"The important thing in island living is to be your own Activities Director" Hugh Grant advises in About A Boy. And as a mental health & wellness practitioner I advocate that advice this coming Easter weekend.
The disruption to our usual routine over the past few weeks has left many of us without a clear boundary between work and home life. Without this 'container' it's easy to feel like you're constantly turned on, tuned in and ready to go which in the short-term is fine but in the long-term can have serious side effects to your mental and physical wellbeing. And right now, you don't want to be compromising your immune system that's for sure.
I invite you to consider hitting the 'pause' button on your work remote for the next few days, whatever that looks like for you. Switch work off where possible and 'turn down' any non-essential tech and gift yourself some "island living" this Easter long weekend. Not from a place of laziness or non-commitment to work, but from the perspective of kindness to yourself and family and a window of tolerance* for what's (very unusually) happening in the world around us at the moment. I think compassion is key to a profitable future, for both the individual and the company. Right now it's more obvious that business IS personal. It always has been.
So why not grab this opportunity and allow your nervous system to rest and recover. Let down your tools. The uncertainty of the current reality will be impacting everyone to some degree, if not overtly then certainly in more subtle ways. Be kind to yourself... laze in bed a little longer, watch some pointless drivel on Netflix. Connect with your family, your flatmates, your Self. Learn something new on YouTube. Gift yourself a Bridget Jones mini-break, with or without the giant pants. Emmulate Hugh Grant in About A Boy while the opportunity presents itself and be your own Activities Director. Divide your day into units of time and work that beer in the bath into your day.**
Be crazy and get creative, why the hell not? Most of the rules have gone out the window so why not give yourself permission to relax over Easter. Be an island... be bloody Ibiza. Now is the time because when it's all over and you're back to the grind-from-home next week, or if things have unexpectedly changed and you're looking for your next opportunity, you'll wish you'd spent a little more time being your own Activities Director.
* The Window of Tolerance (Ogden, Minton & Pain, 2006) suggests we have an 'optimal' arousal zone where we operate at our best emotionally, physically and mentally. Outside of this zone we risk being either Hyper-aroused where we find it difficult to be calm and to settle, are emotionally reactive, hypervigilent and disorganised OR Hypo-aroused, which is the polar opposite where we feel lethargic, numb and desensitised or switched off to even those things that would usually interest us.
** of course always drink responsibly. Especially when in the bath.