How we’ve kept mentally well during the pandemic
There’s no denying that people who work online have an “always-on” attitude. Whether that’s for work or play, if your business or brand is on social, you probably have your finger (or more specifically thumb!) on the pulse on what’s trending.
Pair this with a global pandemic (and the demand for digital content, new work setups, childcare demands, and everyday anxieties that come with it) and the result can be mentally exhausting at best.
So at 438 we’ve found it’s been more important than ever to take the time to look after our mental wellbeing.
After over a year of working from our spare rooms, kitchens, sofas and gardens here are four things we’ve found helpful in finding some peace of mind in a busy, working from home day.
#1 Regularly Checking Our Workload
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Trust us when we say, burnout can happen to anyone. And working from home we’ve found it’s been even harder to keep our work/life balance well… balanced. At 438 we’ve been combatting this by trying to manage our workloads as a team. We meet each morning to discuss workloads and plans for the day, making sure no one is overloaded (and everyone has time for a bite to eat!).
Some of us have also found it helpful to step away from our screens at set times, packing our work things away to try and keep work and home life separate… easier said than done.
#2 Making Time to Connect
While working away from the office, one of the biggest things we’ve missed is the chance to take five minutes over a brew and chat with each other. In a day full of group Zooms we’d been missing the chance to catch up on extremely important topics like the weather, the latest Line of Duty fan theory or the outcome of the Manchester derby.[
Recently we’ve been carving out the time to do just this from home; although we must admit Zoom isn’t the perfect replacement for a mug of Yorkshire Tea and a digestive. We can’t wait to be back together in the office but these little catch ups have done wonders for keeping us motivated.
#3 Enjoying Positives of Working from Home
One of the potential benefits of working from home has been the opportunity to spend more time AT home. Members of our team have worked from kitchens, spare bedrooms, living rooms and, when the weather allows, even the garden and found that the new found flexibility has impacted our mental well-being in a positive way.
Having the opportunity for more time with the kids, the chance to settle in a new puppy or even just the ability to pop the washing on in between calls, have definitely been positives of the new normal and something we look to hang onto once back in the office.
#4 Stepping Away and Getting Some Fresh Air
Sometimes pausing and stepping away from your screen can be the perfect tonic to a new idea. Here at 438, the team have been taking advantage of the opportunity to do so from home.
From lunch time walks to the local park, to trying to self-teach a new language (unsuccessfully!) the opportunity to gain inspiration and perspective by trying something new has been something really valuable to us all.
We’ve even begun our own Strava challenge- trying to walk 438 miles each month… with mixed results!