Virtual happy hours were fun for a while.
Being able to put a load of laundry in during the workday was convenient.
No commute gave us more hours for our work life and our home life.

But now that we are more than a few months down the road, it’s not so fun.

Parents are juggling workloads and childcare, having to schedule their home office for that most important meeting or the school project. Young people starting their careers are not physically meeting people at work. They are missing out on the hallway conversations, the last-minute lunches and the quick questions we ask to learn our way around and bond with our team. Many are also facing increased workloads due to having to making significant changes to meet customer needs, quarantining changes or take on the job of someone who was downsized.

We are in a season of unknowns. The confusion is swirling all around us and we aren’t quite sure when it will let up. We remain confident that we will grow more adapted to this process. But until we adapt, it matters how we walk through the confusion.

So, when you’ve had enough, what’s next? 

1. Address the emotional side of what you are experiencing.
Get curious about what you are feeling. As evidenced on social media platforms, when many of us feel unwanted emotions, we rush to anger when what we really are feeling is confused or sad. We are feeling sad about the dreams this pandemic crushed or lonely through the loss of easy connections. You aren’t going to heal what you don’t give yourself permission to feel. Find a feelings wheel or an emotions wheel and explore. Get curious about what is underneath anger. It is amazing how powerful self-awareness can be.

2. Make yourself take breaks.
Once an hour – get up from your desk, walk around, call a friend or take a walk. Take a lunch break – read a book you enjoy, watch an uplifting video or do a short yoga routine. Move your body (exercise, dance, walk) at least 35 minutes each day. Moving your body releases positive endorphins which we all need right now. Take care of yourself and you will feel and work better.

3. Get a change of scenery.
A drive to the country, visit a friend social distancing in the park, hike at the lake. Take time to get away from your office/home/computer screen. Set boundaries of when work begins and ends. We know that extended hours of work tend to decrease our focus and our effectiveness. 

4. Spruce up your workspace or a homespace.
Make it a positive place for you. Maybe a new plant, fresh flowers, a new picture or chair will do the trick. Even some great new pens. Or rearrange what you have for a new look. And keep it tidy. Let’s make it somewhere we want to be.

5. Practice kindness and gratitude, to others but also to yourself.
Smile more. Speak words of kindness to those around you. Send words of gratitude in a text.

Stop using the word “should”. It can be a mental beatdown. Decide if the task you ‘should’ do is something you really need to do. If it is, then do it. Or if it’s something you don’t plan on ever doing, take it off your radar. “Should” can keep us in a place of shame and frustration.

We all need a little more patience right now as we are figuring out this new normal. Take some deep breaths, filling your lungs with peace. Speaking words of kindness and gratitude will do just that – bring more peace.