Mental Health Post Covid-19

The effects of Covid-19 have had a huge impact on all our lives as we struggle with the drastic changes that it brought about in our daily lives. These sadly have not been fully realised and we need to be cognisant of how this could impact our emotional state of mind.

Covid-19 brought about a very sudden and drastic change from going into an office to work, to being forced to work from home where many of us battled to distinguish between work and personal lives. The results of this shift gripped some with anxiety and fear, while others have had to face the financial implications of the pandemic. All these factors have a massive impact on mental health and if not kept in check can lead to burnout.

Taking steps to improve your mental health post lockdown and returning to the office is crucial and the following tips can help to ensure you maintain a work-life balance:

• Ensure you maintain regular working hours.
• Try to develop your skill of self-care. This is something that needs to be worked on constantly.
• Create a morning routine to prepare your mind by having a moment to reflect on the day ahead. Exercise in the morning or meditation are good ways to take your mind off stress and prepare for the day head.
• Schedule breaks: remember to take short breaks in the day which will help you keep your concentration sharp and lowers your stress levels.
• Make the best of your weekends to help maintain a healthy balance. Catch up on sleep and make sure you dedicate a few hours to yourself.
• Keep in touch with friends and share your difficulties. Sometimes sharing a problem helps to get perspective.
• Take things slowly and be kind to yourself. Don’t be discouraged if you feel things are taking too long or you’re battling to get through the backlog. Planning and preparation will help you work through everything and start to feel on top of things again.
• Check in on yourself. Ask yourself whether you are coping with things, are colleagues respecting your boundaries and what you can do to improve mental health at work. Self-evaluation enables you to put things into perspective.
• Most important is to focus on the positive. This will go a long way to keep your stress levels at a minimum.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you to find perspective and help you to managed your stress and anxiety. Should things become too much to bear, we suggest you take action and get the help you need.

GAP Talent appreciates the difficulties that candidates may be experiencing and we provide support and advice to help you.