Webinar - Dealing With Stress During COVID Lockdown

The recent coronavirus pandemic has posed a great challenge to the entire workforce. It has changed the way businesses operate and forced a major chunk of the employee base to work from home.

One of the major concerns about WFH is the way employees deal with stress during these testing times. In this webinar - 'Dealing With Stress During COVID Lockdown' by ekincare, speaker Ms. Priyanka Roy, a Clinical and Counseling Psychologist discussed how employees can deal with stress during COVID-19 lockdown. 

Create a daily schedule while working from home

A nation-wide lockdown, self-isolation and social distancing have drastically changed employees' daily routines and lifestyles. But with the right effort, one can stay productive while taking care of themselves and their loved ones.

Here's how one can stay at the top of their professional game during these unprecedented times:

• Set up an area of your house to use as a workspace and if creating a mobile workspace helps you concentrate, set up a few spaces in your house where you can work.
• Take the time to go about your normal morning routine, take a shower, and get dressed for the day. 
• Instead of having a vague plan, create a daily schedule and put it in writing.
• Plan out your meals and snacks ahead of time and also avoid eating at your workstation.

Communication is the key to set expectations as well as limitations for one's contribution to the house

While a bunch of employees would be lucky to be staying with their families amidst this lockdown, there are people you are living with either complete strangers or roommates or people with who they might be unfamiliar. This may result in frustration, anger or stress which makes it even more difficult for them to deal with the situation. Here are a few ways that can ease up the situation to an extent:

• Label out your expectations for the person you are living with.
• Communicate to them about your way of working and at the same time understand theirs too.
• Plan out your own individual workspaces.
• Take regular breaks and communicate often with the person you are living with

Spend Quality Family Time

This is the best time to slow down from the fast-paced life of the real world and spend some quality time with your children and other members of the family. Play conventional board games and reach out to your loved ones through video calls to give them strength and assurance to cope with these times of uncertainty. This 21-day lockdown will definitely test one's mental strength and patience, but it is our responsibility to respond positively and make the most of the present situation.

Avoid obsessing over endless Coronavirus coverage

Freeing up your day from work or social obligations gives you plenty of time to obsess, and if you have a tendency to consult Google for every itch and sneeze, you may be over-researching the pandemic as well. Choosing only certain credible websites for a limited amount of time each day (perhaps two chunks of 30 minutes each) will be in your best interest during this time.

Include Basic Activities

The absence of conventional morning activities like commuting to the office, outdoor activities, getting children ready for school, etc will create a lot of extra time. Make use of your spare time by reading, exercising, yoga, doing 20 minutes of meditation, watching motivational videos or learn a new skill like dancing from various online tutorials.

While working from home during this time may not be what you planned, but you can make the most of it. You may find yourself living a life that feels like an extended snow day or summer holiday. It takes time to get used to the new normal, so give yourself time to adjust to your new work life.

Have faith in your ability to adapt and find the sweet spot in your work-life balance. Pat yourself on the back for everything you’ve accomplished, even if there have been some speed bumps along the way.

Remember, we’re all in this together.