HOW TO MAINTAIN MENTAL WELL-BEING DURING COVID 19

FARZANA

Who could have imagined that 2020 would start with every country in the world dealing with a major pandemic such as COVID-19, all at the same time?

This pandemic will have political, economical, financial, social, emotional, technological, environmental and legal impact across the globe. It also brings along with it a lot of uncertainty for organisations, small businesses, employees and self-employed.

On an individual level, people have to find ways to work from home as offices close down temporarily, find innovative and practical ways to help their children with school learning at home as schools close. Some are trying to get their loved ones, stranded in other parts of the world back home safely. Trying to run a home without going outdoors, having to manage everything from food shopping, repeat prescriptions for medication to dry cleaning all online as effectively and efficiently as possible.

All this change in such a short span of time whilst trying to juggle everything, being confined at home, can bring about a lot of emotions, stress and anxiety for many of us. If you are feeling tired, stressed, anxious or lonely, you are definitely not alone. We

On an individual level, people have to find ways to work from home as offices close down temporarily, find innovative and practical ways to help their children with school learning at home as schools close.

are all going through the same challenges, feeling the same emotions and having the same concerns.

Here are our top 10 tips on how to better manage and maintain your mental well-being during these trying times:

1. Connect with Family/ Friends - Have a video call with family/ friends at least once a day. Call on family and friends you have lost touch with. Call on family/friends you have not spoken to for a while. Share with each other the way you are each handling this new temporary way of life, because it is temporary. Share tips with each other. Be there for each other, especially if one of you is finding it tougher or having a bad day. Just listening to someone will help them and make your realise too that it is ok to be not ok, and that we are all going through the same emotions and feelings.

2. Mentor/Coach – If you are lucky to have a coach or a mentor, talk to them regularly. Share what works, what does not work, how you are feeling, any challenges you are facing, as a mentor they will listen and share tips and guide you. Your coach will listen and re-direct your thoughts and feelings to help you be calmer, more in control and help you with tangible goals to work on, overcome challenges and be an improved you. This will enable you to work from a higher self and be able to separate self-worth from output whilst celebrating working with true intention.

3. Meditation/Exercise - Pray, mediate and/or do yoga/ exercise at least once a day. It is so important that despite gyms being closed and yoga classes cancelled, you continue to exercise. There is a wealth of free classes and exercises online that you can take advantage of. Even if you are not a religious person, you can meditate and do simple breathing exercises to release the negative energy to help you feel lighter and calmer. Fresh air also does wonders if you are feeling a little claustrophobic being indoors, consider taking a walk in the garden, if you can’t exercise.

4. Gratitude –Lets be content and grateful for what we have, we are still blessed to be in the comfort of our homes, with our loved ones, be it spouse, child(ren) or pet(s). We have food, water, clean air, a roof over our heads. Many people don’t even have these. Being thankful for what we have also brings about an improved self-awareness and self-management towards a positive mindset. If we allow ourselves, we can actually be grateful for this pandemic, as it has given us time to connect with our child(ren) on a whole new level, can help us strengthen our relationship with our parents, make us feel grateful for all the luxuries we previously took for granted, reminded us of the love we have for our spouse, and most importantly, helped us to slow down the fast pace of life, be really ‘present’ and enjoy the little moments.

5. Positive Mind set - Review your terminology when talking to yourself or others, especially children, who may or may not understand the seriousness and the reasons for staying at home during this pandemic. Try to avoid phrases such as ‘stuck at home’ and instead say ‘safe at home’ instead. Talk with your children. Rumour and speculation can fuel anxiety, use reputable sources for information only. Limit social media. Connect with your near and dear ones whom can uplift you, give you perspective and be grateful to be surrounded by incredible

6. Lifelong Learning - This is a great time to review your areas of strengths and weaknesses as a person, a professional or indeed as a leader. There are a variety of free short courses online you can undertake and upgrade your technical and/or soft skills. Learn a new language, or learn how to play an instrument or take up a hobby such as painting, calligraphy or sketching. Learn more about yourself and how to be more mindful perhaps. If you have a garden, do some gardening, learn about some of the plants you have, or research a plant some new plants or trees, gardening can be quite therapeutic too. Develop an action plan and set SMART goals for yourself, i.e. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound).

7. Managing your Money - If you have had to take unpaid leave, or take a pay cut or have unfortunately lost your job, you will need to find ways for your money to go further. Review your incomings and outgoings. Review and reduce your unnecessary outgoing expenses where possible. If you have savings, with stock markets and currencies taking a plunge, perhaps it’s a good time to invest in stocks and shares. If you have a mortgage or loans, speak to your bank and see if there is a way you can

This is a great time to review your areas of strengths and weaknesses as a person, a professional or indeed as a leader. There are a variety of free short courses online you can undertake and upgrade your technical and/or soft skills.

take a ‘mortgage holiday’ for a few months to help tie you over. Find out if there are any government benefits, insurance policies you can claim on based on your circumstances, take advantage of them. If you are saving on gym membership, commuting expenses now that you are at home, put this money separately into perhaps a savings account and let that grow for a ‘rainy day’ or a treat later in the year.

8. Legacy - Have you organized your finances and paperwork so that if god forbid something happens to you, (Coronavirus or not), are your dependents going to be looked after? Do you have a will in place? Do you have life insurance/critical illness cover in place? Having a plan and being organised ensuring your dependents well being and future is secure reduces stress for your dependents in the future. Reducing risk is reducing anxiety. Have you thought about the type of legacy you want to leave behind? Perhaps start planning this now that you have some free time.

9. Solidarity/Giving Back –Do you know anyone in your circles who is prone to anxiety and depression? Do you know someone who is alone, a single parent perhaps, or someone with a spouse working overseas? Someone who has been or can be a potential risk of domestic abuse/

violence? Someone who is in recovery from drugs/alcohol/ gambling perhaps? Check in on them, talk to them, listen to them, be supportive and be approachable and available for them to reach out to you if they need, as this may be a particularly tough time for them or be at a higher risk due to isolation. Perhaps mentor someone you know that is struggling. If you personally need support, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. There are dozens of support outlets and groups available online and by phone.

10. Reflection – When we are busy with work, home, family, children, we sometimes complain we don’t

have enough ‘me time’, or don’t have enough quality time with the children, or that we don’t have enough time to call and talk to our elderly parents. Well now, with a little bit of extra time, either due to reduced commuting to work time, or less business travel, or less work stress, you can relax a little. You can take a step back and review what is important and re-connect with what and who is important in your life. Reflect on your life, your relationship with your loved ones, your relationship with your faith (if you are that way inclined), and your relationship with yourself. This is a great time to press your ‘reset’ button and be true to yourself. Are you treating yourself well, are you happy, are you making the best out of your life? Plan and make it happen today, you owe it to yourself, if no one else.

“There are all kinds of things we can do in this world to make it a better place, but we must start with ourselves.” Richard Bandler

Farzana is an award winning Human Capital Leader 2018 and Woman of Substance Award winner 2020. She is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD, a qualified NLP Master Coach, ICF Coach, a Board Executive of the International Coach Federation (ICF) UAE Chapter, as well as Founder, Executive Coach and HR Consultant at Trailblazer Consulting and Founder of Trailblazer Women Network. Farzana has over 22 years of experience in developing people, strategies and businesses across a variety of industries including Telecom, Engineering, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Information Technology. She is also a mentor for Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, is an international speaker and an advocate for women empowerment. To know more please visit www.trailblazerglobal.com

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