Finding Balance in the Age of COVID-19

This article was contributed by Allee Gette, Digital Marketing Specialist at DoubleShot Creative, and Julia Piedimonte, Digital Marketing Intern at DoubleShot Creative.

It’s no secret that 2020 has been a very difficult year so far. Due to COVID-19, the world of work has seen unprecedented disruption. A high unemployment level, a rapid transition to working from home, and an order that only essential workers can show up every day to move things forward are all examples of the virus’ impact. People all over the world have seen their normal routines completely upended, and for some it has become overwhelming to live each day in isolation.

The current state of the world in conjunction with ordinary everyday stressors can make it particularly difficult to alleviate stress, take breathers, and prioritize mental health. To make things easier, we would like to share some ideas on how to find balance during these times of constant uncertainty.

Self-care

As an essential part of mental health, self-care is a great way to work towards balance. Under normal circumstances, finding time to step back, take breaks, and focus on one’s self has often felt difficult. The silver-lining in shelter-in-place orders is that you can find yourself with more time to dedicate to self-care. For essential workers or those with children, finding time may be more difficult, but there are still many creative ways to take care of yourself and your family at the same time.

Since you no longer need to drive to work, take your kids to school, or go to bars or brunch with friends, you can create a new yoga routine or you can even test your creative skills with a hobby — like gardening or painting. As another idea, use this time to join us as we try new recipes like sticky toffee pudding or homemade pasta! Check out the variety of other recipes we have added to our website — we would love if you shared a picture of your finished product on any social media of your choice and tag us on Instagram at @doubleshotcreative or Twitter at @DoubleShotTeam.

Most importantly, self-care does not have to be a lot of effort. As a convenient list to reference, here are some easy ideas that you can do on your own, or with those you live with:

• Try a new workout.
• Spend time outdoors, if possible.
• Try that recipe you’ve been wanting to make for ages.
• Soothe your skin with a face mask.
• Get up from your desk to stretch in between work tasks.
• Re-watch your favorite movie, or watch a new one!
• Follow a guided meditation.
• Create something just for fun (painting, drawing, knitting, TikTok-ing, etc.).
• Read a book to lower your screen-time.
• Make a playlist of all your favorite songs and dance around.
• Prioritize the seemingly small things, like sleep.

Personal growth

Now is also the perfect time to work on personal short- and long-term goals. Though it may feel difficult, it’s important to view this time as an opportunity, rather than as a set-back to your life. This optimistic outlook can help your mental health and simultaneously serve as the motivation for personal growth.

Since many classes are available online now, you can browse the internet to learn any new skill that we have suggested from the list above or any original idea you have thought of — entirely from the comfort of your own home. Marketing, cooking, crochet, and so many other tutorials are offered via MasterClass, LinkedIn, Khan Academy, Coursera, and YouTube.

Connecting with others

Although face-to-face interaction is limited at present, communication doesn’t have to be. With technologies like Zoom, FaceTime, and House Party, connecting with the important people in your life has never been easier. Since the start of the global pandemic, many people have hosted Zoom happy hours and game nights as a new and creative way to hang out with friends and family.

Many have also reported getting closer to neighbors and reconnecting with old friends as the craving for human connection has increased throughout the quarantine period. It’s become more normal to check in on your neighbors, have a socially-distanced day in the park, or even host a masked happy hour in the driveway. Since we cannot interact in our usual ways, finding solutions to help us connect socially and emotionally has been essential in staving off the lonely nature of isolation.

Last, but not least…

Perhaps the most important thing to know is when to give yourself a break. It can be easy to compare your growth with others’, especially when it seems as though you’re supposed to be accomplishing things during quarantine. It’s important to remember that we are all going through a collective trauma right now, whether you’re unemployed, an essential worker, a healthcare hero, working from home, taking care of family, or a blend of the above.

This is a time of significant upheaval and change, and everyone is simply doing their best to get through it all.

Above all, be kind to yourself and, if needed, enjoy an occasional quarantini.