Surviving COVID 19 – Tips for employees
So it's Monday. How are you feeling?
Perhaps, like many who are used to typically heading to work on a Monday, you may be feeling strange and uncertain as during the Covid19 precautions your employer may have asked you to work from home. While this may feel like a dream you've always wished for, for many it's going to create stress an anxiety. How will I get my work done, what if I need to access files or talk to other people? Is my job secure? How will I stay engaged, focused and productive? Will we be able to get in the supplies we need? Will I lose touch with my work friends? What if I run out of toilet paper?
Here where I live in down under Australia already this year we’ve seen raging bushfires, devastating floods and massive storms, and now Coronavirus. The Aussie spirit is hard to break and we've banded together collectively as a local and national community. Now as a global community it's time for us all to take our own personal responsibility and do our bit to think globally and act locally to prevent the spread, maintain sanity and common sense and build a bright, connected, vibrant future.
We’re facing an unprecedented time right now with Covid 19 impacting us all in some way both personally and professionally. In times like these that we realise how small the world really is, and how deeply we depend on one another. We’ll all need to adapt and be flexible for the greater good of all and yet we're probably going to feel a tad selfish and be most worried about our own future and getting our own needs met.
So what can you do within your own circle of control as an employee (beyond hand hygiene) for your own mental, career or business health and vitality? Here are some tips:
The most important thing you can do at this time is to take care of your own wellbeing by maintaining (or introducing) a daily personal practice be it exercise, meditation, healthy food and learning.
Stay UPtimistic despite the challenges, find the lighter side of life, enjoy funny movies, read good books, listen to uplifting music and subscribe to my Daily Uptimisms – head to this link to join my Daily Uptimism messages.
Use your time wisely to delete old files from your computer and clean up all those hundreds of emails clogging up the system. What waste, mess or clutter can you eliminate at this time so you feel more light and free?
Consider what other ways you could build your future brand and career and add value to your employer - read up on topics of interest, review interesting YouTube videos, take an online course and brush up your skills.
Calm yourself - if you experience a lot of stress on a daily basis, focus on what you can and cannot control, and then apply your energy to the things within your control while taking care of your body by eating properly, getting enough sleep, and maintaining some level of physical activity. Then, learn to cope with the things you cannot control through therapy, meditation and other stress management practices.
Demonstrate your leadership and resourcefulness by initiating online catchups, groups and brainstorming sessions with team mates and other departments, look for creative ways to solve some of the problems being faced by your team and be a voice of hope and reason.
Be sure to take care of yourself, and one another out there. May the power of Daily Uptimism be with you!