THANK YOU COVID19...for one thing

COVID19 has been good for me and my family, especially my relationship with my little boy...

Just to be clear, I obviously don't want anyone to suffer from this dreadful virus/disease, and also wish it never existed, however, it does, and we have to pull out the positives from every situation and look at 'what we can learn'.

I have learned that without COVID19 I would have not seen my son grow, this was the case with my 2 daughters unfortunately. I have also learned how to be a more patient, present and grateful father, partner, friend and colleague.

Prior to the last five months, I was out the door at 7am (latest) and back in at 7pm (at the earliest), this is not due to my employers flexibility, because they are great for this, more to do with my passion, drive and striving for the best for myself and my family, and honestly, not really asking the question 'can I work as effectively and efficiently outside the traditional 8-6 hours in the office?', oh and the journey to the office in CBD of course.

On annual leave days during the week, I was never really fully 'present' when I was with my kids and family, when my phone buzzed I was straight to it, and regularly thinking about 'what I need to do'. I didn't stop to think what my kids saw when I was rushing to my phone, and that too often I dropped whatever I was doing with them to grab it. Can't be a nice feeling, and also something that teaches them that this 'phone thing' is more urgent and important than them. It's not to say work doesn't matter or isn't urgent or important, because it does, it is, and I do love it, but more so to help teach them to be present and enjoy the moment more, especially if you are having 'family time'.

Also, something that started to make me question the location to which I worked and how often I was physically 'in the office', was last year at the Xmas party, I received 'the call'...my daughter had fallen down the stairs and split her head open, and because I was in the city 'at the office', I had to run to the train station and rush home. It takes an hour on a good day, luckily this was one of those days, but definitely started to make me think, 'I need to be closer to home'.

So in this respect, I've enjoyed and welcomed COVID19 and the office in my kids playroom, yes, having a plethora of toys to keep me company is a standout bonus, but mainly because it's (thankfully) forced me to be closer to my family and realise what truly matters. When they need me, sorry work, I'm there. I'm also taking every opportunity to make up for lost time with my girls. But additionally, I've realised that I can be effective and efficient, wherever I am, and doesn't necessarily have to be in an office during 8-6. I can jump back on after they're in bed to make up for any time I missed because they needed me to help 'right now' as they couldn't put their socks on, the baby wouldn't sit in the pram properly, or they just wanted some 'daddy time'.

Don't get me wrong though, I do miss the office, the team dynamic and 'physical' people. I just don't think it'll ever be a 5 day a week, 2-3 hours per day lost on travelling to the office scenario again anytime soon, here in Melbourne especially that's for sure!

Take time to enjoy the lunchtime bike rides, tree climbing, jumping in muddy, REALLY muddy puddles, dancing, trampoline and gymnastics sessions, and of course lots of 'knock knock, can we come in...' cuddles. Even if you live alone, make time for these things yourself too. Especially jumping in muddy puddles, who doesn't need a good jump in a muddy puddle sometimes!

For me, COVID19 has been a blessing in disguise, a very bad, evil and scary disguise though sadly, but a blessing nonetheless.

For anyone who is struggling with seeing what positives they can pull from this challenging time we're going through, please reach out and chat to someone. Being an adult is tough. Being a parent is tough. Being supported helps. I'd of course welcome a chat, but also know that there are many specialists and experts out there to help and support us too.

The daily emails from EAP Assist (thank you Randstad for access to these services) have helped me most days, check them out -

...and remember:

1. STOP and BREATHE, deep breathe.
2. BE PRESENT and enjoy this moment right now.
3. PUT THE PHONE AWAY, right away so you can't hear it, see it, or even remember it's there, and so you're not tempted to 'take a quick look' either.
4. BE A KID, who cares who's watching, trust me, they'll be envious and probably end up joining you.
5. Ask yourself, WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM THIS SITUATION?
6. ASK FOR HELP, CARE and SUPPORT OTHERS, we all need it.

and a few more profound things to 'remember' too, but these have been a good starting point for me.

Stay home, stay safe, stay connected.

#eap #covid19 #mentalhealth #reachout #makethemostofit #family&work #randstadtechnologies