The ongoing pandemic has changed the dynamics of work for millions. The current crisis is far from positive, but it does open up new opportunities to change your habits and improve wellbeing. Crisis breeds opportunity as they say, and it holds true.
Being forced to adapt to new routines is an opportunity to reorganize your days – to think outside the box and change the paradigm – both personally and in the organization. Many of you will have more time as you don't have to commute to the office or travel. Yet it seems to be difficult for many to reorganize their daily routine. Humans are creatures of habit and are at first overwhelmed with new situations, which is perfectly normal.
What if you start to realize that you can finally find the time to do things that you could never do until now? Things that might bring a longterm benefit to your life like having more me-time, spending time with your family, being more focused and productive?
What will you start doing differently in and after this unusual, challenging situation?
Below you can find a couple of ideas for staying focused, healthy and maybe you even want to pause for a moment and reflect on your life.
1. Mindset - use your thoughts for you not against you
Having a positive mindset and being able to control your thoughts and focus on the positive is a huge ad
vantage in challenging times. Victory or defeat of an athlete are close to each other, the difference depends on his mental state. As mental strength ensures that the maximum of sporting potential can be called upon. Those who struggle with performance blockades often cannot activate all resources when it really matters.This finds similarities in life and at work. Try to focus on the positive and use this as an opportunity to change your habits for the better.
2. Focus on your health and boost your immune system
This is an excellent time to give more attention to your health. What does it include?
Spending more time at home, you might have time to prepare your meals instead of going to a restaurant, which has a lot of benefits: you know exactly what is in your food and you can add some immune-boosting nutrients, like leafy greens, ginger, citrus fruits, fish, etc. If you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen, meal prep on Sundays' got you covered for the rest of the week.
3. Stay active and work on your fitness and mobility.
There are tons of quality online courses available now from body weight training to yoga, from 20 minutes to 90 minutes. Use this chance to try something new, you don't need any equipment and not more than 5 sqm in your apartment or on your balcony. You can simply do some stretching and breathing techniques to mobilize your body and focus your mind.
4. Recovery and sleep
Sleep is the number one recovery tool for mental and physical recovery. Latest studies show that an average adult needs seven to eight hours sleep per night. Getting enough sleep will boost your immune system and support you to perform at your best mentally and physically.
In the long run, sleep deprivation can have negative consequences on your immune system, concentration and metabolic processes. The risk of depression, cardiovascular disorders, injuries or overweight increases.
5. Enjoy nature
Spend more time in nature, in the forest, in the mountains or on the lakes. Jogging, biking or simply walking in nature and observing your surroundings has several positive effects on your physical condition and mental energy.
6. Connect with people and friends all over the world
What a benefit this is! Finally you will find the time to call an old friend or to chat with a family member. Less physical contact, more social connection. Especially in uncertain times, connecting and supporting each other has a huge benefit on our wellbeing and our mind.
Be creative and invite your friends for a virtual dinner on facetime.
7. Mindfulness and mental health
To be able to change your mindset and use your thoughts for you, requires mindfulness. I recommend to do some mindfulness exercise daily. Whether you have a meditation practice or do some breathing exercises, anything that helps you to stay in the present moment and master your thoughts will be helpful. We can transcend our lot by learning to quiet the mind in meditation - not merely to relax and cope with stress, as the popular notion of Buddhism holds, but to rigorously train oneself to relinquish bad mental habits. Meditation becomes a tool to investigate your mind and change your worldview. You're not tuning out so much as tuning up your brain, improving your self-monitoring skills.
8. Take more time for yourself and reflect
In a moment of crisis, we often start to reflect more on our lives, values, dreams. Take the opportunity and think about your identity and values: what legacy do you want to leave the world, what's the impact you want to make on others? How can you be of service to others? What is really important in your life and what do you need for a meaningful and happy life?
The best opportunity to make small personal changes is when big changes happen around us. Don't try to change everything at once, choose one or two things.
Take small steps, reach big goals!
