Breathe through the storm…

Could it be possible that over ‘productivity’ and being too busy is a symptom of high functioning anxiety and a coping mechanism to dealing with a traumatic event? I think so and I believe we need to press the pause button and not feel guilty about taking a break from the online world if we can. It is perfectly ok not to feel ok and if you need to stop, then stop, step back and ask yourself “What is really important now”? 

In a very active online moving world, there is a lot of pressure on businesses to keep up with ever changing marketing trends, content posting, changes on social media platforms while maintaining a business presence during such unprecedented COVID times. Suffice to say there is also pressure on businesses who are completely closed to do the same. Keeping extremely ‘busy’ seems to be the new norm even with the country in Level 5 Restrictions.

But in this ever changing virtual world we might be forgetting to look after our basic mental and physical health. If we don’t do this, by the time this storm has passed and restrictions lift, our mental fuel will be running on empty. The added pressure of home schooling and maintaining a work / life balance may seem impossible during lockdown. Our health is our wealth and maintaining a life balance is the key to our emotional, physical and psychological wellbeing. 

This mid-term, it may be necessary to hit the pause button and re-structure our day to day living patterns. 

Here are some tips I have found very helpful in coping within a fast-paced online world.

• Cut back on the amount of things you want to achieve weekly. Identify three things that you want to get out from your work and make a weekly plan. Be mindful that hitting these targets may be unrealistic to achieve work / life balance.
• Take more breaks if you can, away from the desk and re-focus on feeling more mentally centred.
• Exercise. Take a walk everyday and get fresh air into the lungs. Fresh air has been shown to help digest food more effectively, improve blood pressure and heart rate, strengthen the immune system, reduce obesity rates, and strengthen family ties, all leading to a healthier you.
• Give yourself permission to switch off from the online world and find some nature. Nature can reduce hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure), respiratory tract and cardiovascular illnesses; improve vitality and mood; benefit issues of mental wellbeing such as anxiety; and restore attention capacity and mental fatigue. 
• Watch what you eat and drink. Reduce caffeine. Caffeine is a natural stimulant that millions of people rely on each day. Yet, consuming too much of it may cause side effects like difficulty sleeping, an increased heart rate and make you feel more stressed.
• Be kind to yourself because whatever your circumstances we all have to look after ourselves to function and if that means being extra kind because of the situation we are in – Just Do It. Reversing stress damage post COVID may in fact take years of research, the impact may be too late in the future so take it day by day and just breathe through the storm.

Heidi