*Last updated April 11. 2020.
Now is the time to take extra care of yourself so you are available to care for others as well as yourself. Working in isolation, working remotely from home can also take its toll on your mental health.
Make sure you practise self-care and reach out to your employer or EAP provider and get the help you need including taking a mental health day if required.
See this time as an opportunity to look more closely at what really matters, what you can do better and what things you can easily shed from your life to make a positive future when we all come out the other side of this pandemic.
Understand the facts
It’s a challenge to discern what is true and what is not and the truth and the rule seem to be changing daily.
Seek out the truth here.
Prepare your mind and your space for isolation
Self-isolation is now becoming the norm and the time you are in self-isolation can differ from the country and by the reason for your self-isolation.
Here are some tips to make this as best an experience as possible.
Prepare your body for potential infection
Self-isolation is now becoming the norm and the time you are in self-isolation can differ from the country and by the reason for your self-isolation.
Here are some tips to make this as best an experience as possible.
Recognize the signs and symptoms
If you do in fact contract Covid-19, when symptoms are present, they’re typically mild and develop slowly.
The most common symptoms are:
Some people with COVID-19 may sometimes experience additional symptoms, such as:
Left unaddressed, burnout may result in a number of outcomes including:
- Severe respiratory problems
- Hospitalisation
- Death
Connect with your tribe
Think about how you can interact with others without putting your health (or theirs) at risk. Stay in touch with family, friends, workmates, and neighbours in person, online, or by phone.
Some ways to do this include:
- Social media
- Email
- Chat apps
- Online chat
- Multiplayer gaming
- Online communities
- Chat over the fence in the yard
- Host a Netflix Party
Social distancing
Strategies for working at home
Asking for help
Top self-care tips
Improved self-care strategies:
- Minimize or eliminate alcohol and caffeine
- Develop and follow a healthy eating plan
- Take time away from work if the burnout is resulting in impairment in the ability to function or requires treatment
- Ensure that the recovery process includes the development of a healthy approach to work
- Exercise
- Walk-in green space
- Garden
- Find a creative outlet such as painting
Change the way you think and live:
- Focus daily on your accomplishments
- Avoid criticizing yourself unnecessarily
- Give yourself a gift on your birthday or another holiday event
- Create a space in your home that feels serene and peaceful
- Keep your environment organized and tidy
- Write daily in a gratitude journal to help refocus your mind on those things that are positive in your life
- Post a list of what is valued, enjoyable or precious in your life on your fridge or somewhere you will see it daily
- Nurture your spirit using quiet reflection, meditation, or prayer
Change how you think about and do work:
- Stop multi-tasking – focus on one thing at a time
- Work at a reasonable, steady pace
- Break down seemingly overwhelming tasks and projects into smaller achievable parts
- Recognize and celebrate your small steps along the way
- Tell your manager you want to be successful at your job and ask them how they would measure that
- Take regular assigned breaks
- Resist working unnecessary overtime
- Even if you must provide contact information in case of emergency, try as much as possible to stay disconnected from work during vacation time
Improve relationships:
- Set boundaries for yourself in terms of what you will and will not do – be okay with saying no
- Avoid toxic people and situations
- Learn to be comfortable with saying, “ I don’t know” if you don’t know
- Shut out media that includes disturbing images and messages
- Became more involved and connected with friends, family or the community
Staying well strategies
Avoid stress and the potential for burnout, begin to take preventive action.
Elements of a self-care plan to prevent burnout:
- Develop a list of self-care strategies, which could include journaling, meditation, massage, yoga, reading, music, mindfulness, stretching, tai chi, dancing, breath techniques, etc.
- Each week assess where you are at in following through on the strategies you have chosen
- Tweak your list as needed for the upcoming week
- Determine your priorities for the week, month, and year – make them reasonable – and write them down and review them regularly to keep yourself focused on what matters to you
- Use the principles of mindfulness, scanning your body for areas of tension at least once a week – address the areas of tension by considering the source and if necessary, seeking support or treatment
- Take time to become centered and grounded through quiet reflection, prayer or meditation – remind yourself that “the silence within me is not at war with chaos around me.”
Detect early signs of deteriorating health and take action:
- List what burnout looks like for you (anger, frustration, exhaustion, etc.) so you can identify it early and take steps to prevent a downward spiral
- If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask for help, delegate tasks, or reset priorities
- Connect with people who care about you
- Enlist support of people you trust
- Learn to verbalize your feelings to prevent future episodes of burnout
- Minimize or eliminate exposure to negative and toxic people in your life
- Attend relevant seminars and talks on mental health
Sources:
www.healthline.com
www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com
