With continued global economic and personal uncertainty, it is not unusual to experience a sense of anxiety. Humans are hardwired to control as much as we can, so when we perceive a lack of control over our environment or feel overwhelmed, our body often stimulates a ‘survival’ response. Right now, we are seeing this at its extreme. As such, we need to make sure we put strategies in place to alleviate the impact of isolation, loneliness, and other potential mental health conditions we might experience.
Strategy 1: Self-Awareness
Attending to ourselves during this time is imperative – we often forget this and focus on caring for others without remembering we need the oxygen mask first!
Ideas:
Introduce structure into your day – when you are in the office there is a natural structure to the day – ensuring you maintain some consistency at home can be equally useful. For example, by getting up at the same time each day, ensuring a regular lunch break where you switch off email notifications, moving away from your desk at times and finishing at the same time when possible
Engage in regular exercise where you can – go for a run or walk, a quick midday workout or yoga session to return to your body and give your mind a break to refresh
Practice mindfulness – if and when you begin to feel overstretched, or you notice physical symptoms such as shoulders or chest tightening, or a knot in your stomach, take 5 minutes to simply focus on your breathing, or even do some form of meditation if that is more familiar to you. There are plenty of apps such as Headspace or Insight Timer to support you with this
Forgive yourself if you feel or behave in less than ideal ways – it is natural to not operate at your best during times of stress; being conscious you have acted in a way you aren’t overly proud of can be a great opportunity for learning, but won’t happen if you beat ourself up! Adopting a position of self-forgiveness and then being curious about what happened and why is more helpful.
Strategy 2: Achievement
We all feel good when we are achieving something and see the impact of our work. Lacking the structure of the work day and feedback from others in real time can mean we lose sight of what it is we want or need to achieve, so prioritisation is key.
Idea:
Try starting each day by dedicating 15 minutes to make a note of your win for the day – the one significant thing you absolutely want to ensure you achieve or make progress towards that day. Ring fence another 15 minutes at the end of the day to reflect on how well you managed to achieve it and if not, consider it with a growth mindset rather than being self-critical – there is sure to be a reason (see above idea on self-forgiveness!)
Strategy 3: Systems Awareness
It is easy when we are disconnected physically to lose sight of the overall and/or longer term organisational goals/objectives and how our work is connected to that of others. Remembering the community we are here to serve can be also helpful here.
Ideas:
Check in to ensure you are attending to work that is highly important, not simply urgent. Schedule a daily block of time during which you turn off all distractions and focus on the more meaningful tasks – this helps you to feel more effective and less overwhelmed by the minutiae of your day
Consider the communities/stakeholders you serve – how connected are you to them? What might you plan into your forthcoming days and weeks to connect to them more meaningfully? What might they need from you right now?
Strategy 4: Relationships
One of the challenges of working from home is that it impacts our ability to spontaneously or informally relate to colleagues.
As a result, attending to our relationships more consciously is very important.
Ideas:
Consider one person in your team or network you can simply ‘connect’ to for a catch up with no agenda – simply to check in on how they are and share with them how you are (try to do this once a week at least)
Ask ‘how are you’ genuinely and listen to the answer before you get stuck into the ‘content’ of a meeting or focus in on the task at hand (try to share a bit more than ‘fine or good’)
Allocate 5 minutes at the start of a virtual meeting to do a personal ‘check in’ with everyone sharing what is present for them right now – an emotional ‘temperature check’
Build fun activities every once in a while into your meetings – for instance, share a story of something that happened at home with your pets or children, or wear something you can share a story about
Strategy 5: Authenticity
Remembering who we are beyond work and being true to ourselves is fundamental to a healthy sense of wellbeing.
Idea:
Take time each day for a quick gratitude and appreciation practice, simply reflect on what you are grateful for today and who or what you appreciate in yourself or others
And finally, if you are working from home and don’t have the commute to and from the office, often this is a time when we decompress, reflect and compartmentalise the ‘work’ day. What can you do now to enable the transition between these two spaces, how can you ‘shake off’ the day, before you re-join your family or community? Allow yourself to be creative in how you might achieve this and perhaps share what you come up with.