Pressing the Mental Reset Button is More Important than Ever in Post Pandemic Life

As we transition into what we hope is definitively the “post pandemic” era, I have found myself struggling a bit to find my footing when it comes to balancing priorities like work, family, and mental and physical wellness.?

I felt like I had it all pretty well in-hand prior to the pandemic, but a lot has changed since then.?

Four months into COVID, I made a career change. There was so much to learn in my new role, and adjusting to a new “work routine” when all routines had been thrown out the window was challenging (to say the least). ?But, like everyone else, I figured it out.?

With home doubling as the office, I settled into a schedule that worked for me:?answering work emails starting at 5 a.m.; a morning run with my long-time friend (loving the 6 a.m. start rather than 5 a.m. since my commute was eliminated!); serial meetings on zoom; take a walk (or watch an episode of my latest Amazon Prime binge); work and more meetings; dinner with the family…then work some more.?

Options during Covid were pretty limited, so it was easy to focus on family, work, exercise.

Now that we are back to life as it should be, it’s time to find a new groove!?How’s that working for you? ?

I’ve been sprinting through an exceptionally busy season at work, burning the candle at both ends as my mother used to say.?Most of us find ourselves working at a frenetic pace here and there.?And the truth is, I enjoy my work so much that those days or seasons don’t usually wear me down.?In fact, sometimes they create an adrenaline that is oddly satisfying (for a while at least).?

But that pace, day in and day out, just isn’t healthy.?Here’s what I’ve experienced:

1.????The adrenaline cycle can narrow my focus and crowd out healthy activities and habits that get set aside “for now.” ?

2.????When life brings a new or unexpected pressing priority (for me, it’s been caring for a sick family member) it can feel like too much.?Without our coping tools, adding one more block to the top of the Jenga tower just might bring it all down.

On top of everything, when my brain is constantly working through situations or problems (work or otherwise), I sometimes experience a type of logjam. ?Mulling over the same issue over and over doesn’t get me very far.

This short piece from Psychology Today explains why stepping away is important and how it can break up that mental congestion.?It’s all about the prefrontal cortex going in search of stored information and memories in our brain: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-wise/201403/why-stepping-away-increases-your-creativity?

So now, I am making time for mental resets.?I’m prioritizing them, and even adding them to my calendar if necessary. I can already feel the difference!?

My work team teasingly calls me a nerd when I come out of the ladies’ room, dressed for an after-work Pickleball meet-up.?Not because I’m going to play PB, but because it brings out a child-like excitement.?(If you play the game, you know what I mean!)

For me, Pickleball is the ultimate reset because when I’m on the court, I can only think about the game.?The ball moves fast and it’s a game of reaction and strategy; a wandering mind usually leads to losing the point (or a ball in the face)! ?Add to that all the laughs and fun and new friends that come with the game…all good stuff!?

How about you, how are you adjusting to post pandemic life??Do you have a reset button that you have discovered (or rediscovered)? ?Or maybe another tool that works for you??I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below, and maybe it will be a good topic for future posts, too!