In this difficult time of COVID-19 when the whole of humankind is facing a major crisis, a topic that has taken a backseat is ‘mental health.’ Mental health is the level of psychological well-being of an individual. While we are all engrossed in taking care of the physical symptoms of COVID-19, we tend to overlook the psychological ones.
WHAT IS WORK FROM HOME?
Apart from those who are stuck inside, there is this group of people who are still stuck in the usual cycle of work. They are the ‘work-from-home’ ones. These people are still supposed to do the tedious job of 6-8 hours with the only exception that now they’re doing it from home. They’re attending video conferences, making projects, and meeting deadlines, just as they used to in their office. All this has to be done away from the official setting along with other things to be done at home.
While most of the people around us are enjoying this lockdown like holidays, it is disheartening and frustrating to do the usual job even at home. People feel disorganized, not being able to focus completely on work, and have issues of time management. This inability to cope with the pressure of work and home is the reason for inadequate mood-swings. One also faces this competition of being productive and showing skills on social media platforms.
PROBLEMS FACED BY PEOPLE DURING WORK-FROM-HOME
The prolonged stress of all these things can even develop into mental health illnesses in the long run. One can be facing minor anxiety, panic attacks, depression, binge eating, or even binge-watching as per individual surroundings.
HOW CAN WE DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM?
These problems may appear minor to the ones without work, however, it causes a lot of tension and stress to the ones experiencing it. Though we know such a situation comes once in a lifetime, it is indeed difficult for some people to deal with the stress caused by it. So, the best way we can cope with it is with ACCEPTANCE and HEALTHY POSITIVITY, which simply means to understand that you have to take it as it is, so better to take it a healthy manner.
After doing the former we can focus on minor changes in our lifestyle which can help us in the long run as well. These minor changes are:
- Making sure that you are not missing out on your health, physical as well as mental. Physical health includes eating fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables and exercising while mental health includes having regular self-talk and making sure that you have no mental burden.
- Learning stress management techniques which can help us in becoming more productive and give our best at work.
- Following time-tables is easier said than done but one can at least have a to-do list which includes everything he/she feels is important to do in a day.
Also, to keep your mental health in check, even with the heavy load of work one can do at least the following things –
Apart from the above-mentioned tasks, people can also learn to cook, clean, and can even focus on their ignored passions and hobbies as per availability of time. Taking out time for yoga, meditation and exercise can also do wonders in the long run. And above all, we should spend quality time with our parents and siblings which is always amiss during regular days.
After trying all these things if one still cannot deal with his/her mental health issues one can definitely speak to a counsellor. Nowadays, many organisations have put forward their ways of helping people deal with their mental issues also by conducting free counselling sessions through video calls as well as on chats.
Having a positive outlook, that is, believing that there’s something good in everything that happens to us, is always the best solution to deal with such troublesome situations. At least, one feels less helpless after thinking so. Nevertheless, one should also know the difference between toxic positivity and healthy positivity. We should avoid the ignorant attitude of thinking that the problem doesn’t exist (toxic positivity) and should rather focus on dealing with the thought that it is what it is and we have to learn to cope with it (healthy positivity). It helps us ignore the impossibilities and focus on making the most of the things we have. Finding happiness in little things and learning to sacrifice at times are lessons taught to us by tough circumstances.
This pandemic is indeed a matter of grave concern but the day we decide to fight against it with sincerity and a little compromise and contribution on our part we won’t be far from enjoying a peaceful living. All it needs is our support, and a determined will.
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its really insipiring , specially in this lockdown period.
it has litrally motivated me alot to balance my work life and mental health .
very helpful !!!