January 27, 2021
Self Care: Look after yourself during the pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the work life balance may have swung out of control for many, now more than ever it is important to make time for yourself and keep your physical and mental health in check. Self care is often the last item on the long list of priorities, however, along with the pandemic many have reported a work / life imbalance, increased stress levels and sleep difficulties. It's important to make time to look after yourself.
February is National Heart Month in the United States and elsewhere in the world, raising awareness of how you can take care of your heart as part of your self care routine and preventative measures you can take to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Heart healthy living involves understanding your risk, making educated choices and reducing the possibility of getting heart disease. Through preventative measures, you can lower your risk of developing heart disease and improve your overall health and well-being. The National Heart, Lung and Health Institute recommend the following...
- Get a daily dose of physical activity, such as a brisk, 30-minute walk.
- Cook meals that are low in sodium and unhealthy fats.
- Take your medications as prescribed and keep your medical appointments.
- Sleep 7-8 hours a night.
- Manage stress through, for example, meditation, yoga, a warm bath, or quiet time with a good book or funny movie.
- Try to reach or stay at a healthy weight by moving more and having snacks like fruits and veggies ready to grab when hunger hits.
What’s your health status?
Take a moment to reflect on your self care program, what is your health status? During busy and uncertain times, keep check on your mental and physical health regularly.
Working from home | Top Tips
Many of our clients, partners, and also logistics professionals are now working from home because of the COVID-19 outbreak; we know that work remotely can present new challenges. Therefore, the Learning & Development Department at Crane Worldwide has compiled several top tips to support working remotely.
- During self-isolation, confine your workspace to a specific area in your home so that your job doesn't intrude into the lives of other household members. It may increase your concentration and performance. Try to develop a space that you designate as your workstation, if possible, make your area a stress-free zone of quiet and solitude. If you don't have a separate room, find a space with minimum traffic flow or a corner of a room off from the main area.
- Block excess noise such as the neighbor's barking dog or noise from other household members with noise-canceling headphones or earbuds.
- Go to the same designated workspace regularly so that your mind doesn't wander, you can focus and increase your productivity. Establish water-tight psychological boundaries, so you're not constantly reminded of temptations around you.
- Set water-tight physical boundaries around your designated workspace that is off-limits for housemates. Stick to a regular schedule, and keep your workspace at arm's-length after hours. Try to maintain the same hours you log in at the office, so you don't get swallowed up by the workload.
- After a reasonable day's work, put away your electronic devices and work tools just as you would store carpentry tools after a building project or baking ingredients after making a cake! Keeping work reminders out of sight keeps them out of mind and helps you relax and recharge your batteries.
- Discourage personal intrusions. Interruptions and drop-ins can cause you to lose your focus, procrastinate, or get behind a deadline. While working from home, it's crucial to prevent intrusions into your workspace. Informing that although the location of your job has changed, there's no difference from any other profession requiring privacy and concentration. Notify others that during at-home work hours, you're unavailable and can not be interrupted.
- Employ your video communications perhaps more than you usually would, now that you're more isolated than before. Make sure you have your company's telecommuting devices set up and ready to go to stay connected with your team members and office friends.
- Avoid cabin fever. Now that you're spending a significant amount of time at home get outside as much as possible. Starting a new hobby like gardening and, if possible, a walk around the block might help. After work hours, enjoy other areas of your home: watching a good movie, reading a book, or cooking a fun meal. Lead as much of a full social life as possible - use technology to assist meetups. The new normal is not to limit social devices but to take advantage of them. Use social media and connect with friends over the many video conferencing applications that are now available so that you feel connected.
Working from home might be an unusual activity for many. However, several professionals consider it a good idea and highly productive. It's a matter of managing your time effectively and reducing distractions.