6 Ways I've Found More Balance During the Pandemic
I don’t think I need to point out how tough 2020 has been for a lot of us. As travel plans were cancelled, weddings were postponed, and we got used to working from home (if we didn’t loose our jobs that is), we also realised what really matters. I’ve heard from a lot of people that their wellbeing has become a bigger priority, or that they learned not to take things for granted and have become more grateful for what they have. From others, I’ve heard that they are more stressed than ever. Remote work burnout became a thing. And it reminded me of something.
While the pandemic may have exacerbated it, burnout definitely isn’t new. A few years back, I read an article that went viral: How Millennials became the burnout generation. It resonated. The gist of it:
“Burnout [is] not a temporary affliction: It’s the millennial condition. It’s our base temperature. It’s our background music. It’s the way things are. It’s our lives.”
— Anne Helen Petersen
I have a hunch that this especially resonates for the creative and tech industries, which millennials dominate. A recent study found that close to 60 percent of tech workers feel burnt out, and that was before the pandemic hit. It makes sense to me. Tech companies grow very fast, and it's all about 'scaling up'. Fast-growing environments are full of uncertainty, which is challenging to navigate. Pair that with millennial workers who are looking for meaning and having an impact, want to learn and grow, and over-identify with their work, it’s not hard to see how their wellbeing can get left behind very easily. Never Not Creative, an Australian a not-for-profit initiative working towards a better creative industry, states that ‘burnout has been plaguing the creative industry since the beginning of time.’ Others argue that burnout has less to do with “work” and more to do with “life” right now, and suggest that employers have an opportunity to support employees as whole humans.
Whichever argument you believe in, burnout may just be a thing that got bigger over the last year. If you’ve been feeling stressed, here’s some tactics that have helped me deal with it all and find more balance. I hope they give you some ideas, or at least help you feel less alone in the struggle.
Find off-screen hobbies
To give you my own example, movement has been absolutely essential for me. It started with yoga and walks around the neighbourhood, and expanded and progressed to barre and hikes in the national park. At the moment, I'm levelling up my movement by learning aerials. Being able to make progress - even in small ways, e.g. being able to do a pull-up assisted by a band when I thought I’d never be able to do one in my life - has been life-changing. There’s other off-screen hobbies that can help you achieve this. If you enjoy getting creative, try drawing or lettering. Take a pottery class. Write in a physical journal with a pen instead of typing. My partner has enjoyed woodworking and gardening. Other friends have got themselves an aquarium, a SUP board, or started mixing essential oils. Try a few things to find something you like.
Demand better communication
I've come to learn that communication skills are so essential for managers to prevent burnout in their team. If I get instructions for a project that aren't clear, it takes me immense effort to challenge it with questions, after fighting my own inner narrative of "you should be able to figure this out". It can save a lot of time to ask a question, but it's hard to overcome the fear of being perceived of being stupid or not up for the job. Yes, give it a go on your on first. But set yourself a time limit. And if you spend more than an hour trying to figure something out, don’t beat yourself up. Be brave instead. Ask questions. You may look stupid sometimes, but by doing it you are building a culture where it’s okay with asking questions. Ultimately, it will improve the communication skills of others and make your work more efficient (there’s only so much time you should spend on figuring things out by yourself!)
Practice saying 'no'
Once you are comfortable asking questions, you can practice delegation. These days, whatever request comes my way, instead of just doing it myself, I assess it against my priority list and get back with questions. When do you need this by? Is there anyone else who is in a better position to do this? Again, there is the fear of being perceived as difficult, or not up for the job, but handing things off you aren’t good at will free up your time to do the things you actually are good at, and make you more efficient in the end.
Make room for what you care about
Find out what you care about, and make room for that. Start a side project you’re passionate about. Volunteer. Schedule time for your off-screen hobbies. If you’re employed, make use of schemes like volunteer days, paid health expenses, and development opportunities like mentoring and tuition reimbursement for study. This is not about taking advantage of perks, but about showing your employer that you care about these things. If you don’t use them, they may go away.
Allow yourself to rest
This can be so hard when your mind is constantly telling you that you need to be productive. Work is one thing, but there's also cleaning the house, or running errands. Even things that are good for us can create pressure. An example of this is to think "It's sunny, I have to get out and make the most of it!", but if you're tired, maybe you can allow yourself to stay in and take a nap, and get out again another day - the sun will come out again, I promise.
Create space
Try not to fill every single second of your day with consumption. With consumption I don’t mean buying stuff. I mean consumption of news, social media, books, podcasts. Create space to let yourself hear your own thoughts. Stare out the window. Go for a walk without a podcast or music. Journal. Personally, I've found morning pages to be an amazing ritual. I'm currently on a 14-day streak to do morning pages instead of checking my phone first thing in the morning. It’s about checking in with myself before I check-in with the world or anyone else.
“True self-care is not salt baths and chocolate cake, it is making the choice to build a life you don’t need to regularly escape from.“
In the end, it’s about learning to take care of yourself, and learning discernment between what makes you feel good in the moment, and what makes you feel good in the long run. Establishing and implementing true self-care is much easier said than done. It requires changing habits, and changing habits is hard work. Hard work that’s totally worth it though!
I hope you find this is helpful, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment or message me - I love hearing from you 💛 And if you’re ready to make some changes, have a look at my services and reach out.
