Stay informed! Visit the SA Department of Health's website for COVID-19 updates: www.sacoronavirus.co.za

How to unlock the good vibes in 2021

My Career
My Career

If 2020 exhausted you physically, mentally and emotionally you are not alone. (We did enjoy the banana bread and homemade pasta, though).

For most of us the idea of going through a whole new year with Covid-19, the social isolation, the unease about your job, the uncertainty about the future and the mental health issues, feels daunting to say the least.

That is why it is so important for us to find ways to move on mentally from the bad vibes of 2020 and unlock our potential for 2021. Who knows, this year could be the year you change your life and achieve your dreams.

Here are our top five tips to shake the bad vibes and become your best and worst self in 2021.

 

1.Become one with nature

a)Why: Spending time in parks, on hiking trails, at the beach or anywhere in nature is restorative. It helps you reset your mind, body and soul.

Going into nature or practising a restorative activity is sooo good for you because it helps get you relaxed, centred and focused so that you are in a better headspace to take on the world and deal with what is going on around you. This practice will even help you get a better night's rest.

 

b)IRL: How about taking a nice walk at your local park after lunch, or going with your loved ones on a hike on the weekends?

 

2.Separate your home and work life

a)Why: We live in such an online world where we are constantly connected to our friends, family and our colleagues through social media, our smartphones and our company networks. This makes it so much easier for the lines between our home and work lives to become blurred and eventually non-existent.

This super of separation is super important, not only for your family and getting uninterrupted quality time with them, but also for your relationships and your mental health.

 

b)IRL example: Even though you are working from home now, you have to mentally and physically clock out at the end of the day and don't deal with emails and work-related things until you are ‘at work’ again.

 

3.Become more than just your job title

a) Why: Yes, you are an engineer, or a doctor or a small-business owner, but you are also a sister, a brother, a father or a mother. You are a dancer, a movie buff, a Lego collector, you are an artist … You are so much more than your job title and you need to be proud of every part of you.

b)IRL example: Place reminders of your other identities around your workstation, on your walls and around your life. Make yourself feel reminded and proud of every part of yourself. Next time someone asks you who you are, try not to start with just your job title – go deeper.

 

4.Understand what activities truly relax you

a)Why: To be truly relaxed, you need to do activities that truly relax you. Start by making a list of all the relaxing activities you do in your downtime and see whether or not you actually feel relaxed while you are doing them, and afterwards.

b)IRL example: If you keep reaching for your phone to search through the socials while you’re watching TV, it is probably a sign that that activity is not allowing your mind to relax. Look for new activities to help you get to the right level of relaxation. By allowing yourself some time to unpack the day and clear your mind, you will get a better night’s sleep and in turn be more productive the next day.

 

Sources:

•https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/05/01/how-to-recover-from-psychological-aftershocks-of-lockdown-during-mental-health-awareness-month/?sh=5bc1adbb5470

•https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-pandemic-could-inflict-long-lasting-emotional-trauma-ptsd.html

•https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/covid-19-mental-health/

Stay informed! Visit the SA Department of Health's website for COVID-19 updates: www.sacoronavirus.co.za