How do you get ready for work? How do you prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically?
Here’s how I do it.
Mentally: I run through my list of duties for the day and appointments on my schedule.Emotionally: I tell myself this day is going to be so amazing that it will make yesterday jealous. I kiss the hubs goodbye while longingly peering into his eyes lamenting the hours that we will be apart.Physically: I stretch, workout, shower, dress, pack lunch, grab my gear, and hit the road.
Atlanta’s I-85 has six to eight lanes of traffic, and before I know it, I’m back to focusing on my emotional and mental preparation all over again. It can take a lot out of us even before our workday begins. And physically, I just want to arrive alive. It was work...just to get to work! (Fortunately, during the "shelter in place" time, I just walk from my room to my home office. There is much less stress/traffic!)Due to our country’s current health environment, there are added measures in many cases to assure the safety of the workplace. This means there are a few more steps to our physical preparation these days. At Wellview Health, we have added a daily symptom checker called WellCheck for a pre-work check-in. This amazingly quick and efficient symptom checker simply welcomes me each morning, saying, “Hi, Stephanie – how are you feeling today?” “Super sweet of you to ask,” I say, and then I answer 3 brief check-in questions. No, I am not experiencing any of those. Nope, none of those either. No, to the last all-important question, and I get a green light to go! The amazing thing about this morning check-in is that it makes me so grateful for my health, and for a company that cares about me as an employee as well as those I serve. The daily WellCheck actually helps me in my mental and emotional preparation as well as my physical preparation to work well. It’s a win-win-win.Of course, I'm not alone at work. Coworkers coming into work when they are knowingly sick has really never been an admirable trait in my book. Some people feel that it leaves a great impression to show up to work sniffling, blowing, sneezing, and coughing as if it somehow proves they are tough, and nothing can keep them down. However, it may leave the impression that the rest of the office would rather they not, and even bosses working with them wouldn’t see it as a hero-move; especially today.
Most are not that cavalier these days, but it might be a very real challenge for those faithful, diligent employees who value their responsibility to the job they do. Those who have important duties that only they can perform will go into work sick so as not to inconvenience others on their team or hold up a process that depends on them. That's so thoughtful...or is it?The saddest case in my opinion is those who must show up, no matter how sick they are, because if they don’t work, they don’t eat. Those whose pay requires their presence, sick or not, so in their mind, going into work is not an option, it is a necessity. Today, in our current health crisis, this weighs on me, as I remember having this pressure on me as a young mother of two working nights at Taco Bell (I’m sorry for possibly sneezing on your burrito back in 1973). I used to say, “I cannot afford to be sick.” But these days, I cannot afford to go to work sick. One may affect us, but one may certainly affect many.Many company policies offer a certain amount of “sick days” and you can take them to take care of yourself, and still be paid. This is a huge benefit, and very much appreciated, but those days can go fast. In fact, if you are a single parent or a two-income home, these beneficial sick days often are not even used on your own sickness, but for your child’s. Which brings to mind another challenge, that of daycares and their policies for picking up your sick children, but that's another blog for another day.These hardships are real, and you shouldn’t have to choose between taking care of yourself, your children, or the customers you serve. The day we are living in now is a day of great challenge and great changes. I'm proud to say that we are rising to the challenge, and we are making the changes!The questions are many, and the answers are not simple, but please feel the care that we as Health Advisors here at Wellview Health feel for each one of you!
Here are a few thoughts for takeaways:
- Take good care of yourself.
- Eat your fruits and veggies. Fuel your immune system with healthy, whole-food nutrition to provide it with the strength it needs to fight for you and your health.
- Minimize refined sugars, processed foods, soft-drinks, alcohol, and artificial ingredients. Most are devoid of nutrients and often tax your immune system.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Build a minimum of 30 mins. of concentrated fitness into your daily routine for improved health and mental/emotional wellbeing.
- Manage your stress level.
- Step away from your desk, or at least stand up (hourly).
- Stretch to the four corners of your room or office 4 times a day.
- Take a trip to the beach, the mountains, or the woods (in your mind).
- Comfort and calm yourself with words of affirmation and self-compassion. Be sure to offer the same to others.
- Smile at yourself, and others. Hug yourself, but don’t hug others.
- Reach out for help wherever and whenever needed.
- Learn a new skill to support your job.
- BE SOCIAL, but from a distance. We need each other.
- Create a virtual “water cooler” to connect with co-workers.
- Contact your Health Advisor to set up appointments, discuss challenges, set goals, or create steps to live a long and strong life.
Go to work well (healthy) and you will do your work well. Today and every day!Click HERE to learn more about the Wellview services available to you. We can’t wait to work with you!
– STEPHANIE WOLFE, NBC-HWC
Health AdvisorEmail Stephanie
