Today’s tip:
PAMPER YOURSELF, LEAD BY EXAMPLE & RESPONSIBLY GET OUT THERE!!!
Some of you have been generous enough to share with me your concerns, aprehensions, and fears. Regardless of position on the company organogram or social order, I have noticed that they are all very similar, and -guess what- coincide with many of my own! I’d say that, in general, we are at risk of being physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and lost in terms of what’s next? Fortunately, there is a remedy for all three, but getting it right requires more than just hoping. It requires decision and action. It demands tough conversations with ourselves, self-compassion (not self-pity), and concrete work.
Despite the encouragement, the number of colleagues with more than sixty days of accumulated leave has increased. How can we expect not to be physically exhausted if we are not giving ourselves a break? Yes, I understand we all are ‘saving’ our leave days to go home -in or out of Nigeria- but we are doing it at our own expense.
When was the last time you had a physical meeting with your colleagues? When did you last go out for a social gathering with your friends? Indeed, if you stay 100% of the time lockdown, the risk of getting COVID-19 drops significantly, but the risk of seriously jeopardizing your mental health increases exponentially. I cannot imagine my life during these months without Neil’s Sunday swimming ‘lessons’; Alysee’s almost weekly dinners, the reinvigorating morning walks when I make it to Maitama, or the ‘invasion’ of my friends’ house with the subsequent ‘walks of shame.’
As noted by Rebecca Knight, this is the time to choose self-compassion; reflect on your purpose; reframe the situation -choose your glasses-; force yourself to think positively; seek a sense of achievement; embrace your humanity; look for outside support, and practice self-care. None of these come easy, fall from the sky, or can be bought in a pill. But we are in for the long haul, and it is up to us to improve our quality of life in the new normal. I wish you all the best for this week!
Please do check these links and act accordingly!