Heightened stress levels:
It is recommended to regulate stress: in this time of existential anguish: of isolation,universal grief,prolonged uncertainity we call all this stress Stress is multidimensional.It is very important to break down stress into to make it manageable. We have despair, anxiety, exhaustion,sadness, anger, irritability are all a part of stress when they are named and framed then we can better deal with them. In this situation there is Prolonged uncertainity, it is that we don’t know how long this pandemic is going to last. This is not a typical disaster. We are in it and we don’t know for how long. Family members are in nursing homes or in other countries, psychologically and emotionally they are with us but physically they are not present with us. That sense of ambiguous loss is most exemplified in the m omemt. there is a constant emphasis on safety. What can we do?
It is important to create routines, rituals and boundaries. Routines to separate the different roles and responsibilities that we inhibit. Rituals because they create sacred time and sacred space. Boundaries because they create demarcations and borders which are necessary for us to be grounded and create structure. When you see life emerging infront of you or growing in front of you, it functions as an antidote to that nursing stress.
Every person is a dog owner these days because we usually thrive on personal stories with co workers, or going out and exploring a place for lunch, all of these enliving momemts are not there thats why we look out for these things in life which are so enriching.These days, we are not working from home we are working with home, sitting in one chair.. All roles are merged into one place without having to leave all the other roles. We lose a sense of community, sense of communication working and mothering together in the same place which is such a tough thing to do. It is very important to communicate boundaries with partners. Carving out a special sacred space, is very important. We are exhausted right now. We are not going to meet family or friends these days neither are we going to the gym or anything so we feel exhausted because all these small little things actually have a big impact on us. It comes from the loss of these boundaries which are missing in todays times. We are integrating our reality with our worklife. We are bringing our work to our personal life which creates a very different set of conversations as well. We are trying to work up 7 days to face the uncertainity by thinking that we are being productive in our lives right now instead of realiseing that what will help us get through this is mass mutual alliance that it is actually a shared experience we all are together in this. We need to go through this collectively, this will help us remain productive and not the hours that we put into work. It is happening, lets face it, when we are able to acknowledge it and then respond accordingly it makes us more productive, less stressful and also maintains our source of connections which ultimately is our way to manage this situation.
There is no emphasis on mental health and wellness. Every team has a different culture. There is no clue of how the big events that are happening around us are manifesting in every persons lives. It is important to start checking in on each other about each other which will deepen the connections ands talk about the fundamental boundaries. It is a shared experience. Is to name it, frame it, distill it, and respond to it.
We have to learn that mental health is the center at this time. The fundamental and psychological needs that people are bringing to the workplace will define how we will define our future at workplace.