Let’s aim to understand why you may be feeling mentally fatigued and burnt out. A main reason is, simply put, the loss of control. For almost all workplaces, our normal ways of working have been disrupted almost overnight. Suddenly how we interface with clients and customers have changed, perhaps to virtual communication, using e-mails with scanned attachments, telephone calls etc. For many, remote working arrangements were suddenly thrust on them. How do I discipline myself to work from home? How do I balance work from home and school from home, if I have school-aged children? How do I cope with the new technologies that I now must use, virtual meetings that I must participate in, and unreliable internet access etc.? If I am still in the physical work space, how do I cope with wearing a mask all day while working, and remembering constantly to adhere to the protocols?
This loss of control then leads to a sense of anxiety. Many anxious thoughts will naturally ruminate in the minds of the workforce. Will I catch the virus from my co-worker? Will the organisation lose business, and in turn, will I lose my job? And with loss of control and anxiety, there is an experience of grieving, as individuals, teams, organisations, families and communities, individually and collectively are experiencing grief at various levels. There is the grief over what seems to be the loss of life’s norms such as attending a large wedding, company retreats and social activities, as well as the grief of losing coworkers, friends and family to the virus.
So how can one thrive mentally even during the COVID-19 pandemic?
First, acknowledge how the pandemic is impacting you and your workplace, not only in terms of business functionality and continuity but also mentally and psychologically. Emotional awareness is critical to this acknowledgement, and simply means to exercise empathy in understanding what are the emotions being experienced by yourself and others, and understanding how to use that information, to lend support to each other. Seek external assistance if needed. This is in fact a chance to normalize paying attention to and caring for one’s mental health. This is not a new need, but a need that has been ignored in the past.
Second, recognize that we were never really in full control before. Crises are in fact a constant of life. At the individual and organizational level, take stock of what are things that are outside of your control, but also what is actually in your span of control. Focus your energies there.
Third, seek out the opportunities that exist. Even in this crisis, there are several opportunities to capitalize on. This is an opportunity to reinvent business processes, to introduce efficiencies through technology. This is an opportunity to learn new skills; access to online learning was multiplied significantly – how can organizations and individuals take advantage of these learning and development opportunities?
Finally, this is a chance to recalibrate and redefine what is truly important. Organizations, teams and individuals should take the time to support each other, define their true core values, and how these will be their guideposts going forward. When we focus on what is truly important, we will find that we now only merely survive this pandemic. We can even thrive!
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Dr. Lois Parkes is a Director on the Board of the Human Resource Management of Jamaica. She is the Leadership Development and Institutional Strengthening Specialist with the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration. She is also an Executive Coach and completed her doctoral studies in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
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