These ideas are from the University of Illinois-Chicago Office of Applied Psychological Services.
The impact that COVID-19 is having on our health, finances,
and daily life is enormous. We are currently experiencing an unprecedented
pandemic that requires serious action and has led to a remarkable disruption to
global society. Given all of these changes and general uncertainty, it is
normal for people to feel anxious and overwhelmed with how to cope with these
rapid changes, especially social isolation. Combining research, clinical work,
and currently available resources, there are a number of things within our
control that can help decrease anxiety and help us stay sane in a time of
chaos. In short, I recommend that we stay
structured, stay active, stay curious, stay connected, and stay grounded.
We will get through this!
Stay Structured
We know from research that maintaining a daily schedule with
clear, attainable goals helps people’s mood in general. It can be difficult to
maintain the level of productivity that you had previously outside of the home,
but you can still do things to help create structure.
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Designate
a work space in your living area. This can be as small as one side of the
couch, and as large as a specific room. Make sure you are set up comfortably,
and that work is easy to do in that space (e.g., there is an outlet, back
support).
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Maintain
a daily calendar/planner with specific activities. Structure is effectively
created when we have a specific, measurable, achievable goal for each hour of
the “work day.” Part of a typical schedule is lunch and time for breaks, so be
sure to schedule those things in to make sure productivity is maintained and
there is some normalcy.
-
For those
who are not currently working because your industry is not operational, use
this time to beef up skills with webinars, polish resumes, or engage in chores
that have been pushed to the side. Here is a link to 24 FREE online classes
offer by Ivy League universities that can help anyone increase their knowledge
& marketability https://www.themuse.com/advice/24-free-online-ivy-league-courses-you-can-sign-up-for-today-regardless-of-your-gpa.
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Take
stock of your accomplishments at the end of each day. Note the progress
you’ve made and internalize the goals you have accomplished. No goal is too
small to praise! This will also help you transition into relaxation time, which
you have earned!
-
Continue
to maintain good sleep hygiene. Separating your place of work and place of
sleep are key (i.e., don’t do work in your bed). Maintain your typical wake
& sleep routines to keep your sleep cycle on target. Try to continue going
to bed around the same time and waking up around the same time to keep your
typical rhythm. This will also help when you (eventually) transition back to
typical work days.
