Mend the roof before it rains

This week and the weeks to come are going to be filled with a lot of chat about the Queen of England's death.

There's likely to be lots of triggering conversations happening and as we have already seen a distorted glorification of the women who upheld the oppression of so many.

So I thought I would give you a few prompts that you could say if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Taking some time to prepare for what's likely to come your way will help you navigate this difficult time.

- "I am sorry for your loss" this keeps it simple and hopefully closes the conversation down

- "You say the Queen was gracious, loving, decent, compassionate etc, how do we show those values in our organisation?" This helps redirect the conversation to something more constructive

-"I have a different view of the Queen to you, I'd really rather not talk about it." Acknowledge and move on, if the person doesn't respect your request to move on, see the point below

-"I've just got to go to the toilet/There's someone at the door" Get out of there! If the conversation is going nowhere, it's totally ok to leave.

Please don't think that I am trying to protect fragile white feelings here, I'm not. I am far more concerned about conserving your energy and helping you to assert some control over the situation.

If you need some help navigating things right now, please reach out hellokatrinaj@gmail.com