Originally Posted on The Coaching Tools Company as 5 Free Life Coaching Exercises to Help Your Clients Relax & Recharge This Summer!
The summer holidays (or long school holidays if you’re in the Southern hemisphere) is a time for relaxing and recharging our batteries—and these life coaching exercises can help!
Did you know that National Relaxation Day falls on August 15th each year?
Well, over the summer, most (non-tourism based!) businesses move to a slower pace. Our clients go on vacations, take longer lunches, enjoy the longer evenings, long weekends and lazy Sundays—and these all give people an opportunity to slow down, reflect and enjoy life a little more.
But whether it’s a “staycation”, a trip to the family cabin or a trip somewhere exotic, some people find it difficult to make the transition. And there are always people who put so many expectations on the “holidays” they end up disappointed.
So the summer is a great time to help people reflect on their needs, look at how they take care of themselves—and life balance. Explore these topics with coaching exercises or a great newsletter article is a great way to stay connected to your clients—and also reach potential new clients through a newsletter or social media posts.
And here are some free life coaching exercises and tools you can use in session with clients, as homework and with prospective clients too!
Here are 5 Free Life Coaching Exercises to Help Clients Relax & Recharge
1) The Free Blank Coaching Wheel
The Blank Coaching Wheel is one of our most popular life coaching exercises. Probably because it’s endlessly flexible!
Here’s one idea to use it over the summer with your clients:
- Ask your clients to label each of the 8 empty areas with something that would ‘recharge their batteries’ this summer.
- Now ask them to identify an action for each one—or an action for the 3 areas they’re most excited about.
- Then coach your clients to see which actions they’ll decide to work on, asking questions like:
- Which of the areas to ‘recharge your batteries’ is most exciting to work on?
- Which are the easiest actions to complete?
- Which actions are you most likely to complete?
- Which actions will you commit to?
- What could get in the way of you completing those actions?
For more ideas check out our Tools Clinic Video with lots of ideas on How to use the Coaching Wheel.
2) Free “Tolerations” Clear Your Mind Life Coaching Exercise!
The things we tolerate drain our energy—and can sometimes suck the life right out of us. Use this life coaching exercise to help your clients clear out energy draining “Tolerations”!
- Start by asking your clients to list out what they’re tolerating in their lives. Note: often just identifying them is enough to get things moving…
- Next, help your clients create a plan—and take action on some of their “Tolerations”, freeing up energy for back-to-work in the fall! Ideas to create an action plan include working on:
- One Toleration a week.
- Their Top 3 Tolerations to get cleared up before the summer ends.
- Picking the one Toleration that would have the biggest positive impact and then working on that.
3) Free Best Summer Ever Life Coaching Exercise
- Start by simply asking your clients to make a list of what would make this their best summer ever.
- Tip: as rest and relaxation are often important, remind clients that sometimes not doing things can be helpful.
- Then ask your clients to choose 1-3 actions to help them create their best summer ever.
- Be sure to ask them when they will complete the actions by and what could get in the way!
This exercise is super simple—but it’s powerful too!
4) Free Wheel of Life Template
Here’s an idea for using this popular life coaching exercise over the summer.
Part 1) Score the Wheel of Life for a) how they currently feel and b) how they would like to feel
- Ask your clients to score their CURRENT satisfaction levels for each wheel segment.
- Ask them to score their satisfaction based on how RELAXED and at ease they feel in each area of their life.
- Ensure clients draw the line that represents their score for each segment, as well as the number.
- Then, for each segment, ask your client to look ahead. What would they like their score to be:
- For the holidays?
AND/OR - When they head “back-to-work” in September?
- For the holidays?
- Now ask your client to write this second score against each segment on the wheel.
Part 2) Coach your clients around the results
- Now coach your client around the gaps in those scores, and try to close that gap! Ask questions like:
- What is the score gap? And why do they think that is?
- What could they do to bridge the gap between how their life IS, and how they would LIKE their life to be?
- What’s getting in the way of feeling relaxed and at ease in each area?
- See page 2 of the tool for more questions you can ask.
- Finally, ask your clients to choose ONE segment/area to focus on, and identify ONE action to get started.
For more ideas and everything else you might need to know about this powerful coaching tool read: The Complete Guide to The Wheel of Life!
5) Use the Free Effects of STRESS & Warning Signs! Mini-Poster as a Life Coaching Exercise
Do you have clients that are still stressed out over the school holidays?
- Share this resource with your client.
- Then ask them how many of the stress “warning signs” or symptoms they are currently experiencing?
- Coach them around their answers with questions like:
- How they would LIKE to feel over the holidays/summer instead?
- How could they use the rest of the season to slow down?
- What could they do differently?
- What ideas do they have for what they could do differently once they return to work in September?
- Lastly, if there was just ONE thing that needed to change, what would it be?
- What ONE action are they willing to commit to?
Summer Life Coaching Exercises Wrap-up
So, did you get some ideas on how to use life coaching exercises to help your clients relax and recharge? What will you do to help your clients—and potential clients—relax and recharge their batteries? What could you do to help your clients prepare for the back-to-work and school vibe in September?
Love Coaching Exercises & Tools? Learn more about life coaching exercises, when to use them—and how they can help in our Complete Guide to Coaching Tools here >>
If you liked this article with free life coaching exercises to relax, you may also like:
- This Summer Relaxation Quotes Challenge!
- Our Balance & Self-Care Toolkit! With more great coaching exercises for both you and your clients.
- Easy 3 Step Calming Meditation for You (and to use with your clients!)
