In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, we open-sourced 7 of our most effective stress- and crisis-management learning tools. We call them micro-VCoLs™. If you haven't yet met the mighty micro-VCoL, you might like to take a look at the following articles. But this isn't essential. All of the micro-VCoLs shared on this page can be practiced effectively just by following the instructions.
Please feel free to share this page. You're also welcome to share the micro-VCoLs themselves. All that we ask is that you credit their origin and don't charge for their use. If you have a special VCoL request, contact us.
One thing all micro-VCoLs have in common is that they're designed to be practiced again and again until they become habits of mind. Learning VCoLing skills is like learning to drive. At first, the activities of each step are likely to feel a bit weird or artificial. You'll have to think about each step, and completing a cycle will take a bit of time. However, if you practice religiously for a few days, you'll begin to find micro-VCoLing easy and even pleasurable—easy, because it becomes a habit of mind, pleasurable, because our brains reward us for learning the VCoL way—by releasing hormones that make us want more.
Listening, like thinking, learning, and self-control, tends to suffer in a crisis. Yet, listening is one of the greatest gifts we can offer to one another when stress becomes distress. By consciously practicing basic listening skills with VCoL, you can increase the quality of your listening—even in tough times.
This micro-VCoL works best for adults and mature adolescents, but even children can benefit from observing good listening behavior, and some may try to join in. If your children want to participate, have them focus on one "paying attention" or "showing" behavior at a time.
