HEALTH AND WELLBEING
COVID – 19 Learn how to make the smooth transition to self-isolation and home working and manage your personal stress SURVIVING IN THE NEW AND UNPRECEDENTED TIMES OF SELF ISOLATION AND HOME WORKING Mark Shields Explains... Whenever I’m coaching anyone one of my leading coaching strategies is to use my BIG 5 Rules for keeping ourselves on track and dealing with fear and anxiety. They are relevant to helping manage different forms of stress that induces fear and anxiety. A lot of both of these being experienced on a global scale right now as a result of COVID – 19 so these techniques are more important than ever. MY BIG 5 RULES FOR DEALING WITH STRESS, FEAR AND ANXIETY IN EVERYDAY LIFE ARE 1 2 3 4 5
Educate your mind Strengthen your body Take expert advice Focus on what you have and are grateful for Develop a faith in something bigger and greater than yourself.
living in lockdown, shortages of supplies, career uncertainty, all the time aware we could get the dreaded virus at any moment. In this article I want to look at the challenges of working from home whilst managing our personal levels of stress and fear created by the current environmental factors outside of our control. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR We are all afraid of what we don’t know. As human beings we all have a set of needs that we need to be met every day. These are… • Security — safe territory and an environment which allows us to develop fully • Attention (to give and receive it)
We are currently experiencing unknown and unsettling times. We never know quite what we’re going to wake up to with the ballpark seeming to change every day.
• Sense of autonomy and control — having volition to make responsible choices
This causes and un precedented level of fear and anxiety in all of us and the need to stay present and grounded is more important than ever before. We need to stay strong for those in our lives that need our support.
• Privacy — opportunity to reflect and consolidate experience
With most countries in the world on some form of lock down we are being forced to adapt to new ways of working and living our daily lives. With everyone in some form of self-isolation the majority of us find ourselves working from home which although can appeal at first, has its own hidden challenges later on without the banter and connection life in the office can bring into our lives every day. This coupled with the international pandemic we are all trying to get our heads around at the moment I think it’s fair to say most people are juggling numerous stresses from getting used to their new working from home in isolation routine, home schooling children, financial uncertainties,
• Feeling part of a wider community • Sense of status within social groupings • Sense of competence and achievement • Meaning and purpose — which come from being stretched in what we do and think. • Manageable amount of change at any given time. And the areas of our life these need areas apply most to are… 1 Health 2 Career / Business 3 Finances 4 Relationships continues overleaf...
10 | www.life-mags.com
