COVID-19: HOW TO FIND BALANCE AT WORK (WHILST WORKING FROM HOME)
As this pandemic continues, the boundaries between our personal life and work are becoming increasingly blurred. This is having a negative impact on our mental health.
In 2016, I suffered from burnout, which resulted in a breakdown and a period of depression. This was due to many factors, which included work-related stress and overwhelm (as well as personal issues). The burnout happened over weeks, months or possibly years of not understanding how to manage my life, work, relationships, mind and emotions. I am still learning!
One day, it all came to a head. I opened my emails and found that I could not read or make sense of them. It was like I had hit a mental brick wall and my brain said ‘no more’. I had extreme emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.
It was an incredibly tough time which impacted my life and relationships. I had a few months off work, and lots of therapy to manage my anxious thoughts and understand what nourished me.
I had 121 therapy and group therapy that focused on wellbeing at work. I found the work-related therapy truly transformative. I learned the actions needed to rebuild my life in a mindful and healthy way.
TOP 3 ACTIONS TO FIND BALANCE AT WORK
As this pandemic continues, so do the blurred boundaries of our personal life and work. I want to share some of the personal lessons I learned during this period of my life. We need awareness of the things that support us more than ever.
1.COMMUNICATE YOUR BOUNDARIES
Understanding and communicating my boundaries was the biggest lesson I learned!
Pre-breakdown, I had allowed work to take over my life. I did not have a healthy control over: how much work I manage and the hours I could realistically work.
Through therapy, I learned how to be assertive and to communicate in a manner that was clear with my colleagues. I would only work 9 – 5 and made sure I had a proper lunch-break away from my desk, which often included lovely runs down Regents Canal. I also made sure I took smaller breaks away from my desk throughout the working day.
The clear communication of my boundaries reduced miscommunication with my team. It stopped worries about what others’ thought or the possibility of missing important things when not working.
I also worked with my team to put in place the necessary processes that supported healthy communication, such as regular team meetings, and team building exercises to understand each other’s communication styles and where we could add value to each other.
2. MOVE YOUR BODY
Another big lesson was to prioritise moving my body.
I made sure I cycled, ran and practiced yoga a lot during recovery. It even resulted in taking part in the London Marathon and training to be a yoga teacher. I find setting a fitness goal really helps to keep motivated especially during the winter months.
At A Fine Balance, we offer over 100+ yoga and wellbeing classes each month. There are classes every day – morning, noon and evening. Our goal is to help people find balance in life. Perhaps, give one of our classes a try or speak to someone at work about offering our services to your colleagues. Find out more here.
3. CONNECT TO LOVED ONES
When am feeling low, I tend to retreat away from others. I struggle to communicate. One of the big things therapy encouraged me to do was to connect to loved ones each day. I found it excruciating some days, but would always feel better after.
FIND BALANCE IN LIFE
I hope these tips help a little. If you are struggling, please do reach out to your family and colleagues; let them know you are finding it hard. You do not have to do it alone.
I would recommend making a list of the top 3 things that help you feel better and prioritise these every day. My action list includes: call / chat / connect to someone; move my body; and finally, do something a little challenging (this could be calling someone or ticking off some admin that has been at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list for months).
WE CAN SUPPORT YOUR TEAMS
A Fine Balance can support your workplace. We offer virtual classes every day that can be accessed by your teams when they need them. Integrating the activities that support wellbeing into the working day is essential for finding balance in life.
Find out more here or feel free to send me a message.