Maintaining a Healthy Balance During COVID-19

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 parents, guardians and children are now dealing with major disruptions in their daily lives. Moving work life and school life into the home is not an easy task and can result in stressful and/or anxious feelings. In order to manage stress and anxiety remember to:

• Be aware of disruptions in your sleep pattern and eating habit, change in mood and concentration
• Take care of yourself; take breaks periodically, eat healthy and exercise
• Create supportive network with coworkers, supervisors, and family members
• Schedule activities with the family; include family relaxation time

Create a suitable environment at home that is conducive for work by:

• Ensuring a comfortable workspace within your home
• Being comfortable with yourself and wearing what makes you feel relax
• Setting schedules that are convenient for the family; taking into consideration early mornings when everyone is still asleep, when children are having lunch, or during relaxation period for children.
• Maintaining regular work schedule; avoid burnout by working extended hours at home
• Daily reflecting and reviewing what worked and what did not work, and implement the necessary adjustments
• Setting realistic expectations; you may not be able to accomplish the same goals at home as you would being in a work environment, while managing children at home and working from home
• Realizing that things will go wrong, and accidents are prone to happen; children will accidentally interrupt a meeting, the sound of the dogs barking while talking to a client, baby will get anxious and irritable. Do not be too hard on yourself

Prepared by: Camille Campbell

Adapted from: The Bellarmie University: https://www.bellarmine.edu/news/archives/2020/03/18/covid-19-expert-keim-working-from-home/