Amongs the pressures of our jobs and personal lives; the additional stresses of following Covid-19 daily health and safety protocols and dealing with new responsibilities such as homeschooling or readjusted economic situations can weigh heavy on the mind.

Through all this, it is important to keep a level of wellness in your life in order to have mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. We chatted to wellness expert and CEO of the Institute of Wellbeing in London, Dr. Mike Kelly, about practical ways to foster wellbeing in our work spaces during a pandemic.

“History shows that in times of hardship the human spirit can thrive.  We have been told to wash our hands and perform good personal hygiene because the virus is highly contagious, but what about practicing good emotional hygiene?” asks Kelly.

“A phrase that I have been using a lot recently during my wellbeing virtual sessions is; ‘If you can’t go out - go in’”. Kelly says that one of the key focuses during this time is finding peace and serenity in order to combat the anxiety in society.

“Use this time to go in, reflect and take action to transform yourself.  Practice daily emotional hygiene to help keep your psychological wellbeing and emotional health in tip top shap,” says Kelly.

What you can do in your personal workspace or home office:

1. Become intentional on things you focus on. Build strong wellness daily habits for growth.

Write a list of all the things that you have to do throughout your day and try to prioritize what is important for you to be well and happy as a human and then focus on what is important for your career productivity.

2. Eat healthy to feed mind, strengthen your body and immune system and emotions.

During this time it’s important to eat as healthy as possible to fuel your body for what it needs to do and to keep your immune strong to prevent getting sick all the time.  Take extra care of yourself and eat foods such as citrus, ginger, garlic and turmeric as they are excellent immune boosters.

3. Get some fresh air and change your environment.

Step away from your work space and remember to create mini wellness breaks for yourself in order to prevent working non-stop.  Eat your favourite meal for lunch or take a walk or a jog every day to get fresh air and keep the body moving.  You can even take a scenic drive around your neighborhood to listen to your favourite music super loud to decompress.

4. Focus on your strengths, be kind and compassionate to yourself in the process.

We are all dealing in different ways so don’t pressurize yourself to be a renovated superhuman by the end of all this.  Take it at your own pace, do things every day that fill your wellbeing cup and stay in touch with your support system i.e.: family, friends, partners, mentors etc.