Living your best life in lockdown
Living your best life in lockdown
We know lockdown can we super tough and super stressful so here are some of our best tips for staying sane.
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Try to stick to a routine
we know it’s hard but try getting up at the same time everyday, eating your meals at roughly the same time each day. Try to have a mental cue to switch on for work and to switch off. E.g. a defined workspace in the home that you leave once you clock off and finally try to get dressed each day. In the wise words of Shule Going our Head of Operations, “Sure, you can work in your trackies or PJs if you feel good doing so but dressing properly makes me feel like a reasonable member of society. Also, you never know who you might end up with on a video call”
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Keep physical
Take the time to get outside every day. Exercise, kick around with your kids or simply get some sun on your skin during your breaks. Fresh air is just as good for our minds as our bodies.
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Be kind to yourself
Taking regular breaks from your computer to recharge is more important right now than ever and will help avoid burnout. It’s the little things we can do that bring us joyevery day that will help us in the long run. A bubble bath, a funny podcast, your favourite dinner. Whatever you do avoid working longer than your standard hours in the office.
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Kids at home?
Try to use this time to connect - Working remotely is not the same as working from home with kids at home during a lockdown. Lockdowns are far more challenging. Do whatever you have to do to make it work. There are no trick here. Yes, this can be tough depending on your circumstances but there is the opportunity to enjoy the extra time you will spend with them. Not many parents get to have lunch with their kids on workdays.
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Set yourself small achievable goals
achieving small things from a to do list will give us feel a sense of focus but control in an uncontrollable environment along with a sense of positivity and identity. Research shows if we train our brains to focus on a positive it changes how we interact with the world cognitively. Our prefrontal cortex begins to work more effectively, which is good for creativity and attention encourages better function. For any help with goal setting try speaking to your manager or a colleague.
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Get on top of stress with stress management tools and techniques
now’s the time to be aware and look out for any red flags or warning signs of stress. These include sleeping difficulties, increases in irritability or moodiness, and overeating, excess alcohol consumption. If you notice these warning signs, then it’s important to try various forms of stress management. These include reaching out to friends and family and developing a healthy lifestyle – for example regular sleep, healthy diet and physical exercise. You can also deploy various forms of relaxation exercises such as meditation and yoga. If the forms of self-help aren’t sufficient, then please speak with your GP. In the case of any work-related stress speak with your manager asap.
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Keep up the human contact
One of the risks of working remote is loneliness. If there is a case when you usually would have had a chat to someone in the office about something, avoid sending a message. Get inspired by talking to people to bounce a few ideas around. Also, as you may have limited social activity at work, do what you can outside of work to connect with people (via calls etc)
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Live in the moment
take this time to think about what you really want. Try something new, maybe explore your creativity and see if it’s your time to reset your expectations and goals
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