Many of us have turned our homes into offices over the past few weeks. Some households have an office in every room with different family members studying and working. This makes it very hard for people to relax in their own homes as you can’t escape the workplace. You take the little things for granted, the commute to work or college that allows you to tune out and listen to music or a podcast, getting out of the office with your work colleagues for lunch, pounding a treadmill in the gym after a stressful day. Now our homes, which are meant for relaxing, have become our own libraries, offices, gyms, restaurants and bars all rolled into one! We have never lived like this before so it is only natural that we may struggle.

At the beginning of all of this, I was coping quite well, yoga in the morning, taking regular breaks during the day and shutting off my laptop at 5pm every evening. But lately I feel myself carrying my work around with me, long after the working day has ended. So much so, that I have back pains! Stress takes it’s toll on me both mentally and physically. As I said, my shoulders and back become very tense (also from leaning over my laptop), my skin breaks out in painful spots and I feel completely fatigued. The fatigue is also from a lack of sleep as I find it hard to shut my brain off when I finish work and my mind races even when I lie in bed at night. It feels impossible to escape work when it lives with you.

We are expected to resume working, business as usual, which feels unrealistic during this crazy time for many reasons. Firstly, we don’t have the resources. This week my laptop decided to have a meltdown and I was out of action for nearly two days. I didn’t have an IT department to help me and I didn’t have the correct part for my laptop. This would be a minor issue in an office environment but at home it felt completely unfixable and I had to go to great lengths to fix it. College students are working without access to libraries, and are expected to have perfect wifi signal to attend their online lectures and access academic materials. Nothing is more frustrating than poor wifi or IT problems and this alone can cause huge stress for people. Secondly, we are so emotionally vulnerable during this time. People are anxious about the situation at hand, fearing for loved ones and themselves, worried about the future of their careers and nervous about what the new normal might entail. It is extremely difficult to work to the best of your ability when your mental health is compromised. How can we be expected to keep our minds on our work when our thoughts are racing off elsewhere? And lastly, communication is hugely affected. I have found it hard communicating with my work colleagues through emails, messages and video calls. I think we have definitely taken face-to face communication for granted in the past, how important it is to read a persons body language, facial expressions and tone of voice. This new kind of communication is definitely testing and can make normal working practices more challenging. I think about how the Leaving Cert was cancelled and wonder why allowances can’t be made for the rest of society, but I suppose life can’t come to a complete halt so we are expected to adapt.

I’m not writing this as if I have all the answers, because I don’t. Each week in isolation brings a new challenge for me and I have to find new ways of dealing with them. It is hard to escape work and put it out of your mind when 5 o’clock comes but I’ve learned that I have to try my best. Getting out of the house in the evenings for a walk or a jog is really nice to change up your surroundings and clear your head. I like to do yoga to calm my mind and dance classes also help me to escape reality for a little while. Yoga helps me stretch out my back and shoulders when I feel tense too. A bath and a face mask in the evening listening to an audio book allows me to relax, followed by my skincare routine which can help with the stress induced breakouts. I think the key thing is, have moments of solace in your day. Have something good to look forward to at the end of your day, whether it be cooking your favourite dinner or watching your favourite TV show, take time to yourself to let go of work. Be aware of your lifestyle and food choices. If you find too much coffee makes you anxious, cut back. If you’re skin is suffering maybe assess your diet and try drinking more water. Get enough sleep, vent to friends, stay active and most importantly be kind to yourself. This time is difficult and your mind and body may be struggling.

During this time we need to pat ourselves on the back, for maintaining such a level of perseverance and professionalism. It’s not easy. Remind yourself that you are not just working from home under normal circumstances, you are at home working, during a global pandemic. Our working and studying environments may change for the long term, who knows, so it is important to find a routine that suits each of us so we can continue working productively. Give yourself some credit and don’t be so hard on yourself, this is a challenging time for all of us.