Feelings

How are you feeling?

A lot of people I have been talking to lately seem to have a general feeling of malaise (a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being – Miriam Webster) or angst (a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity – Miriam Webster) as this pandemic goes on and on.

In the beginning people were hopeful that it would be over soon, but as we have passed the 6 month mark and things are still increasing, people seem to be unsure of what life will be like in the future and this is disconcerting.

I have read a number of articles and recently watched a video with Simon Sinek as he explored how he is feeling after 4+ months of isolation.  You can view it here:  Simon

One such article is from FastCompany.  The author Diani Shi states ” Many of us had high hopes at the beginning of quarantine. We’d read more books, tackle long-overdue home improvement projects, and make use of our now-free commuting time to get ahead at work.

But it hasn’t necessarily worked out that way. “People are realizing no, this isn’t the abundance of time and space we originally believed,” says Sarah Greenberg, a licensed psychotherapist and leadership coach. “Most of us are holding more than we’ve ever had before.”

Stress

Are you feeling a lot of stress? “Many of us are experiencing a high degree of stress right now, whether due to anxiety about the state of the world, social isolation, unemployment, additional caregiving responsibilities, and/or dealing with illness and loss.” (Diana Shi)

Many of us have to deal with working from home while also home schooling our children, or looking after our younger children who would normally be in day care while we work.  We might also have to deal with the stress of both partners trying to work from home with limited space to do so, while still dealing with the day to day chores of preparing meals and cleaning.

In addition, many others have been laid off from their jobs and are wondering if and when they will be able to return to work and to what type of work.  They are reviewing the job ads to see what might be out there for them and are becoming more and more frustrated as the time goes on.  Often times they are not sure how to express these feelings of frustration.

Zoomed Out

Another problem that some at-home workers are experiencing is Zoom burnout as they are attending so many Zoom meetings.  Often several in a day.  Some people may not have the best facilities at home for these meetings and children can be seen running through the meetings or other household members may appear in the background.

Workers are often expected to be available whenever they are called upon despite the other things they may have to deal with and often are required to be “on video” instead of being able to listen in or comment while in non-video mode.  You may have seen some videos of people who forgot their cameras were on while they were, shall we say, not prepared to be seen.

Isolation

People who are more extroverted are feeling the symptoms of isolation (detachment from others often involuntarily – Miriam Webster) and miss the day to day contact with their fellow workers.  The intense feelings of isolation can become a huge stressor, which can lead to procrastination as well as many other problems.  Those of us who are more introverted are often quite content to work from home, and have often wished we could do so. ”

Procrastination can be a sign or outcome of burnout,” says Greenberg. This means, when we’re heading into a burnout zone, our reaction may be to avoid assignments we know are important.”

Now that employers are realizing that it is possible for employees to work from home and still get the work done, they are re-examining the way they will work.

A recent Gartner poll showed that 48% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID-19 versus 30% before the pandemic. As organizations shift to more remote work operations, explore the critical competencies employees will need to collaborate digitally, and be prepared to adjust employee experience strategies. ” Mary Baker- Future of Work

Here is an article on Working From Home For Parents that you may find helpful.

To coping with feelings while working from home!!

Fran Watson

P.S.  Here is a list of feeling words to help you identify some of your feelings. Feelings Word List

 

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