Keep Calm and Carry On
For many of us during lockdown, a normal work day begins and ends with saying “nice to e-meet you,” while staying connected online in our home offices. This might be followed by having several virtual meetings back to back. At the end of the day, after turning off Zoom, Skype or logging off Whatsapp, we often feel drained, both physically and mentally. Yet, even after logging out and switching off, many of us continue to think about work, often worrying about business, employees, health, and family. It is easy to see life during the pandemic as one endless workday with no hard stop or start at all!
The current pandemic not only has an impact on our daily life and work, but also on our emotions and mental state. Running a business during the pandemic comes with stress and uncertainty, so how can you handle such pressure and uncertainty better? In addition to consulting with a professional (recommended if you are experiencing any serious depression or medical issues), here are 5 tips that might help you go through difficult times.
Try a few “green” practices. As suggested in How Can Entrepreneurs Take Care of Their Mental Health During the Coronavirus? : Take a walk in a park (while continuing to socially distance), work out at home following YouTube videos, volunteer or donate within your local community. Be sure that you have a space to vent your feelings. It is important that although you might be socially distanced, that you are not socially isolating your emotions from your support network. The faster you discharge the pressure and anxiety from your system, the sooner you are able to focus on your business to survive and thrive in the pandemic.
Leave yourself with a bit of quiet time. Quiet, is something all too rare in modern life, especially for an entrepreneur managing a startup. However, according to The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time, a 5 minute quiet time or meditation can restore and help sustain energy, and condition our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to complex environments. For instance, you can go on a media fast from time to time, turning off your email and social media for a few hours or even a full day, which could be a perfect escape from the overwhelming amount of information and news surrounding us today.
Think positive, practice gratitude, eat right, and clean your house. You heard it right, as simple as that! The recent change and uncertainty in our routine life is causing a lot of insecurity and anxiety, and these are some professional pieces of advice from the experts to help you break all these complexities into easy to handle smaller, actionable insights. So look around and start taking more care of yourself now!
Guided meditation before sleep to let go of fear. If counting sheep is not helping, then follow this guided meditation that has been viewed over one million-times. It might be exactly what you are looking for. A comforting sleep helps a fresh mind to think, work and lead.
Engage with experts and peer entrepreneurs. It is important to know that you are not alone in facing these challenges. Sometimes all it takes is to share your feelings and talk with others in a supportive environment. YALDA (Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa) is organizing virtual mental health stress management cafés 3 times a week, at 7pm CAT for 1 hour. These cafes will provide an avenue for young people to de-stress and open conversation on managing the impact of COVID-19. For more information and registration, click here.
Interested to learn more about how to tackle different challenges in the current situation? Stay tuned for more Ye! webinar series !