Due to self-isolation or school closures, most of us either have been – or will shortly be – confined to our homes for prolonged periods of time. Whilst the risks of Covid-19 seem, thankfully, to be mild for the majority of people, the secondary risk of cabin fever can be a real threat.
Last year I had the luxury of working from home for three days a week. Even without the bleak circumstances surrounding the current crisis, it is easy for this style of living and working to leave you feeling in a rut. Supposing you are feeling well, you will need to adapt to this new normal. Here are five things that I found helpful, and maybe you will too.
- Routine is your friend
It’s easy for the clock to go out of the window and for work and leisure time to bleed into one waking marathon, leaving you feeling like you aren’t really doing either. Set your alarm to the same time as you would usually wake up. Get dressed into work clothes, and enjoy breakfast in front of the news or listening to the radio or some music. Write a timetable for the day (this may already be in place, in the case of school closure). If you have kids, go through their timetable with them. When the ‘work day’ has finished, change into normal clothes to psychologically transition into the evening.
- Make a workspace
Everyone’s living circumstances will be different. Although I live in a small flat, we are a lucky enough to have a little garden office. I quickly made it a rule to only ever do work in there. If you have an office in your house, make this the only place that you work, and only do work there. If not, allocate an area in your living room or bedroom to work from. Moving away from this space, physically, can be psychologically helpful.
- Connect
Start your day by connecting with colleagues, family and friends. Fire off a few emails or send some messages. Loneliness can creep up and it can be very comforting to simply hear about how other people are starting their day, and making a plan to check in again later on. If you are setting work or making videos for pupils, inject your personality into these so that they still have their idiosyncratic teacher each day. End the day by reaching out again, highlighting successes from the day and sharing evening plans.
- Take proper breaks.
Set times for breaks and stick to them. Have a proper lunch, enjoying the opportunity to take it in the garden, or in front of your favourite show. Reward yourself after completing each task with a quick game of sudoku, and when the timer goes for work, head back to your workspace to continue.
- Clock off
Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean that you should be ‘at work’ all of the time. Set a reasonable finish time, and when that comes around clock off for the day. You will still have some tasks to complete, the teacher’s job is never done, so make a list ready to start your work day tomorrow with. This can be helpful to compartmentalise and also give a sense of purpose for tomorrow, ensuring you being the next day with momentum and continuity.
6. Get a hobby
Your leisure time will now likely need to be exclusively indoors. This is the perfect opportunity to revisit hobbies or begin new ones. That guitar collecting dust in the spare room? Download an app or use YouTube to teach yourself a song. Record yourself and share it with friends and family, even if it’s rubbish. Start longer term projects to return to each evening. Learn the language you have been promising yourself to master. Have another pop at the A Level art project that you didn’t quite perfect all those years ago.
- Healthy body, healthy mind
Exercise is always important, but especially when you are cooped up. Maintaining a strong exercise routine will not only help with stress-busting and endorphin release, but is also a fun way to break up the day or evening. Download a HIIT app for short exercise bursts that can be done inside. Use online yoga tutorials to increase flexibility and find your inner zen.
Pedfed 