4 Ways to Optimize Your “New Normal” Workday During Coronavirus
by Marah Funder, Director of Marketing and Communications
Most people have not seen a global pandemic like this in their lifetime. Coronavirus is new, confusing, intimidating, and for the foreseeable future will dictate how we live our lives. There has been a surge of countries implementing stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, with many states following suit as they attempt to flatten the curve. Now that non-essential workers in Massachusetts have been asked to stay home, we wanted to point you to some resources you and your family can lean on to help you optimize your “new normal” in these four ways, during the Coronavirus pandemic.
1. Staying informed with accurate information:
Keyword being accurate. There are a variety of sources people choose to get their information from, but there are really only a few that provide unbiased, science-backed information. In times of a pandemic, it’s important to distinguish the reliable sources from the biased or uninformed reports. Organizations like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security are all trustworthy sources of information on COVID-19.
The CDC has a ton of resources – including maps of reported cases in the U.S., information on how to protect yourself, and what to do if you think you’re sick.
The WHO has similar resources to the CDC but on a global scale. You can find technical guidance by country, situation reports, and an extremely helpful page called ‘Myth busters’.
Johns Hopkins has a few interesting PDFs to explore, including a Coronavirus Fact Sheet, COVID-19 Genetics, and an ‘Experts in the Media’ section of trustworthy news articles.
photo by YMCA
2. Staying physically active:
Gyms were one of the first non-essential businesses to close, even though staying physically active is essential to your health. Luckily there are several ways for you and your family to remain active during the self-quarantine. If the weather is good, you can go for a walk, jog, hike, or bike ride while still maintaining proper social distancing guidelines. If you’re still getting snow (like us in Massachusetts), or you feel more comfortable staying indoors, there are many great home exercise resources available right now.
Fitness Blender includes a wide variety of workouts, most of which are free. And their selection of “quiet” and “no jump” cardio workouts are designed specifically for people who live in apartments.
Many health and fitness brands are taking their classes online, so participants can join in at home. Planet Fitness, for example, is currently streaming live workout videos on Facebook Live through its campaign “United We Move”. Tune in live, or find the recordings on their YouTube page after the class is over: https://www.youtube.com/planetfitness
Corepower Yoga is offering free online classes to all its members and many non-members, which you can find here: https://www.corepoweryogaondemand.com/keep-up-your-practice (P.S. they offer your first week of membership free. and I bet you’re way more likely to take full advantage of that week from the comfort of your home!)
photo by Guiding Wellness
3. Staying emotionally healthy:
We already covered the importance of staying informed with accurate information, which is Step One in mitigating stress in your life. But as the reality of self-quarantine sets in (whatever your reality may be - restless kids, diminishing supply of toilet paper, alone in a small apartment, etc.), it’s as important as ever to take stock in your emotional health. Lucky for all of us, there are a ton of emotional well-being resources being offered at no cost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calm.com curates a variety of free resources, including soothing meditations, sleep stories, calm music, and more. There’s even a section for kids, which is helpful after the tenth time your 5-year old has interrupted your Zoom meeting with a client because she wanted a snack.
Headspace.com is your one-stop-shop for learning more about and practicing meditation. Plus, they offer a two-week free trial for all of their paid meditations if you like what you see!
Live and Work Well is usually a private Employee Assistance Program, but for a limited time, you can get free behavioral health support provided by United Healthcare by going online or calling 1-866-342-6892.
photo by Epsilon blog
4. Staying productive with work:
Whether you’re used to working remotely or not, employers are being forced to allow it. Maybe you’ve had a great at home office, but new interruptions like needy pets home from doggy day care or the setup of a second office space for your partner have quickly become distractions. Or maybe you live alone and can work, uninterrupted, for hours straight but burn out quickly. Whatever your situation may be, keep in mind that normal work rules should apply right now. Meaning you should still be taking short breaks to stretch your legs, to stare out the window, and to chat with coworkers or friends. Below are some helpful apps to help you reconnect if you’re feeling isolated:
Slack is one of the more popular collaborative workspace options. You can connect your entire team, create channels for different work topics, have separate private conversations, and even video chat. (Full disclosure: EBS uses Slack and we love it; we spend most of our time posting pictures of our pets in the #EBS-non-human channel).
Houseparty is a mobile app (there is also a Google Chrome extension) that allows you to group video chat with your friends or coworkers. Aside from being extremely easy to use and the ability to join different “parties”, the app also allows you to play different games like trivia or Heads Up!.
We hope these resources help you and your family remain happy and healthy during this time. You can find a wealth of information and more helpful tips - added daily - on our COVID-19 Resources page in the Client Resource Center of our website.