What are you doing to move forward from Covid 19?
Acknowledging the noise
Last year around this time, I was returning from a 6 week holiday in Australia and New Zealand. I didn’t know that just a year after that, I would have witnessed one of the worst bush fire seasons for Australia, and a once in100 years event in a global pandemic.
I have to admit to struggling amid the fear, the panic, and the prolific nature of this virus.
Its been a nightmare for many families in China and now in Europe and across the globe as we try desperately to stem the tide and to protect our most vulnerable. The economics have been scary too. For my young business what was becoming an uptick in performance toward the end of Feb 2020, has become a prolonged period of uncertainty, likely to last for a while.
Its been really important not to ignore what’s happening, but to acknowledge it, in order to take sensible actions. I want to share some strategies that have worked for me, and look forward to hearing what has worked for you too!
Ways to Cope.
Acknowledge and Act.
Reassess where you are, mentally, physically, financially or any other dimension of your being that has been touched by this virus, and take action to improve your situation that is relevant to the context within which we operate.
- Financially, this has meant exploring avenues such as mortgage holidays, bank and government loans, reduction of expenses.
- Physically, this has meant reducing time spent outdoors, and heightening my vigilance around cleanliness and social distancing.
- Mentally, this has meant evaluating life through 2 dimensions – a One off exercise on what is likely to happen in 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, and what can I do right now to prepare myself. Then following up each day, remaining in the present frame, with a check in periodically on changing assumptions for the future.
Access a healthy dose of empathy.
There are many people in your network, at your work place, or amongst your neighbours who are having a hard time. They may have kids or parents struggling. They may be sick themselves, and need help to navigate these times. acknowlege that and offer to help. Join local communities. Offer support. Think about your purchases.
- Community groups are cropping up on facebook, join them.
- Reach out to friends and family: set your self a goal of some meaningful virtual human connection on a daily basis, more than you would normally.
- By all means, order what you need to survive for 14 days (which in Europe is not a normal shopping pattern) but once you have, make sure to use the items, and replenish in smaller quantities, to make sure you maintain your possible isolation supply, but not too much.
Create a healthy positive daily routine
What you do everyday matters to your health. whether you are in self isolation, still able to move around, or facing a nation wide lock down, establishing routines are important to preserving well being.
- Limit, but dont eliminate your consumption of the news. You need to know the latest news, but once a day is enough. Choose a time of day that makes sense for you.
- Dedicate a window of time for physical activity. Yoga. Pilates. Jumps and kicks. Skipping on the spot. Brisk walks outdoors if you can. Choose what ever works in your situation, and take care of others in your care.
- Take some time to meditate, to help restore calm to your mind.
- Keep a todo list for working, and follow it as much as possible.
Connect with Opportunity
We have all seen the walking dead. this is not that! Although the virus is insiduous, its something we can conquer. Its healthy to look also on the bright side and opportunity. Think about:
- How is the slow down in economic activity positively impacting levels of carbon in the atmosphere?
- What can we learn from this mass experiment in virtual work, and what does this mean for your business going forward?
- What can we do to help our medical super stars to be able to function with less risk in the future?
I hope this list helps you, as it helped me – and please share what’s been working for you too 🙂