Navigating Employee Wellness During COVID-19

Coronavirus Spotlight: Navigating Employee Wellness During COVID-19

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Coronavirus Spotlight: Navigating Employee Wellness During COVID-19

As we continue to navigate through these unprecedented times, it is of the utmost importance that we make our physical, mental, and emotional health our priority. When we practice self-care we better ourselves for those around us. This self-care gives us the ability to support our family, friends, and local communities better. Here are a few tips to help you optimize you and your employee’s health during this time.

Nutrition

When it comes to eating right, proper planning prevents poor performance. Plan your week in advance, and stay away from the grocery store when you’re hungry to prevent leaving with a 3lb bag of M&Ms. We’ve all been there, don’t worry. When you do go grocery shopping bring a list, to ensure you cover all your nutritional needs. Grocery stores put nutritional foods in the outer perimeters, try to stick to those aisles, and reach for foods that don’t come in a box. Meal prep some fun meals during the week so you have something to look forward to.

Be sure to keep snacks that are healthy around you. Summer is here and there are so many delicious fruits and vegetables that are ready to be eaten.

During such an uncertain time, stress can be at a high. Try to avoid stress eating–if possible, we know it can be difficult. It happens, so don’t beat yourself up about it. If you do go off, get back on track and reset each day.

Mindset

Your mental health also plays an important factor in your wellbeing. Try to manage stress and anxiety by implementing daily meditation or taking breaks from the news and social media!

Stay as connected as possible. Contact your family and friends with phone calls, or some fun creative Zoom games. Zoom trivia and Happy hours are always fun!

Get some rest! Sleep is your best friend, keep a sleep schedule as much as possible. Work to wake up and go to bed around the same time each day. Our body clock, circadian rhythm, regulates feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness each day. With a consistent sleep schedule, you are able to maintain a balanced circadian rhythm to enter a deeper, more restful sleep, which regulates your appetite and mood.

Do your best to remove your technology from your bed. Don’t work in your bedroom and try to put your phone away for the night at a reasonable hour.

Fitness

Sitting is said to be the new smoking, so give your body what it needs and stand at least once every hour. This will also give you a minute away from your screen, it will get you moving, drinking water, stretching, and get your blood flowing. Apple Watches, Fitbits, and other activity trackers are a great way to set reminders to get up.

Get outside and walk or run. Gyms remain closed, while parks and beaches are beginning to reopen, use that to your advantage. You can keep your social distancing protocols while also getting some exercise! So hit the pavement and get moving!

There are so many FREE, no equipment workouts available online. Youtube has thousands of videos that you can utilize in the comfort of your own home. Set a goal of committing at least 20 minutes a day to start, and get your endorphins flowing!

Productivity

Limit your distractions as much as possible. Create a productive work environment by setting expectations with those you live with, find a quiet space in your home, and use noise-canceling headphones and notification blockers when you need to!

Use timers or apps like Toggl to keep you on track of your tasks. You can also make to-do lists, color code our calendar, and give yourself rewards at the end of a power hour. Figure out what works best for you, and do it every day!

Declutter your home as you create a new home office, workout area, and homeschooling station. Not only will this declutter your physical life, but it will also likely declutter your mind. Once you have begun to declutter, make piles to donate.

Financial Wellness

Work to cut costs where you can. During this time, you have likely increased food, water, sewer, trash, or electric bills. Try to balance this additional spending by turning off subscription services, canceling memberships that are no longer applicable, and get creative with some ways to save cash.

A great way to budget your money is to create an Excel spreadsheet or log into your banking profile to see where your money is going. Make a savings goals and stick to it. What gets measured gets improved.

At Culture Works, we know how difficult this transition can be. Your wellbeing should be of the utmost importance to you especially now, so hopefully, these tips will help you optimize your health and wellbeing. When you are your best self, you are better equipped to help others.