I started working at home two and a half weeks ago. It has taken me two weeks to adjust to a certain extent, regroup and find my new groove. The photo below accurately portrays what I was tempted to do most of those two weeks. These are strange times we are navigating and that comes with fear, worries, stressors. This will inevitably affect our mental health. This situation is new to our lifetime, therefore we need to find coping skills and mechanisms we’ve never used before, or adapt the ones we currently have.
One thing that can greatly help right now is reframing the way we think about the circumstances we are living under.
“If a problem can't be solved within the frame it was conceived, the solution lies in reframing the problem.” - Brian McGreevy
What I mean by sharing this quote is that we are experiencing stressors and worries we never have before and we are feeling emotions we may not be accustomed to managing in our daily lives. There is a temptation during this time to put undue pressure on ourselves to use all this time at home to complete 3000 projects, lose 100lbs and learn 12 new languages. We are socialized to base our worth on how productive we are and how we look. While staying active and healthy and working on accomplishments and goals are important to our mental health, burying these in guilt, shame and pressure is unhealthy.
While it is important to set goals, adhere to responsibilities and work towards accomplishments, there is a balance to strike. This is a time to be kind to ourselves, to show compassion and to have understanding. Undue pressure on grandiose plans or strict routines will not lead us to the life we want; it will burn us out and affect us mentally.
This is something I have reflected on in the past two weeks as I have been getting ready to reach back out through my platform. I have been figuring out what is doable for me at the same time as what will help people while also building awareness for my brand, my living. The past 4 or 5 days have been dedicated to setting up different platforms and creating content I can share to help people.
I will be offering two free mental health workshops on Thursday April 2nd at 5:00pm Eastern and Friday April 3rd at 6:00pm Eastern. The Zoom links are the following:
Thursday 5pm: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/5532718586
Friday 6pm: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/5532718586
I have also set up a Patreon account (accessible by clicking the logo below) so that those who want to tangibly support my work and the labour that goes into offering this education, support and awareness to the community can subscribe monthly for great content that I have been creating and will continue to create and offer.
This situation is sure to last longer than we anticipate and it is time we find our new normal, free of judgment, pressure and guilt. We need to find balance, to keep our lives going but to support ourselves and each other as we process and navigate this pandemic and all its ramifications.
Stay home! Stay safe and healthy, I will do my best to offer as much value as I can through all my online platforms. Coming together as a community is the best way we can move forward.
Verry thoughtful blog