As the COVID-19 pandemic creeps into spring, summer and likely the rest of this year, some employees are rescheduling, rethinking or outright canceling vacation plans. However, this does not mean you should not request the occasional personal time-off (PTO) from your HR, (even if it’s just one day) to indulge in self-care. We all deserve a little self-care after this past year of working from home, not being able to visit family and loved-ones — and for many others, in-home schooling of our kids.
Here are excerpts from an article by Beatrice Bowers titled How to practise self-care during the COVID-19 crisis:
- It’s okay to dial back on watching the news
As important as keeping updated is, the news can be seriously overwhelming. The repetitive cycles of doom and gloom alerts across the world about the coronavirus can cause anxiety and disillusionment, so if you find yourself struggling to keep your mind centred, switching off once in a while has its benefits. Turn that phone off, give yourself a digital detox for an hour, or tune into something that has no relevance to reality for a bit.
2. Surround yourself with green
It’s never been better to nurture your green thumb. Working from home or being put on stay-home quarantine can get claustrophobic, and one does miss nature, even though it is right outside the door or window. Have tangible green within reach. Nurture it. Foster it. Find purpose in plants if that’s your thing. Having indoor plants is scientifically proven to be a mood booster, and we’re at a time where we are taking all we can get.
3. Find a hobby to centre yourself at home
Hobbies are important no matter the global climate, but distraction has now become imperative. Pick up a hobby that you can practise at home to alleviate stress or boredom — yoga, meditation, playing music, cooking, jigsaw puzzles, the list is endless. Make sure the hobby bears fruitful rewards, like a tangible end product you can feel satisfied with. This nurtures your happiness and wellbeing. No, binge-watching Netflix shows do not count.
Bottomline: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, work and has made us adapt to new norms in our social lives. This new reality poses a unique set of challenges for all of us and so, practicing self-care is essential when it comes to taking care of our emotional health and well-being.
To learn more about ATS go to our website to download a demo of ATSTimeWorkOnDemand. And, to reach an account executive by phone call, 866.294.2467.
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ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.
Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce.
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