Are You Fine?

Who hasn’t related with Ross from ‘Friends’ in the past year, squeaking out “I’m fine” as one sudden turn of events after another leaves one feeling a bit off balance. It has indeed led to a range of emotions. Gratitude, sadness, happiness, anger, shock…it’s been a year. Much like the notorious “wall” that marathon runners encounter around the 20+ mile mark, the pandemic wall has officially hit after 11 months of restricted measures. So how does one push through and cross the finish line with a few more months of restrictions in place?

Pace yourself. Much like a runner builds in rest days and easy runs to balance the strain they place on themselves during endurance runs, YOU need rest and easy days too. Give yourself grace. It’s easier said than done I know, but start small. Try building in one more hour of rest at night. Give yourself 10 minutes between those back to back Zoom calls to stretch your legs and grab a snack. Take a walk outside before work or during lunch to process your thoughts and think through ideas.

With more employees working from home, work and life have blurred significantly, leading to longer hours in the [home] office. There’s even a new term for the frequent task switching employees do between their personal and professional lives, coined “nano transitions,” by M. Gloria González-Morales, associate professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University. The findings? If one is intentional about planning their breaks to attend to a personal or professional task, they fare better than those who encounter unintentional or unplanned breaks and changes to their day.

When I coach individuals and leaders, I encourage them to time block entire days when they can. This supports their wellbeing and stands to increase the quality and output of their work. What if you did your best to make Monday’s your internal work days? Maybe you have a couple of urgent calls to take, but two calls beats a day of back to back calls. Some weeks will be more hectic than others, but the more intentional you can be with protecting your time to ensure you are getting rest and nutrition, the better you will feel and perform. (Yes, I see you over there, skipping meals and grabbing a handful of nuts in your two minutes of downtime).

What’s the first action you can implement today to create a better tomorrow?

Image: City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark

There’s no need to feel like this all the time.