Life back at work

It feels like years ago when the words “Furlough scheme’ blasted through our TV sets and were etched into our headlines.

Many Britons hadn’t heard the term before. The concept of it was brand new, and just a little bit scary. But the likelihood was that it would touch all of our lives in one way or another.

I remember being told I was being put on furlough. I didn’t understand what was happening and felt like I’d failed a little bit. Obviously, this wasn’t the case, but I did take it personally for quite some time.

It feels like the past few months have been such a blur. But looking back through them I’ve grown a lot mentally and physically. Although there’s a lot of suffering going on in the world right now, Lockdown made my life a little lighter. As soon as I was officially put on furlough, I set myself a series of Quarantine Goals*.

*I feel like this has become one of my buzzwords these past few months! The idea was that I set a serious of low-pressure goals which could seriously benefit me in the long haul. It involved things from losing weight and quitting smoking to finishing some online courses and finally getting my blog off the ground. You can read a little more into it by clicking HERE.

Looking back, I’ve done pretty well at reaching these goals and pushing myself forward in life. I don’t think I ever really felt the time would come where I would be considering returning to work again.

During my time on furlough, I was able to lose loads of weight, work through a lot of my online courses and even quit smoking. (Which I’m incredibly proud of, despite the judgement I get for picking it up in the first place).

But now the time is finally here. Lockdown eases, and our favourite shops begin to open, so do our offices and our places of work. Even if we’re not making the dreaded commute anymore, some of us are beginning to work from home.

It’s a new and exciting time. Although this blog and the work I do for it mimics my job, my work and home life have indeed become blurred. It’s weird to think I wake up, workout and eat all in one tiny little room.

Now that I’m a few weeks into being back at work, I thought I’d share some of my own tips and bits of wisdom with you. It’s hard getting into a new routine, but there are a few steps I’ve implemented which have really helped me and might actually help you out too!

Sleeping Schedule

The idea of a late night is a little too tempting when you have nothing to do the following day.

Before lockdown, my sleeping schedule ran like clockwork. In bed by nine, lights out by ten and up to start the day at 5:30am. I was hoping to stick to that timetable for the duration of lockdown but it was just too easy to stay up a little later watching TikToks or playing The Sims.

I had managed to keep some idea of sleeping schedule, I still had to be up at 8am to take part in PE with Joe Wicks, but without that I could have easily stayed up until 4am on most nights.

If you feel like your body clock has gone a bit squiffy these past few weeks then I would say you should get working on rectifying as soon as you get that back to work call!

Here’s a few ways to get an early night which I find quite helpful:

No blue light before bed- Try and put down your devices an hour before bed. Blue light keeps you awake.

Daily exercise

Keep away from noise

Eat Early

Hold On To Your Habits

It’s been so fun watch everyone pick up some lockdown habits or hobby. For me, It’s been good quality coffee and cocktail making have saved me from going crazy during lockdown.

But due to the abundance of time on our hands, we’ve picked up a few hobbies which have helped our mental and physical wellbeing dramatically.

Whether its exercise or taking up journaling, remember there is a reason why you decided to take it up. In some way, it brings you joy or health. So try bring it with you as you transition back to normalcy.

If anything, now if the perfect time to pick up a new habit or hobby. You’re already going through a massive change in routine so you have time to explore a new way of living.

Of course, the past few months of been filled with pain and loss. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use it as an opportunity to make your life a little brighter.

Take It Slow

I learnt very quickly that I wouldn’t be able to simply pick up where I left off. There was plenty of things that I was able to pick up straight away but also loads of others I needed a bit of help with.

You need to remember that you aren’t expected to remember everything straight away either. So ask questions when you need to, be prepared and honest when you think you’ll struggle something. Let people know so you can overcome it and get back to doing the amazing job you do!

Self-Care/Reflection

Like I said, this is a new and stressful time. It’s important to try make time to focus on your needs or at least take time to reflect on the time we’re living in.

Even if it’s just devoting an hour of your day to journaling. Making time to relax and reflect can help support your transition back to working life.

When it comes to reflection, I find the positivity loop to be a really effective way to look back and assess yourself.

What did you do well at this week?

What could you do better at?

Whats your goal for next time?