How to Navigate Through this Covid19 Lockdown Jolts?

Leadership Lessons Series #1

We, human beings are behaviorally configured social animals. We have our human hunger and sense of insecurities. We are aware that Covid-19 disruptions can affect our performance, career growth, professional development & can also take an emotional toll on our life. But we are not powerless. These tips can help you design a framework and navigate better in this stressful time, in a scientific manner.

I am writing this for the white collar working professionals, who can read this article on LinkedIn, an estimated 6.8 million office working professionals in Indian urban centers and 15 million plus LinkedIn users including self-employed & other professionals, who surely don't fall under the most vulnerable group for the Govt. sources but are either already affected directly or facing an uncertainty because of this pandemic. Most Indians stay in a family & majority of them are single earning member in that family. All the surveys showing that professionals across industries display very low confidence towards job stability and career progression, as companies across industries buckle under the pressure of Covid19. Corporate employees, who have been configured in a defined structure and routine of life, who had to be in office for a minimum of 8-9 hours each day, who used to meet a lot of people physically during the course of any day, are now locked down at home for more than 10 weeks by now and nobody can predict how long this condition will effectively continue.

These people need to constantly strive to keep their personal & professional motivation up in an uncertain new workplace, hiding their sub-conscious sense of guilt for not being able to go to the office, struggling to hide their fear of getting missed out, with lesser visibility and lower sense of accomplishment and much lesser recognition for the job done. These are the people who are anxious, stressed and worried about their future but continuously pretending to look normal to keep harmony and normalcy at home front. Surprisingly, world or media is not talking much about the vulnerability of these people and the psychological side-effects of these work from home situations.

Practically, on the virus front, very little can be done now, as the situation no longer is in our control. But we all need to learn how to go with the flow and navigate through this crisis in a planned manner. The best approach is to go through the six human hungers, which is the findings of Transaction Analysis of famous psychologist Eric Berne and customize a plan accordingly for every individual, as no one size can fit all.

Structure Hunger : Without structuring of Space, Time and Activity, a human being goes to pieces. A mother cooking a meal is structuring her family’s eating requirement. These are External Structures. The other sort of structure in Internal Structure, the structure you offer yourself. If you go to a lecture you may decide to listen and retain what you hear or you may decide to take summarizing notes. These are all internal structures.

Stimulus Hunger : This is a need to feel our existence, which could be an External Stimulation of any of the 5 senses and as well as intellectual and emotional connections with others. The importance of sensory stimulus becomes clear when you deny it to a person, as happens routinely when prisoners are hooded and forced to wear heavy earplugs in places like extreme prisons in Guantanamo Bay or Belfast. After 48 hours, the deadliest criminals also begin to manifest grave schizophrenic symptoms because they were constantly deprived any of the sensory stimulus. Equally important is Internal Stimulation. Ideas popping up in mind while walking in the morning or even in our bed, at times surprise us intellectually. That's an example of Internal Stimulus.

Recognition Hunger : The third human hunger is Recognition or Acknowledgment. External Acknowledgment can be when the mother sees her baby taking it's first step. Internal Recognition is to accept the worth of one's own work. We need recognition for everything we do & achieve, since we are social animals. If this is deprived, the concerned individual suffers and loses its internal purpose and sense of confidence .

Contact Hunger : Human being has an intrinsic need to feel connected. If you are stay in world class luxury in an island managed by robots, you wont be able to survive their beyond a a few months. Physical, Emotional or Intellectual contacts are essential to have a sense of feeling our existence. Its almost as important as oxygen is for survival.

Control Hunger : if anybody gets success in his actions (which could be right of wrong) that give him a sense of power, that gives either recognition or stimulus, then those actions get added to his neurotic control repertoire. Control is built up through experiences of empowerment, stability & connection. The inability to exert control leads to counter-posed situations like helplessness, confusion & sense of isolation. 

Sexual or Creative Hunger : Theoretically this hunger as a part of procreation, as eating & mating are two most important human need. However, experts feel it’s about a sense of ultimate satisfaction or an orgasm and not only of sexual needs. Creativity leading to innovations, discoveries, arts & technologies are a function of this relentless pursuit of human creative hunger.

Any person is a mix of these six types of hunger and the relative proportion of each type actually build a person's characteristics or personality. Each person approaches these hungers differently, as some remain subdued or unfulfilled because of external environments. Like a a Buddhist monk or a Lama is a monastic that observes the vow of celibacy. As a result of that, he stays away from sexual need from an early childhood.

If we put ourselves in these framework of six human hunger, we can clearly make a road-map to navigate through this covid lockdown. While each person needs to plan his navigation chart based on the nature of his personality or the relative degree of dominance of these 6 hunger parameters, fundamentally we can pick and choose from the basic menu card. As every person is different, the solution also needs to be customized for each individual but this model will surely provide a scientific and logical framework.

To manage the Structure Hunger , we need to understand our anxiety. Stay informed with reliable sources but should not get obsessive in checking scorecards. Focus only on things which you can control : stay safe, stay indoors as much as possible, maintain social distancing, maintain personal hygiene, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, sleep well, eat healthy to support your immune system. Lastly follow all recommendations from health authorities.

To manage Stimulus Hunger , celebrate all special days (Fathers Day, Mother's Day) including birthdays & anniversaries of your near & dear ones and make an opportunity to wish them. Make every reason to give yourself a stimulus input by talking to a friend over phone or by calling an old relative staying far away.

To manage Recognition Hunger , please try and achieve something and share with your near ones, your teams, your senior. You can cook a specialty dish, take an online course certification, make a painting, sing a song on a karaoke platform, give a speech on your mobile video, try to write an article or do whatever you like to do. You just need to constantly do something and seek a sense of acknowledgment or recognition.

To manage Contact Hunger, stay connected even when you are physically isolated. Stay connected with your family, friends, colleagues but avoid all sorts of negativity or anxiety. Try to help others or donate needy as that will give you a deep root of connection with your senses.

For other two hunger parameters you really don't have to plan anything. Just ensure that lack of control or unavailability or lack of social opportunity for sex or creative stimulation cannot bother you much. Keep yourself productively busy in other things, which give you a kick.

Overall, try to pursue happiness inside, keep calm, be helpful, do things which gives you long term happiness, do a bit of soul searching, spend sometime alone during the day, doing nothing, do yoga, mediation, indoor exercise, climb stairs, stay fit, try to chase a routine and discipline to keep structures in order.

Lastly, please ensure, after everything you have time for a cool drink & a nice music to soothe your senses. Cheers !