Wellness Wednesday - Managing change and uncertainty during COVID-19

For more than a month, we have been navigating through tough times and a changing daily routine.

We’re spending more time at home with our immediate families, the water in the canals of Venice has become crystal clear, the daily hustle and bustle has come to a halt and we’re seeing a drastic shift in society.

The ever-changing dynamic of the virus can leave many feeling uncertain. Uncertain of when it will end, when we will begin to see our efforts pay off and when we can go back to the old “normal” – the one we’re used to.

Although we remain uncertain on a number of factors, we remain resilient and confident in our ability to overcome this hurdle.

Five ways to manage change and uncertainty

To help us navigate these challenging times, here are some helpful reminders:

• Take care of yourself. Prioritize taking care of yourself and carve out time in your calendar for recovery, whether it’s taking a ten-minute walk every afternoon, joining friends for a virtual lunch, or cooking yourself a healthy meal after work. Resist the temptation to just work longer and harder. This will reduce productivity in the long run. Minimize alcohol and ensure you get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.   
  
  
• Accept what’s out of your control. Focusing on things you have no control over will leave you feeling frustrated and exhausted. You cannot do anything to change certain circumstances, so it's best to let go of them. Doing so will help you focus your energy on the positive. Remember –though you may not be able to change these realities, you can change how you respond to them.      
  
  
• Embrace change. There will always be change. Instead of concentrating on the disruptive aspects, take a flexible approach and accept that change is a fundamental part of life that can also bring opportunities and positive outcomes. A very useful exercise is to ask yourself or others what positive changes have you experienced or what have you learned?     
  
  
• Maintain a positive attitude. Resilience doesn’t mean you have a positive feeling about every negative situation. It means that despite something going wrong, you believe you can and will do your best to deal with the situation and move forward. Practice reframing – what are the potential benefits? Can we turn this challenge into an opportunity?     
  
  
• Connect with others. One of the most important ways that we enhance our resilience is to spend time with other people. Having people around you with whom you can share feelings, discuss problems and receive advice is an essential part of weathering life’s storms. It’s also important to reach out for help when you feel overwhelmed by a situation.  

Share your wellness tips!

By now, we’ve all likely developed different coping mechanisms and ways of managing change and uncertainty. These are just a few tips but we’d love to hear what is working for you. Tell us what you’re doing to keep well on social media by tagging us and using the hashtag #WellnessWednesday.