In the UK, Monday July 19th 2021 became ‘Freedom Day.’ It was the day, this week, when the UK government lifted legal requirements on social distancing and the wearing of face masks, although advisories have remained in place for some areas of life. Businesses are already opening up across the country meaning that more workplaces will be welcoming returning staff over the coming weeks and months.
It all sounds very positive but if you are worried about going back to work, then you are not alone. In fact, YouGov recently conducted a survey which showed that around 44% of workers said they felt anxious about returning to work because of health concerns due to Covid-19. Another 31% said they were worried about the commute, especially in London on public transport.
It will feel like an enormous shift from the world in which we have been living over the past 18 months. For the most part we’ve settled in happily to working from home and now suddenly, we are facing the outside world again and for many of us, that is a very daunting prospect.
In today’s feature, I’m going to talk you through some tips to help you navigate the next few months when life returns to ‘normal’ (and share a very clever link at the end which might help prepare you for the real world again.)
How to manage seeing people again
It might not be catching Covid-19 which is lurking at the forefront of your mind; you may have other, equally worrying concerns. You might feel worried about being in an environment with lots of people again. Your confidence in your ability to carry out your job properly may have been affected by so many months away from the office. There may be tasks you haven’t been able to do before at home that now you are having to do again. It’s quite easy to get out of the habit of doing things a certain way and returning to old ways can make you feel nervous. The key thing to remember is that it is perfectly normal to feel that way and there are things you can do to help yourself through the tough times.
For example, one of our courses at the moment is on building your resilience. By resilience, we mean the ability to feel grounded when in stressful situations. You can practice self care, by being mindful of eating well and drinking enough water. Making sure you are getting a good night’s sleep and exercising will also help boost your resilience and you’ll find you feel better able to deal with uncertainties in life again.
Tell someone how you feel
Talking about how you feel helps enormously when coping with anxiety. When we are stressed, we often close in on ourselves. Maintaining a good support network of friends and family around us who we can talk to helps enormously with this.
Of course, I can almost guarantee that many others in your office are feeling the same way on varying levels and once you start chatting to colleagues about how you feel, you will be surprised how many others share your concerns.
Focus on the positives of seeing colleagues again
There are of course, lots of positives about returning to the office. Co-workers will be pleased to see each other and comradeship can develop again which will make you feel better. Think about how you can establish a routine to help define areas of home and work as this will help you regain a sense of balance in the world.
Employers and business owners will have their own concerns too, especially when it comes to making sure that workspaces are as manageable and safe as possible, ready for their teams’ return. So, you won’t be the only one feeling anxious. Talk to your boss if you are feeling worried, your welfare at work will be hugely important to them at this critical time. They may well be willing to help you work more flexibly which can help them just as much as it does you, and keeps the flow of people in the workplace to a safe minimum.
Where there may have been tensions at stressful moments at home juggling work and family life, often going back to a physical office can be a distraction – remember the old adage, sometimes a change is as good as a rest.
Find out about changes to your workplace before you return
Often our worries come from not having enough information about something so finding out what’s changed at work will put your mind at ease and let you know what to expect.
If you feel overwhelmed on returning to work, why not take time out during your working day and get into the fresh air? Take a bottle of water with you and take a stroll for 10 minutes. It’s amazing how refreshed you can feel even just after a few strides. If you’re not able to get away outside, take a few minutes with a coffee and plug into one of the many phone apps you can download to help you soothe away any tension. There are plenty of ambient sound and music tracks designed to help you find a moment of calm.
And finally…
Look after yourself first and be aware of your feelings; remember that they are perfectly normal. So many people will be taking that first step back to the workplace with you and it’s okay to feel anxious or concerned. Find someone you can talk to about how you feel and you will find that returning to work isn’t as stressful as you first feared.
Sophia is the co-founder of Learned.Live which offers a wide range of courses in resilience, mindfulness as well as classes in yoga and meditation and Pilates, all designed to help you return to the outside world with confidence. Start searching for classes at a time to suit you here https://learned.live/ and enjoy living life again.