Children are sent home to be educated virtually. Adults of all ages in all industries are directed to set up their laptops and work from home. Suddenly, an overcrowded house, a dark cloud of never-ending news streams, and the fog of uncertainty and fear create the perfect storm of anxiety.
When times of unprecedented crisis hit and work still needs to be done, employees and leaders everywhere may find themselves struggling to care for their mental health, while still remaining productive and focused. Here are a few suggestions on how you can strike that balance.
Establish Your New Normal
While this suspended state of social distancing and home seclusion won’t last forever, it is important to create a new normal in order to inject a bit of “ordinary” back into your everyday life. Establish routines for yourself to encourage structure and productivity. This could include:
Setting an alarm and getting ready for the day as if you were going into the office, even though you’re working from home.
Continuing to schedule your lunch hour.
Taking a walk at the same time every day.
Creating a schedule to follow during this time of crisis will help program your brain to view this as a regular day rather than an anomaly, which can calm your anxiety and empower you with a sense of control.
Embrace Vulnerability
Have honest conversations with yourself and others about the fear, confusion, or anger you are feeling as you move through this time. If your partner is not that person you can go to right now— due to the added stress of their increased presence at home alongside you— find a friend or mental health professional you can reach out to. Additionally, if you’re struggling to balance homeschooling kids and taking conference calls all day, talk to your boss or a colleague about it. Sometimes just acknowledging these difficulties can go a long way toward lessening the burdens they add to our days. Business leaders and teams should be empathetic toward one another as we all work to navigate the uncertainties of this time and the unexpected circumstances.
Create Boundaries
One of the biggest challenges of working remotely is establishing a sense of separation between work and home. Avoid working from places like your couch and your bed, because without shifting gears, a lack of transition exists between productive work time and relaxing downtime.
These lines become even more blurred when you are confined to working alongside your partner or children. Create individual work (and school) spaces for each of you to establish boundaries and allow each person to maintain privacy and separation.
As tension and impatience runs high, we tend to take our stress out on the ones closest to us. Giving yourself room to breathe, particularly during work hours, allows you to maintain your ability to leave work at work and home at home.
Filter Your News Flow
Things are changing rapidly both within the United States around the globe. Although it can be tempting (and in some cases even addicting) to read every news alert that pushes through to your phone, there’s no need to be plugged in 24/7. A study from 2013 conducted in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings uncovered a much higher level of stress in people who consumed more media coverage of the event. If you don’t have a work or family-related requirement to be the first to know about every turn of events, you should take care of yourself and scale back.
The Institute for Disaster Mental Health recommends selecting one reputable news source and setting yourself a schedule for a couple intentional check-ins per day. Monitor the CDC and your state health department for the information you need to know to take proper precautions and preparations, in accordance with how the situation is evolving in your area. And remember, don’t consume the news as soon as you wake up or right before you go to bed. Try to begin and end your days with feelings of calmness and positivity.
Limit Social Media Intake
During a previous study conducted during the Zika virus outbreak, experts found that the perception of risk increased when people consumed their news through social media. Little good can come from inundating yourself with the opinions, fears, and stressors of others during a time of global crisis. Limit your social scroll until normalcy is restored and your feed returns to inspirational posts and vacation pictures that will lift your spirits, instead of heightening your anxiety.
Leverage Technology
Although technology should be limited as a work distraction or source of bad news, it can still be leveraged in positive ways to connect people. Avoid the loneliness and isolation that can go hand-in-hand with seclusion by creating a sense of online community. Hold your conference calls on Zoom Video, have a virtual happy hour, or set 20 minutes aside at the end of the workday to dedicate to “water cooler” conversation over an online forum, such as Slack. We can all come through this stronger if we do it together.
These are troubling times, and even the most mentally healthy workers need help getting through a crisis this severe. Dr. Delligatti can help you create an actionable plan for thriving at home and learning how to take care of your mental health at work during a crisis. Contact her for more information.