I’m happy to finally be writing given it’s been a little over a month since my last entry. As it would have it, I was in the middle of relocating and in a temporary space before COVID’s lockdown hit, here in Colorado. And so while I am still displaced and not in an actual ‘home’ yet, all I can say is, gratitude can take you a very long way. So can a little bit of grace. Overall, I just want to take this time to express my deepest gratitude to our essential workers, working long and hard hours on the front line. Some being friends and some family; I wish I could support you all in a much bigger way. I am just grateful for still seeing your faces through zoom and on the phone.
I’ve been fortunate enough to continue working remotely, and have been reading all of my colleagues articles, posts, feeling all the emotions on a collective level and generally trying to find some sort of balance through it all, as most of us are. Some of my clients have been fortunate enough to continue ‘business as usual’, some not as lucky. As I work with them to support their teams and disorganization, I thought I would focus today’s post on what has been working when it comes to fostering some type of direction on wellness in the workplace. It’s a tough one to channel, since absolutely everyone, every company, client, individual is definitely not in the same boat as media wants us to believe it to be. There can be a lot of reflection, inspiration, hobby making and snuggling on those snowy or rainy days from home; however, there is also an inordinate amount of anxiety and misfortune for those that have lost income, working on the front lines and even grieving over a lost friend or family member. Not so easy to come up with a ‘wellness plan’ or straightforward response to employers that need support.
With that said, here’s what I see working…
Supportive Leadership: Having a supportive director, colleagues, and even those that are consultants or sole proprietors that can potentially lean on a mentor. I encourage all managers and those that are in charge to consistently check-in, creating a platform of steadiness and empathy. Caring about your employees first and foremost will not only keep your team level, you can bet they will stick with you way out there in the long run. Employers that are supportive in nature tend to retain the best talent beyond their competitors. I have been so disheartened to hear owners that haven’t checked in with their staff since the shutdown, or sadly dragging in essential workers to the workplace when they may be symptomatic. There is definitely a difference in cultural norms when it comes to what the expectations of a role may be, but taking a step back and thinking of the long-term success of your business can encourage leaders to remain connected and supportive.
Getting Sunshine: Walk and talk conference calls. Personally and professionally, this has been a game changer. Taking frequent walks even if you’re in a grey or rainy part of the globe can keep your immunity strong and your spirits high. If you’re not getting outside as much as you would like, especially since some of us are working behind our desks longer than usual, stack up on Vitamin D (with K).
Social Connectivity: Laughter! Encourage employees to zoom call their friends and family. As you may know from my previous post on loneliness, our brains literally release social neuropeptides when we have social interactions. For those that are not living with a significant other, this is even more important. Think of isolation and lack of social interaction basically turning a beautiful green healthy plant into a dry, prickly cactus! (Healthy) Friends + (Healthy) Family = Happy Water and Plants
Scheduling Meals & New Recipes: As a nutritionist, I can’t say I didn’t fall into snacking, eating high carbohydrate foods that I normally wouldn’t eat when this first started. Give yourself some grace, but finding routine with nutrient dense foods, did my body good. Scheduling meals and snacks, as I would have in the office or on the road, has helped. Encouraging recipe swaps to share with teammates can be fun and inspiring, because let’s face it, cooking the same old thing and grabbing takeout isn’t necessary when we have the time to get a little creative. To keep gut health in check during these stressful times, I have also recommended taking L-Glutamine and high doses of buffered Vitamin C along with Berberine extract or Cat’s Claw Blend.
Morning Meditation & Journaling: I tell you what, this is something that I have always tried to do on a daily basis for years now and it has been nearly impossible with early mornings to the office, dog walks and packing food for the day. But this is one that I will do my best to never get away from me when we are all back to some sort of new ‘normal’, and in speaking with managers, this can go a long way. Breath work to regulate your nervous system first thing in the morning using visualization and then writing three pages of what is on your mind, emotional, mental, financial – it’s up to you. Sometimes it’s gratitude work, sometimes it’s lingering thoughts that need to clear out and pave for a productive workday. Putting pen to paper, by the way, can stimulate neuropathways to enhance productivity and learning. Typing doesn’t have the same effect. It can also help either reinforce a good thought or a feeling you want to achieve or slow you down enough to become present in changing a challenging thought, if needed. It proves to be much like meditation, slowing the brain down and clearing the mind of stress. (1-2)
During this time when there is such an overload of information, I hope these few small, yet powerful tools can ground and enhance your team’s connectivity even stronger than it was before.
- S. Krach, F. Paulus, M. Bodden. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. The Rewarding Nature of Social Interactions. 2010. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2889690/
- N. Olson. Forbes. Three Ways That Handwriting With a Pen Positively Affects Your Brain. 2016. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyolson/2016/05/15/three-ways-that-writing-with-a-pen-positively-affects-your-brain/#74716c935705
