YEAR 2021: THE WAY FORWARD

Why new habits will lead to physical and mental wellbeing – Gloria Spittel

There is no way around it – the year gone by has been trying, testing and tiring for the world… and probably all its inhabitants.
Keep in mind that 2020 began with wildfires in Australia that burned from July 2019 through to March by some estimates, affecting a staggering three billion animals according to the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia.

This was not the only wildfire reported last year; fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest increased by 13 percent over the first nine months compared to the same period in 2019.

Under normal circumstances – i.e. 2019 – these disparate yet widespread wildfires would have led to more conversations on conservation, climate change, and our responsibilities to correct the path away from irreversible climatic and ecological destruction.

But today, these are questions and considerations that need thought and strategic responses, while humanity adapts, survives and lives through a pandemic that took most of the world by surprise in its first iteration.

In its second, it exposed the callous disregard for science, scientific processes, and transparency in drafting and communicating effective policies centred on both health and economic wellbeing by those in power.

Emerging in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, COVID-19 had spread to 189 countries or regions by April according to Johns Hopkins University, which has reported nearly 78 million COVID-19 cases and 1.7 million deaths globally in a span of around 12 months.

In the intervening months between the first and second waves, and through lockdowns, work continued from home – or more vaguely, remotely.

Gone were the managerial issues that embitter conversations about flexible work conditions. Suddenly, working remotely was the norm for those of us with jobs that are independent of location, special equipment or manual labour.

Hypocrisy emerged, yet conversations were silenced for having stable employment amid ballooning unemployment – especially amongst daily
wage workers – incited a sense of gratitude.

Working remotely is a privilege; one that’s determined by several factors including reliable telecom infrastructure and devices, physical space, mental and emotional stability, and a conducive environment in which to work – all of which is not easily attainable especially if children and other care provider duties are thrown into the mix.

The stresses of this balancing act likely played a role in the increasing domestic and child abuse cases, which were reported in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. For some, productivity may have soared while for others in the same household, anger may have flared!


Productivity – and reports of increased productivity during lockdowns – may have more to do with support systems that provided a working space devoid of distractions and responsibilities; basically, a comfortable office without colleagues and peers sounds good, does it not?

As such, the first path to successfully attempting to create a work-life balance while working remotely is to foster a support network that could be as small as one other person!

Divvy the tasks that make the remote location – in most instances, a shared living space – an environment in which both work and living can occur for everyone.

This is a hard task but planning shopping runs, meal preparations, children’s schoolwork and personal wellbeing – primarily exercise – are important to keep abreast of all that is on the plate while not being frequently overwhelmed.

You may have noted that I mentioned “not frequently overwhelmed.” This is because it will be overwhelming occasionally; so the goal is to reduce such instances, and minimise the impacts of the frustration and anxiety that come with the sense of being inundated.

To do this, routine is important and part of that should be regular exercise, meditation, yoga or anything that increases activity. But this should not be a task: the time spent on the activity is irrelevant; and the goal is consistency to build habits.

Building habits can help with physical health through stress management, and mental and emotional wellbeing.

Deciding on the habit to cultivate may be easy but developing the discipline to create it is difficult.

But take for example, the habit of working overtime over extended periods of time, which does more harm than good.

Being able to switch off especially while working remotely could physically indicate the end of the workday much like returning home from an office. Plan a change to mark this time of day such as jogging, praying, lighting a candle, preparing dinner… and especially shutting down and silencing work! Start small but aim for consistency.

Finally, give yourself a margin! A wide margin for error for burnout is recommended; and try to combat guilt for any perceivable shortcomings with thoughts of what is done and accomplished. Carve time for yourself to work on a hobby, do nothing, procrastinate, and be able to pick yourself up and do it all over again.

Last year was hard but preparing your mind and body could be a way to build the resilience needed to wade through to the other side, corralling all those that one can in the 12 months ahead.

Building habits can help with physical health through stress management, and mental and emotional wellbeing