The coronavirus pandemic has opened our eyes to an entire classification of problems that we never knew existed. The quarantine, the isolation, and the temporary closure of many businesses that we frequent in everyday life have resulted in a perfect storm for anxiety and stress. Beyond the overall isolation, the ripple effect of the pandemic has led to a cratering of the economy that means more people than ever are facing the potential of layoffs, furloughs, and salary reductions.
At a time when everything seems to be going completely wrong, it’s easy to lose focus and find yourself bogged down with the constant uncertainty and fear that we are now forced to live with every day. The current situation is bad. The future is completely uncertain. And those who are still working are torn between gratitude that they are still able to work and gut-wrenching stress that their employer will soon be forced to let them go. It’s no way to live your life and the constant strain of anxiety will eventually result in reduced productivity and burnout. It’s vital that while you acknowledge the gravity of the situation that you also focus on ways that you can take care of yourself and keep yourself going.
As professionals work to navigate the newfound struggle of working from home and proving there worth, there are a few ways that you can try to take a moment to check-in and a few practices you can adopt to try to keep yourself from reaching burnout in a situation where the world feels like it’s crumbling around us.
Try a sleep app
If you’re sleeping fine, good for you! But most people are finding that spending all of their time indoors, the lack of activity, and their constant state of worry is wreaking havoc on their sleep patterns. As we spend more and more time without any kind of routine, it’s easy for our sleep to become disturbed. If you’re struggling to empty your mind for long enough to fall asleep at night, the Audible app is offering free guided meditations designed to help you get the rest you need to cope with the situation.
Try to stay active and healthy
Gyms are closed and we’re all encouraged to avoid the grocery store whenever possible. This means that many people are relying on takeout or preservative packed foods. In addition, boredom is a major source of hunger! But staying healthy will keep your body functioning as best it can so you feel okay in a physical sense, even if emotionally, you’re not okay. Health-Ade recently released a study about the most-searched diet and exercise trend that can give you some ideas for a healthy food plan and workout routine that you can try as you reside under quarantine. Most gyms are offering virtual classes for free too, and YouTube is full of apartment-friendly workout videos!
Be kind to yourself
Give yourself a break. If you’re working as hard as you can at your job, doing your best to maintain healthy habits, and trying to get some sleep, you’re doing all the right things. This time isn’t about doing things perfectly, improving yourself, or coming out of quarantine in shape. We’re all in survival mode, and if you’re able to keep things going day-to-day, you’re doing a fantastic job.
If you’re experiencing insane levels of self-doubt and anxiety, you are exactly like almost the entire population of the world. We’re all stumbling around in the dark and as sick as we are of the word “unprecedented”, that’s exactly what this situation is. Keep in mind that as you’re living through this pandemic, you are coping with a crisis, and taking back a small modicum of control over your routine can be helpful… but don’t forget that, above all, if you come out of the other side of this crisis, you did exactly what you needed to do.