Mental Health and Making a Routine
Are you feeling overwhelmed, helpless, and/or bored because of Coronavirus? Your life has been upended with no end in sight. So, let's create a routine that can help you find happiness and success.
1) Make a List - What do you need to do every day? What tasks work well? What do you do before work, for the kids, during the day? When do you exercise? How do you get healthy meals? When do you tend to your home? Don't remember, make a list in a notebook for a week.
2) Create a Schedule - Working at home makes every day the same. Time, dates, and hours evaporate without set markers. These markers are regular activities. Are you a morning person or night owl? Schedule the activities that take the most time and energy at that time of day.
3) Staying Informed - Working from home during a pandemic is stressful. What are your co-workers doing? Who's getting sick? What's happening outside my house? Plan some time to gather and share information. Set up regular meetings with your boss and co-workers to discuss various projects. Also, make time for the news to be aware of current events. Just as important, set a time limit for watching, reading, or listening to the news. Repetitive information about a crisis can be upsetting and counterproductive. You want to be knowledgeable; not terrified.
4) Separate Work Space - Have a place dedicated to only work. From Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, you and your family know that you are not to be bothered in your spare bedroom, basement, or other space. This is true if it's in the corner of your living room too. But, after hours you need to avoid using your work space to focus on friends and family. If that work space is in your living room, disconnect the phone and unplug the computer after work hours.
5) Mornings - Find something you enjoy especially if you're not a morning person. It could be as simple as coffee and/or a snack. Maybe taking the dog for a walk. Improving your attitude at this time of day can determine your enjoyment in the evening.
6) Grooming - At home, it's so easy to stay in my pajamas, avoid shaving, and just shower tomorrow. Changing into different clothes is a marker of regular activity that you are "working." And shaving, showering, combing, brushing teeth not only puts you in a "professional" mindset, but your significant other will appreciate it too...
7) Mundane Activity - Around midday, your energy tends to go down. This is a perfect time for boring chores like social media, running errands, answering emails, appointments, paperwork, the black hole of more social media, etc.
8) Break Time - Nonstop work isn't just unhealthy; it's unproductive. Taking regular breaks improves concentration, performance, and output. My wife and I have a standing date at noon to eat together in a different room than we work. It's 30 minutes to talk about the day and enjoy each other's company before going back to the grind.
9) Evening - Coronavirus brought the office into your home. But, you need to leave your job at your work space after 5pm. This is time for your friends, family, and yourself.
Prepare for the next day by laying out clothes, making lunches, and cleaning. Other regular activities to consider is talking with friends and family, medicines, relaxation/meditation, and calming activities before bed.
10) Physical Health - Are you eating nutritious meals, exercising, and getting enough sleep? Are you using excessive tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs? Take care of your body.
11) Weekends - Just because Coronavirus forced your office into your home doesn't mean it steals your weekends too. Make weekends special. Maintain healthy relationships and build a strong support system, even if it's just Facetime, Zoom, Skype, etc. Maybe this is the only time of the week you drink wine? Or make every Sunday night "game night" with the kids. Working from home and being isolated from Coronavirus means we have to be actively creative at making weekends special.
12) Flexibility - It's okay if schedules change. Just be yourself. Take on challenges when you have the most energy.
13) Try and Adjust - Write down your new routine and try it for week. Change what doesn't work. Add to things that are working great. You should feel good because the routine works for you.
14) Expectations Based on Reality - It takes about 2 months for activities to turn into habits. Honestly, Coronavirus makes this investment difficult. Will this be all over in a few days or is this going to last much, much longer? Either way, find a good routine for you and seriously stick with it. It's an investment in you that can be changed when life returns to normal.
15) Ask For Help - The Coronavirus has put a lot of fear and distress in our lives. I worry about the health and well-being of many of my loved ones. There are concerns about the impacts of social distancing on my business. Most likely, my 10-year anniversary celebration trip with my wife is cancelled. Yet, I realize this are minor issues and I am beyond fortunate to be in my personal situation. So, there's a bit of "survivors guilt" that I'm adjusting well while others are losing their jobs, unable to find food, and contracting a deadly disease. Don't be afraid to talk about your feelings and ask for help.
Michael Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold hundreds of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
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