tone of that scene was phenomenal. What I Didn’t Like: -Emu: Despite the fact that I put him in the “Didn’t Like” section, I don’t think Emu is a bad character. It’s his characterization I hae a problem with. He’s super inconsistent. Generally, he’s an empathetic person, but sometimes he uses that empathy in the wrong ways. Both Taiga and Hiiro hate him for a good 3/4ths of the show and multiple times Emu considers them his friends. Then there’s the scene with Kuroto where Emu says “he’s a good person.” That whole speech made me good “What the fuck is wrong with you, Emu?!” considering Kuroto killed Kiriya, Emu’s friend! The whole “M” personality part of him was not handled well. There are times throughout the show where I wasn’t even sure who was who. When you can tell who is who, like the one time Parad possesses Emu, he doesn’t know how Emu talks...even though he’s supposed to be “M” and should know how Emu speaks… I don’t know if that’s Emu’s actor, Hiroki Iijima, not being able to act as “M” or Yuya Takahashi not knowing how to write a character with a split personality. Whatever it was, the split personality part was very hard to follow. There’s also times where Takahashi tries to make Emu a badass and it comes off very awkward and out of character. One scene I wanna bring up is the one where Emu straight-up murders Parad. There’s no build-up to it, no foreshadowing, no indication whatsoever. He brutally beats up Parad and “kills him.” All to teach him a lesson about humanity and death. It’s so out of character and cruel for a character that’s supposed to be empathetic and caring. And all because we needed another “shock death.” It felt like Takahashi wanted to do this scene and he was going to do it no matter how little sense it made.

Hiiro: The hot embarrassing himbo.There’s being tsundere and then there’s being a dick and Hiiro is a massive dick. I got where Takahashi wanted to go with him. Hiiro is a man who lost someone he loved and he is still suffering from it, however, in my opinion it wasn’t executed well. The only scenes we see of Hiiro and his girlfriend, Saki, together before she “dies” are when he’s being a total dick to her and when she succumbs to the virus. That’s it. If we had scenes where they were a loving couple, I could be more sympathetic to Hiiro but he’s no different before Saki died and after. He’s just an asshole and yes, I get that some people are simply assholes, but if you want me to care about your character then don’t make them assholes without subsistence! This whole subplot could have been half the length with how long they dragged it out too. Speaking of which… Saki: Who is Saki? What did she like to do? What dreams did she have that didn’t center around her boyfriend? Saki was a McGuffin. A McGuffin for Hiiro to obtain. Hell, I think even Masamune describes Saki as a princess trapped in a castle at one point. She was an object. I really hate saying that but there’s no better way to describe it. She’s an object in human form for our heroes to obtain. If Saki was given a character at all, I wouldn’t be as pissed as I am with her treatment. Taiga: What is better than a character that’s an asshole for no reason? How about TWO characters that are assholes for no reason! Taiga wasn’t interesting by himself. I didn’t care about him or his “struggles” (which barely got to see in the show proper anyway) The only times he was was when he’s with Nico, but other than that I really didn’t care for him.

Kuroto: The villain of the first half of the show that becomes a meme. I don’t have too much to say about Kuroto, just that it’s clear Takahashi had a set plan for Kuroto that got thrown away once he came back. His character was done better in Build with Gentoku and from what I’m hearing about Zero-One, Gai as well.

Parad: Creepy gremlin that should not have been "M" “ I didn’t understand life that couldn’t continue.” No you understood, you lying sack a shit. In all seriousness, Parad never felt like he was a “full character” to me. He always felt like nothing more than a lackey like Graphite. Speaking of Graphite…

Graphite: If there was an award for the most wasted character in toku, he’d be it. He was the bugster created from Saki’s death. He was Hiiro’s and Taiga’s antagonist and what did they do with him? Throw him under the bus for half the show, force his ass back and then he dies a few episodes later… what a character The Tone: This was the worst aspect of this show for me. One moment, there will be a serious scene and then a second later, wack zany shinanigines happenes. Like the whole scene where Hiiro and Emu are talking about Kiriya’s death and Emu trips over himself. Or when a character dies and the voice pops in with cheery fanfair and says “GAME CLEAR” It’s like this show wants to tell this deep dramatic, story but you got clowns running aorund in the background honking.

Overall Thoughts: This show wasn’t for me. I couldn’t take it as seriously as it wanted me to. I could go on and on about Ex-Aid but I think this sums up my feelings fairly well. I have a lot of Rider shows to get to. Who knows maybe there will be a season worst than this one but for right now Kamen Rider Ex-Aid is the worst season I’ve seen yet. It goes in the “trash” tier.

(I have watched Kamen Rider Black and Gaim, but it’s been YEARS since I’ve seen them and I don’t feel confident to rank them with how long ago I’ve watched them. Also I’m ranking Amazons season 1. Haven’t watched season 2 yet)

#kamen rider ex aid #kamen rider ex-aid #kamen rider build #kamen rider amazons #kamen rider #redrosereviews #tier list #ex aid negativity

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oovitus · 7 years ago

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Avoiding coach burnout: 8 strategies for building resilience and becoming burnout proof.

You know those coaches who seem balanced, resilient, content, successful? They’re not superhuman. They just have strategies to help them surf the ups and downs of their meaningful but challenging work. Here are eight big ones, designed to help you build resilience and avoid coach burnout.

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If you work in health and fitness — whether you’re a physician, personal trainer, therapist, yoga teacher, or group exercise instructor — your mission is to help people lead healthier, more empowered lives.

Which is awesome, because you get to:

help them find (and articulate) the big goals they dream of accomplishing.

oversee their transformations from “this is never going to happen” to “holy crap I’m doing it” to “I AM THE STRONGEST HUMAN IN THE GALAXY!”

watch them stand taller, not just because they feel better in their clothes, but because they feel a sense of power in their lives.

receive hugs and kind words when they realize they’re different; they’re happier and healthier and you helped them do it.

But…

This super-duper fulfilling work can also be… exhausting.

It requires a lot of mental energy, which can take its toll and, if you’re not careful, lead to burnout.

The four types of coaches most at risk.

Burnout can happen to anyone, although it occurs more often in “helping professions”, and certain behavior patterns make some folks extra-vulnerable.

Here are the four types of coaches most at risk.

The Helper

Many people who choose a career in health and fitness do so out of a basic desire to help others.

If you have a desire to help, it’s probably because you’re paying attention to the needs of those around you and want to use whatever skills and resources you have to respond to those needs.

You’re probably conscientious, empathetic, and generous, too.

Go you!

But there can be downsides to being a helper, too.

Common reasons why The Helper may feel emptied out:

You may attach your self-worth to how successfully you help. This is tricky because, of course, so much is out of your control. For instance, you can’t inject a client with motivation if they’re just not ready yet (and in fact, pushing against them with more enthusiasm may actually backfire). If you’re a doctor or nurse, you can’t control a patient’s life history or genetics; some of your patients may stay sick or die.

You are likely empathetic, which means you’re more likely to feel and absorb other people’s pain. This is a superpower, but it can also be a burden if not managed effectively. Empathy gives you the ability to understand a client or patient’s experience with great depth, to the point where it can almost feel like you’re going through their challenge too. While this allows you to adeptly sense a person’s needs, it also means coaching can be an emotional rollercoaster.

You may have trouble disconnecting or compartmentalizing your work. You struggle to “turn off” or let go of things you can’t control. Like when you’re trying to fall asleep and you’re thinking, “I have a patient who’s struggling — I need to figure out a way to help!” Or when you’re on vacation and mid-sip of your margarita you think, “Oh my gosh! I just thought of the perfect resource I need to send my client!” It’s hard to recover when you’re always “on”.

You may believe (subconsciously or otherwise) that helping others is good, but helping yourself is bad. You might find yourself brushing off giant favors you extend to others, but being stingy when it comes to yourself. You might think it’s “selfish” to ignore a client’s email so you can take a restorative walk outside. You might think it’s “the right thing” to put your patients’ needs before yours. But that whole “put on your oxygen mask first” thing? That’s just as true on the ground. You need time to breathe too!

The Athlete / The Warrior

If you come from an athletic or tactical background, self-care can seem like a joke. And “self-compassion”? Not in your vocabulary. You’re thick-skinned and gritty and will finish that race even if there’s blood spewing from your knee.

People may admire your “toughness”, and you might be especially skilled at helping people dig deep to find that last bit of fire needed to complete a grueling set of deadlifts, or to find the courage to try some new vegetables.

But all that fire? Yeah, sometimes it burns.

Common reasons why The Athlete / Warrior may get scorched:

You value extreme performance very highly. In fact, you value “extreme” things in general. Pushing your limits. Going to the edge. Finding your breaking point. Yeah, that’s the stuff that gets you going. When you encounter pain, you’ve got a voice in your head that says, “Suck it up!” and “Walk it off!”. Quitting? Not for you.

Self-care or stress management may seem like a show of weakness. You might feel like taking a break is for weenies. Further, you have an insatiable desire to be part of the action. You don’t want to be benched! You want to be on the court! You’ll just tape up that femur that’s bent at a weird angle, and keep going.

You’re used to strenuous training and take pride in your ability to work hard. After years of getting up early for practice, performing under pressure, and ignoring your body’s cries to “STAHHHP!”, grinding is what you do best. This ability to keep going while others around you drop has made you stand out and feel special. You’re the one who keeps going, like a fleshy Terminator. That’s not a reputation you’ll give up easily.

The Passionate Go-Getter

You went into coaching because you love it. Your passion fuels you. You leap out of bed in the morning, pump your fist in the air and say, “I’M GONNA SAVE THE WORLD!”

That’s fantastic.

The world needs your bright-eyed dreams and your thrumming heart. Your clients and patients often find your enthusiasm infectious. You have the ability to convince people they can do anything.

But sometimes your buoyant balloon springs a leak, and it all goes pfffffffftttt.

Common reasons why The Passionate Go-Getter may get deflated:

Passion can make you want to do more than is required — or even healthy. In work, your eyes may be bigger than your stomach. Your dreams are often bigger than your mortal body can keep up with, although, goshdarnit, you’ll try. You want to be the person who “goes the extra mile”. You want the gold star.

Passion can tell you to keep going, work harder, or fix it already, when really, a break would be better. When you have a strong purpose, it can be hard to stop. Especially when you serve a lot of people, you may wonder why on earth you’d prioritize little old you rather than create something that benefits the masses. You tend to ignore your own needs, because the needs you’re serving are so great.

Passion can make it hard to recognize signs of fatigue until you’re past-the-point-of-no-return-exhausted. Tired? Impossible! You jump out of bed! Your pounding heart keeps you alert and focused and inspired all day! You can’t wait to meet your next client / start the next project / teach your next class! Once you finish one task, you look around hungrily and ask, “WHAT’S NEXT?!” … Until your speeding car crashes. In a full-body cast, now you have to rest. Ugh.

The Role Model / The Walk-the-Talk

You want to inspire and motivate your clients. Show them what’s possible. Live by example.

You are so careful and conscientious of how you live your life. You feel like people are watching; you’ve got to be on your best behavior.

You are a person of high integrity and a model of good practices. People often tell you they look up to you, and that you inspire them.

Now that’s admirable.

But gosh… your collar is starting to feel a little tight, your chest a little… compressed.

…Gulp, is the room getting smaller?

You’ve got an awful lot of pressure on you.

Common reasons why The Role Model / Walk-the-Talk may feel squashed:

You may feel that you need to act and look like a picture-perfect icon of health. You beat yourself up for your human flaws. “How am I supposed to coach people to eat better if I can’t quit my after-dinner cookie habit?” you fret. During client / patient sessions, you feel you should have all the answers. In life, you feel you should be able to triumph over all the adversities. Any escaped fart or burp is unacceptable.

You may flat-out ignore clear signs that a break is needed. Under the weather? “Oh, I never get sick” you say, sinuses throbbing. You stoically fight it off, because people would talk if you missed a day at the gym. After posting about your juice cleanse success, you drive to another town to get ice cream because, well, you’re eating refined sugar like a fraud. You’re not allowed to get sick, overindulge, or mess up. People are counting on you.

You’re never satisfied with “average”. Forget the six-pack abs — you shoot for eight! Hey! You just invented two more abs! You smile at the #fitspiration this will generate. You want people to be their absolute best, always. And if you’re guiding people to be their best, you’ve gotta be better. It’s your ethical obligation. Can’t preach what you don’t practice, right?

Noticing the signs of coach burnout.

In some ways, among many coaches, burnout is a badge of honor.

It’s easy to use our fatigue as an indication that we’ve been busting our butts for the benefit of the people we care so much about.

However, perpetually busting butt without investing in rest, recovery, and mindset shifts can lead to… dragging butt. Or worse, butt-on-fire.

For this reason, it’s important to recognize the signs of burnout, which are different from the signs of run-of-the-mill stress.

With stress, we’re ready to respond immediately to a threat. We’re in full fight-flight mode. Like a tiger ready to pounce.

With burnout, we move past acute fight-flight to collapse. We start checking out. We feel helpless, overwhelmed, trapped. We become immobilized, convinced things are hopeless. The tiger is ready to crawl into a hole.

Temporary, acute bursts of stress can actually energize and strengthen us.

Burnout depletes us. It feels like drowning… with no life preserver in sight.

One of the biggest signs of burnout is that you just stop caring about things you used to care about.

Your shiny fantasies of changing lives are now dusty, dried-out shells of dead ideals.

You feel defeated and hopeless, overwhelmed by the tidal wave of human misery you’re dealing with. Or perhaps you feel incredibly irritated and frustrated: Why is everyone such an idiot?? You simply cannot find it in you to give a crap any more.

Other signs of burnout include:

Trouble falling or staying asleep

Feeling fatigued, spaced-out, or dizzy

Heart palpitations, racing heart

Either having no appetite, or finding yourself comfort-eating

Upset stomach, digestive issues

Headaches, migraines

Jaw tension or tooth grinding

Chronic aches and pains

Coping through alcohol, drugs, shopping, etc.

Getting sick more often, and taking longer to get better

Losing your hair (if that’s not normal for you)

Always feeling worried or anxious but helpless to do anything about it

Difficulty concentrating; poor memory

Trouble prioritizing or procrastinating more

Feeling resentful

Feeling disconnected or alone

Avoiding friends, family, and especially clients/patients

Coach burnout is common, but not inevitable.

I’ve experienced burnout myself.

Luckily, I came back from that dark night of the soul (and trainwreck of a body). And I learned that burnout is not a job requirement in coaching. You don’t have to work yourself ragged in order to help people or have a great career.

And honestly? Although we often think that crushing ourselves will impress others, it doesn’t. Fact: A burned-out coach is an ineffective coach.

If you want to help your clients and patients achieve their best, you need to help yourself first. Yes, you have superpowers. But you’re a human first.

How to avoid burnout so you can keep changing lives.

You know those coaches who seem genuinely balanced, resilient, content, and successful? They’re not superhuman. They came from the same planet as you!

What makes them so effective are the strategies they practice that help them surf the ups and downs of this meaningful, often challenging work.

Want to learn from them?

Here are 8 strategies to build your own resilience, and prevent burnout:

1. Cultivate a growth mindset.

Developing the resilience you need to become burnout-proof depends on mindset. And an anti-burnout mindset is a growth mindset.

A growth mindset looks at everything as an opportunity — every “failure” is just feedback; every challenge is an occasion to learn; every problem is an invitation to invent a new solution.

When you receive criticism or meet an obstacle, you treat it like an interesting puzzle. You rub your hands in delight at the thought of a novel challenge. Even if you fall apart, you put yourself back together, stronger.

A growth mindset is also curious. When events go awry, it asks:

Why did things happen that way?

Could things happen differently?

What if I tried a new way to solve the problem, or put some more effort into it, or asked for help?

This curiosity helps you find answers that you can use to your advantage the next time you face adversity.

The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset.

Someone with a fixed mindset believes:

Some people are “good at stuff” and some aren’t. Things are how they are. End of story.

Failure or negative feedback is shameful and reflects a personal deficiency. If you’re “good”, you shouldn’t be criticized.

If a problem feels difficult to solve, it means the person trying to solve it isn’t “good enough”. If someone struggles, they just don’t have the “talent” to do it.

A growth mindset uses challenges to develop strength and smarts. A fixed mindset is only happy when things go smoothly; at the first sign of challenge, it runs or cowers.

2. Focus on behaviors more than outcomes.

Your clients may come in with high expectations.

I want to lose 40 pounds.

I want to look like The Rock.

Hurry. I need to get better fast.

You might have expectations yourself.

If my client doesn’t meet their goals, I’m a failure.

I need to answer every single question or I’m a fraud.

If I don’t look the part no one will respect me.

The problem is, no one can control outcomes.

And the more you try, the more anxious and frustrated you risk becoming, because you’re trying to control uncontrollable things, and well… you see how that goes.

Instead, focus on what you and your client can control:

Mindset. (See above); and

Behaviors. Want to lose 40 pounds? Not under your control. Eating more vegetables and making it to the gym four times a week? Definitely under your control.

Figure out what behaviors support the intended outcomes, and break those behaviors into daily habits. Practice those habits consistently and outcomes are far more likely, and more sustained.

3. Know who’s responsible for what.

Clients and patients will come in with all kinds of pain and problems. Some of those (lovely, well-intentioned) clients will want to hand that pain over to you.

In your journey as a health practitioner, your job is not to bear another person’s load. Instead, your job is to help guide people through rocky spots and walk beside them on the path.

Have compassion for your clients’ / patients’ struggles, but instead of offering to fix or take away their pain, offer them your belief that they can handle it.

This is the way we help people get stronger.

If you find someone putting undue pressure on you to “fix it”, or if you’re placing that pressure on yourself, calmly hand the responsibility back by reminding them of your role as a coach (sharing your expertise and experience) and their role as a client (deciding which actions to take and then taking them).

In other words, your job is to be well-prepared and informed as a practitioner, and to offer knowledge, insight, compassion, and gentle course corrections.

It’s your client’s job to decide what work to do and then do it.

4. “Rest and digest” regularly, no matter what.

Stress activates the sympathetic branch (i.e. the “fight-flight” mode) of our autonomic nervous system.

You can purposely activate your parasympathetic nervous system (i.e. the “rest and digest” mode), using several techniques:

Movement that “discharges” energy built up from SNS activation, such as:

running (which tells your body you’re OK and you’re escaping)

boxing or MMA (which tells your body you’re able to fight)

trembling or shaking (which is part of our natural “trauma release” system and discharges stress from the body)

tumbling or rolling (which temporarily disorients us, acting as a nervous system “reset”)

Breathing that focuses on slowing the breath, dropping the ribcage down, and creating a long, deep out-breath, and a natural, slow in-breath.

You might have your own roster of movements and practices that calm you down and leave you feeling lighter and breathing easier. Add those are your “resilience toolbox” too.

5. Check in with your body.

If your body is giving you signals that it’s hurting, it’s not letting you down. It’s trying to communicate something.

Respect what your body is telling you.

Tune in to physical signals and honor them.

For example, if you notice you get a headache every day around 3pm, adjust a few things before it progresses to daily skull-shriveling, vice-gripping migraines.

Maybe you need a break from the computer around 2:30? Or a walk in the fresh air? Or a power nap? Or a healthy snack?

Experiment with different “interventions” to see what helps your body.

To get better at “listening to your body”, try this:

Do a quick mind-body scan.

Lie down, get quiet, and “scan” your body from head to toe, observing how you feel, physically and emotionally. Watch for signs and symptoms of discomfort, both physical and mental.

If you find discomfort that’s particularly chronic or intense, pay attention. Your body might need some rest, or attention from your own healthcare practitioner.

6. Practice and prepare.

Practice being calm under fire, so that when crap really does go down, you’re prepared.

Resilient people — such as elite athletes, military personnel, or high-level performers — anticipate, train, and plan for obstacles.

They visualize themselves working through the kinds of problems they’ll typically encounter, and practice staying composed and focused during the process.

For instance, when emergency personnel arrive at the scene of an accident, they’re ready. They’ve prepared and tested their equipment beforehand. They carefully and calmly run through a standard process of assessment, triage and treatment. Even if they have to work quickly, they know what to do.

Why? Because they’ve prepared. They’ve practiced.

Even under the pressure of “code red” level doodie, the skills that will help them respond and emerge safely are so practiced they’re nearly automatic.

If you want to develop this kind of ready-for-anything resilience, think about what challenges you’re likely to encounter over the next couple weeks in your practice:

What can you do now to prepare?

Can you put anything in place to help you circumvent the inevitable bumps in the road?

Do you have a checklist that helps you remember what to do during a client / patient session?

If you’re facing a tough client situation, ask a friend or colleague to help you role-play it in advance while you rehearse staying relaxed and focused.

Yes, it feels dorky, but better to practice now than panic later.

7. Rewrite your story.

We create identities, stories, and scripts about ourselves and our world.

Sometimes those identities, stories, and scripts do more harm than good.

We can become more resilient by challenging and re-framing our own narratives about ourselves and our lives.

Think about a current situation in your own life right now — something that’s troubling or frustrating you.

What’s the story you’re telling yourself about it?

Play that out in your mind or better yet, write it out on paper. Write out all the outlandish / puffed-up / crappy beliefs you have about what it “means” to be you.

Now try rewriting that story from at least two different perspectives.

For instance:

Your original story: “I have to do it all. Everyone is depending on me. I feel frazzled and alone.”

Re-framed story 1: “If I think about this from someone else’s perspective, nobody expects me to do it all. Actually, people have been asking me to slow down and I’ve been ignoring them.”

Re-framed story 2: “I’m not alone. My intern has been asking to help out. This is a great opportunity to give her a chance at professional development. I’m going to delegate some tasks to help her start learning.”

Re-framed story 3: “Feeling stressed helps me understand what my clients go through. If I can teach myself to slow down and do some self-care, I’ll be able to speak from experience and help them do the same.”

Reframing offers a more flexible perspective. Suddenly, you’re not so trapped in a narrow plot that ends in doom. Now, you’ve got more room for possibility, and discovering new endings.

8. Use your team.

One of the quickest ways to get burned out is to isolate yourself — whether that’s because you don’t think anyone can do as good a job as you, because you don’t trust people to help you, or because you don’t want to “burden” someone else.

But think about this: USA weightlifting team. Seal Team 6. Diesel Crew.

The strongest and toughest people in the world have spotters standing by.

Even if your body and spirit can literally move a 1000 pounds, you still need people looking out for you. Before that, you needed trainers and coaches and physiotherapists and, you know, your mom on the sidelines cheering you on.

There’s no “burned out sad and alone me” in T-E-A-M.

So reach out. Ask for help. Stop trying to carry the world.

And if you’re going to try to carry the world anyway, you stand a much better chance of doing it with lots of people grabbing a corner to lift.

If you don’t have a team yet, start recruiting.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

Follow the steps below to start building resilience so you can avoid getting burned out, and help the people you care about even more effectively than you already do.

Assess your situation honestly and clearly.

If you genuinely feel good, vibrant, and on your game — great!

Keep doing what you’re doing.

If you’re noticing that you’re not recovering well from stress, or that uncomfortable symptoms (like digestive distress, chronic pain, worry / anxiety, etc.) are piling up, consider doing something different.

Build your resilience toolbox.

No matter how resilient you are naturally, you can build more with practice.

What resilience skills do you have right now?

Where / how could you get more of what you need? What could you add?

Consult the above 8 strategies and choose some favorites to start practicing and building.

(And for more great tips on how to manage stress, check out the PN article “Good stress, bad stress”.)

Get into your body.

Check in with your physical self.

How you do feel physically? Full of focused, sustained energy? Or full of anxiety gremlins and mojo vampires?

If you like, try a mind-body scan (PDF worksheet, guided audio file).

Instead of pushing aside how you feel, take note of it. Just start by cultivating non-judgemental awareness.

In addition to helping us “catch” messages before they get really loud, inhabiting our body helps us stay more present and grounded, leaving us more able to respond to and recover from stress.

Be kind to yourself.

Pushing harder, working longer hours, being more self-critical, and putting more pressure on yourself?

Ease up.

This “drill sergeant” approach rarely works, and usually just further depletes you.

Try the opposite:

Be kind and gentle with yourself. Respect your physical signals and needs. Prioritize care… for you.

Yes, maybe “everyone else” seems to be “handling things just fine”.

(Fact: They’re probably not.)

But even if they were, only you are you.

Each person has a unique “stress fingerprint”, which can change over time, and is more or less vulnerable depending on whatever else is going on in your life.

Accept and respect what your body, mind, and spirit are telling you right now.

Give yourself what you need.

No excuses.

Want strategies to become a more resilient, effective coach?

With the right mindset, mentorship, and enough practice, you can develop coaching resilience like a muscle. And the more resilient you are, the more likely you are to thrive in coaching, business, and life.

Want some help in this domain? Consider the Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certification.

It’s designed specifically for Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification students and grads who realize that knowing about the science of nutrition isn’t enough.

Part master class, part grad program, part mentorship, it’s the only course in the world designed to help you master the art of coaching, meaning better results for your clients and a better business for you.

And here’s some great news: Our next Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certification Master Class kicks off on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018.

Since we only take a limited number of professionals, and since the program sells out every time, I strongly recommend you add your name to our VIP List below. When you do, you get the chance to sign up 24 hours before everyone else. Even better, you get a huge discount off the general price of the program.

[Note: The Level 2 Master Class is only for students and grads of our Level 1 Certification. So if you haven’t yet enrolled in that program, please begin there.]

Interested? Add your name to the VIP list. You’ll save up to 37% and secure your spot 24 hours before everyone else.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certification Master Class on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018.

If you want to find out more, we’ve set up the following VIP list which gives you two advantages.

Pay less than everyone else. We like to reward people who are eager to get started and ready to gain mastery in their coaching practice. So we’re offering a discount of up to 37% off the general price when you sign up for the Master Class VIP list.

Sign up 24 hours before the general public and increase your chances of getting a spot. We only open the PN Master Class twice per year. Due to high demand and a very limited number of spots, we expect it to sell out fast. But when you sign up for the Master Class VIP list, we’ll give you the opportunity to register a full 24 hours before anyone else.

If you’re ready to take the next step in becoming a world-class coach, we’re ready to share our knowledge and help you master the art of coaching.

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