The pandemic has done more than just keep us indoors and teach us how to social distance. It is shifting the ways in which we are operating our everyday lives. Parents have to work from home, kids have to educate themselves at home, and home is now becoming the hub for everyday life. At a time in our lives where home is usually only seen as a place to relax and sleep, boundaries are more relevant than ever. How can we stay sane through this pandemic? I propose 3 ideas for keeping our cool:
1. Delegate different parts of the household as “work” and “home”:
Normally, when we are doing work at home we are sitting on our bed or in the living room. Now that home is our new place to work…it’s hard to actually get the work done. Why, because our minds are not able to associate our home to our work. Experts show that our mind shifts depending on the setting that we are in. when we are at work, we are more diligent as opposed to when we are with friends and more carefree. For the time being, pick one area of your home to be your new workspace. If you have a desk, use it and only it. Do not make it your desk one day, your living room the next…etc.
2. If you need a break, TAKE IT, but don’t take the work with you:
Depending on what your job used to be, breaks used to mean different things. As a teacher, whenever I needed a break I left the classroom for a few minutes. Now that my teaching is done online, whenever I need a break I get up from my workspace and go someplace else. Don’t take your work with you when you are on a break! It may sound so simple, but do not take your laptop with you when you are on a break. It defeats the purpose of the “break” and when you go back to work, you will feel like you did not even have a break. Now that we are literally confined to our homes 24/7, treat a lunch break as an actual work "lunch break."
3. Reconnect with Family Members:
Now that everyone is home and working from home, make sure that you are all on the same page. Ensure that everyone has a “workspace” and respect each other’s workspace. Also, try taking breaks at the same time to ensure some type of socialization amongst each other. This is a once in a lifetime situation where you are able to work and educate yourself from the comfort of your own home and with your siblings and family members. Take it, cherish it, and make it creative to you and your family.
This pandemic may seem like it will be here for a while, but just like 2020 came rushing in, so too will this virus. And we will all go back to our lives as if we were not forced to transfer our lives to our home. But for now, do what you can to not only stay safe but be reasonable.