On a personal note, I am loyal to my morning routine to give me the energy to tackle each day. I start the day by jumping into the sea. It is a sure way to WAKE UP and connect with nature.
I know not all may want to jump on this bandwagon therefore, here are a few other tried out remedies. With so many of us working from home we need to be aware of how much time we spend in front of the screen. Here are some tips and ideas to implement:
- Physical activity is a saviour – choose what you like and get moving
- Fresh Air break – walk, run, bike, sitting in the sun for a few minutes, whatever makes you relax and leave the phone behind
- Meditation – short or long, make it work for you but take a bit of time to simply breathe
- Journaling – taking a few minutes a day to get things off your chest
- Substitute coffee with a decaf tea or water – staying hydrated is important
- Screen breaks – blue light affects our brain activity and concentration
- Connect with people – both on a social and professional level – we need to feel connected to one another, we need to support each other and to laugh together
Last but not least Emotional Resilience is a tool that we all have but not all know how to expand it.
According to the American Psychological Association, Emotional Resilience is “a process of adapting well when faced with adversity, trauma, tragedy, and significant sources of stress.“ Individuals with a high level of emotional resilience can recognise and manage their emotions in situations of crisis, adversity, and hardships. Emotional Resilience is a skill and trait that we are born with and it continues to develop throughout our lives. Its development is also strongly influenced by the environment we grow up in and it continues to be influenced by our personal and professional environment during adulthood. Now, more than ever we need to flex our resilience muscles. So, what is resilience made up of?
Resilient individuals have certain characteristics and practices in common according to the American Psychological Association:
- Recognising and managing your feelings
- Empathy
- Having a sense of self-worth and confidence
- Ability to form and maintain healthy relationships
- Good problem – solving skills
- Sense of purpose for the future
- Optimism
- Belief in support systems
- Coping well with change
Armed with tools and tips, ready to face another day. The sun will come up and as a good friend said to me just recently, we will get through this. To say we are confronted with challenges may be an understatement, but we are here, safe and sound with the sound of our keyboards clicking away and Zoom meeting invites swooshing back and forth between the email inboxes. Innovation is the new normal, adapting & adjusting is what we have for breakfast each day!