Well Being in the Corona Era

The outbreak of Covid-19 has taken a wide-spread turn and has caused many organizations to virtually shut down for the next 3-4 weeks. What this means for most of us is that suddenly ‘work’ has a new meaning – a novelty and a challenge! We need to cruise this wave by a planned effort rather than drifting from one day to the other. The initial euphoria of being able to work in Pyjamas starts giving away to worrying about how long this will continue. Our reactions will vary from reluctant acceptance to looking at ways to simplify things and getting stuff done whilst waves of worry and anxiety on what’s happening ‘out there’ besiege us. The estrangement can well spill over to 4-8 weeks from the initial 2 odd weeks and we shall address tackling this under two broad categories:

Physical Well-being:

? Start with a plan – Think of this situation as a mid-term project and plan accordingly. Think about how you want to plan your week and break it up into day by day modules. Pen these down along with household chores you may want to get done too. Do discuss with other household members, if any.

? Do your daily work in blocks of 45-60 minutes with a break of 10-15 minutes. Please do take your lunch break – take the time to cook your own meal and savor a freshly made meal!

? Make a dedicated space to do your work – try and put this space next to a window to get as much natural light as possible.

? Open that window –Let the sun stream in and let the fresh air scent invigorate you! Bring in some potted plants too.

? If possible do take a walk around the neighborhood or a jog.

? Incorporate stretches into your routine – do these twice every day. Since most gyms would be closed down by now, look at working out from home and fit this into your schedule plan. Download apps like ‘desktop workout’.

Mental Well-being: Anxiety and loneliness is a natural build up and we need to understand this is part of the progression of being isolated but does not have to stay that way if we incorporate all or some of these:

? Be guided by trusted source messages on Covid-19 and keep other circulating messages at bay WHO has released advice and updates – be guided by the same.

? Maintain your social networks. Stay connected through phones, video calls and social media.

? For those in Quarantine, there is an app called ‘Quarantine chat’ – use it to relate to others who are in the same situation and build a strong support system for yourself.

? Time yourself to move from’ work zone’ to ‘home zone’

? Take this time to listen to podcasts, watch TedX shows and read books. This is a good time to upskill on the open learning platforms.

? Ensure you have enough food stocked in your pantry that does not warrant stepping out often for groceries. Ditto for medications. This will ensure you stay ‘safe’ mentally. There is no scarcity anywhere and this is to minimise going out. 

? Working out with support group in your community can also help if you are so inclined.

Stay Safe, Stay Blessed! This too shall pass