Ways to Stay Motivated During Pandemic

Motivation is the kick-start one needs to execute his daily tasks and when lacking, can certainly take things downhill.

Depression

Anxiety

Stress

Mood swings

Thoughts of quitting

Uncertainties

Doubts

These emotions are very common for one to experience when locked up in a house of four walls for around 90 days.

A day without inspiration can make you feel like a failure and that you aren’t working to your optimum. What is there to read here is, machines break down too because of constant wear and tear, you are a human and your unproductive days don’t reflect your negligence. Instead, they are your body’s way of indicating the red-signal of overwork.

In times of low encouragement, it becomes necessary to take care of your mental health. A strong and calm mind at peace is the key to work effectively and efficiently.

Read through a few things listed below that you could resort to, to bounce back in action.

Most importantly, accept and embrace your present condition. It’s you who has to be okay with the fact that you cannot always be at the top of the work ladder. Like it is said – ‘It is okay to be not okay’. Acceptance is the first step towards overcoming a shortfall.

The second in line is to embrace this feeling. Accepting and pushing it in a corner does no good, rather it affects your immunity towards stress. Let your mind and body feel the laziness and the inertness.

It’s like applying the law of diminishing marginal utility – consuming the item until you no more feel the need of having it.

The key to a healthy mind is a nutritious food and plenty of fluids. Eating proper and in regular intervals keeps your form intact and chances of losing focus reduces.

Once you are full, it’s important to stay woke and digest the meal so as to not feel sleepy again. Maintain a strict yet flexible exercise routine to stay fit and away from usual illness.

Normally a light or a loose day is when you don’t have a set pattern to follow. Your work isn’t prioritized appropriately and you end up eating your ‘me’ time stressing over the fact that it’s too much to complete and you are just there wasting time.

A break from usual activities is necessary to relax.

An insight into what you are outside of your office is essential to not lose touch with your real self. During this, you could decide to spend time with your family and connect virtually with your friends too, however it is recommended to not blend in both.

In a span of 24 hours out of which if your office hours include 8-9, a slot for your oneself and family/friends can definitely be separately divided. This will not only give you more time to spend out of work but also be a good way to schedule your free time.

Oh, how we love to binge-watch web series! Take that love and squeeze it to the last drop. Revisit your favorite shows and movies to keep the sense of authenticity alive.

It is extremely important to know and understand your own capacity. Ambition and high standards are good however in the short term these can impact you negatively if not achieved. Listing down short and achievable goals not only are easy but also help boost your morale, giving you the push that is very much needed.

‘No news is a good news’ – one remains unaffected until he is brought face to face with the harsh reality. Hence, it is advised to stay away from social media and news. I am not referring to complete closure, but anything in excess is dangerous thus limited exposure to media and channels will pose beneficial.

Lastly, talking about a point that I mentioned earlier – it is essential to keep a check on your mental health. Many times this is considered to be a taboo which is why people are afraid of being judged if they come out clean. What they don’t realize is this is ultimately doing more damage to their own mind space.

There’s no shame in speaking about what you truly feel and what are the various things that trouble you. In fact, sharing struggles help you feel light and once your mind is empty, it clears a pathway for ideas and solutions to flow.

Take professional help if need be. These are the people who are meant to listen to you and are trained to guide you in the right manner for dealing with stress. If you aren’t comfortable with this, just talking to a family member or a trusted friend also perfectly substitutes the above.

Covid-19 is a severe situation and is getting under the nerves of a lot of people. With nation-wide lock-down and social-distancing and work from home, things have been a bit dicey. There is no certainty of what might happen the next moment and thus extra caution and attention to the well-being of self is the need of the hour.