The pandemic workday is a real thing - and it's exhausting! We talk all the time about the differences between work pre-COVID and now. The fate of the physical office is unknown and working from home is here to stay.
Rachel Dubrow, LCSW is featured in this very relevant TODAY article about the pandemic workday and the ways we can help cope now and look forward to the future. Here are some excerpts to consider:
“Since we know this is a real thing, we need to try to be mindful of how we address it,” said Dubrow. “I don't blame [clients] for being exhausted and what we almost always discuss is boundary setting. Which meetings can be done as a walking meeting where you're outside walking while listening in? Which meetings are optional versus required? I often have to remind clients that if they schedule the meeting, they get to decide if it can be done on the phone and its duration.”
“There's a constant spin of worry: ‘If we aren't productive enough, we might lose our job, so we better work as hard as humanly possible,’ [or] ‘if I say yes to everything, my boss will value my work even more and I won't be on the short list for layoffs.’ While I understand all of these things, we are demonstrating our ability to cope by showing our employers that we are capable of more than we ever were before. It's a vicious cycle, and — while I wish we all had superpowers — it's not sustainable. Hence the exhaustion. So, take 10% of the things you are being tasked with and say a polite ‘no’ and see what happens. If you say ‘no’ and it works, great! If you say ‘no’ and it doesn't work out as planned, you are now armed with a new response and expectation.”
“If you're comfortable, work outside at a coffee shop, restaurant or even your back porch,” said Dubrow. “Being outside can help with the exhaustion because it gives us more direct access to sunlight, which can help promote vitamin D production in the body. We know that there have been links to vitamin D and symptoms of depression in the past, so it's worth considering.”
Contact our office if you want to discuss a more personalized approach to getting through the workday. We're here for you every step of the way.
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