Mental Health and Working From Home During COVID

My computer tells me my internet connection is unstable, and then our power goes out (abruptly ending the video time I’ve given the kids so I could get through the telephonic hearing).  All by 8:34 this morning.

 What the actual fuck. 

Working From Home With Kids During COVID – Reflecting On The Positive Is Not A Solution

Going back to being fortunate.  I am so fortunate.  I love my kids.  I love my husband.  I love my job.  Sometimes all at the same time. But this is still so hard.  

Every one of you could tell me your own story of your own personal chaos.  I am grateful for those who have trusted me enough to confide their own struggles right now.  

The past two weeks have really felt like the wheels are coming off.  Maybe it is the uncertainty about what is going to happen with schools in the fall.  Or the faux resumption of practice in courts.  Or the persistent stream of negative news about everything. Or that the realization is settling in that this is it for the foreseeable future.  

It’s OK to Say You’re Not OK

To be OK, we must acknowledge when we are not OK.  For many of us, our work and personal lives have merged, which makes maintaining healthy boundaries difficult if not impossible.  Having no anxiety at a time like this would suggest a state of serious denial.  

How we manage that anxiety is what matters.  I would encourage you to start by simply acknowledging how you feel and identify where that anxiety lies.  Is it financial?  Is it about your health or health of your loved ones?  Is it the state of national discourse?  Is it all of these things?  None of us was stress- free before COVID hit, which means pandemic related changes have likely added to our plates.  

When we live with a persistent low-level, constant anxiety, our bodies have very real physiological responses, including a compromised immune system and fatigue.  This can manifest in an inability to focus, headaches, fatigue, irritability.  We are more easily distracted, and tasks take longer to complete, which leads to longer work hours, which leads to more stress and less rest.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Not addressing this stress cycle can lead to persistent depression, anxiety and other health issues at its worst and a general unhappiness at best. 

Take An Inventory Of Your Stressors

I would encourage you to take fifteen minutes right now to do a quick inventory of your stressors.  

First, take three minutes to jot them down on a piece of paper – the act of writing will make you focus. 

Now take two minutes to review that list and rank them.  Don’t overthink it. 

Highlight or star or underline the things on that list that you can control.  

Cross off the ones you can’t

Take five minutes to jot down the positive things in your life.  

With the last five minutes to sit and be still.  No screens.

I used to do this every day.  I’m committing to resuming this practice.

I’m also returning to some habits that have historically helped me focus and be mindful of stress.  Doing these routinely built the habits that got me through so many “what the fuck” days without having to think about it.  

Working From Home During COVID – Some Tips For Your Mental Health

Separate Working From Home With Living At Home

If you are working from home during COVID, designate a space.  Make sure it is well lit and has what you need to do your work.  Do your best to avoid spreading your work about your home.  For me, this is psychological – when I walk away from the desk I want to walk away from work.  Seeing a motion that I need to edit on the kitchen counter interrupts my break.  

Set and stick to an end time for your workday.  This is especially important if you are working from home during COIVD.  The temptation for me has been to allow work to bleed into my evenings, which often results in responding to emails at 9:30 PM.  

Manage Your Time and Bandwidth

Remember that you set the expectations others will have of you.    

Find the do not disturb button on my phone.  Learn how to use it.  

Turn off the ding in your email so you don’t have the pavlovian response to check your inbox.  Instead, schedule times that you will check and respond to emails so you can focus on larger tasks without frequent interruptions.

Learn to say no.  Delegate when you can.  

Prioritize, do not triage.  Use your calendar to schedule time for larger tasks and do not let smaller tasks interrupt your schedule.  You know what a real emergency is and what can wait.  

Take Time For Yourself

Schedule and take breaks during your day.  Walk away from your screens and your phone.  Go outside.  Disconnect.  Do something that makes you happy.  Five minutes.  Ten minutes.  Your brain needs the break and you will be more productive when you return to your work.  

Nurture Your Body

Drink more water. Drink less caffeine. Eat lunch.

Move your body.  For me this is weights and getting lost in the woods. For you it may be gardening or walking or hiking. Whatever releases endorphins works.  Just move.  

Make sleep and rest a priority.  

Remember It’s Ok To Not Be OK

Give yourself some grace.

Ask for help when you need it, either of your colleagues, your partners, or your doctor.  

We Can Do This!

My electricity just came back on.  I’ve rebooted the kids with a driveway dance party which helped my mood just as much as theirs.  Just don’t tell my clients I was just shaking it to Meghan Trainor or I’ll have lost all my street cred. 

Hang in there everyone.