The No. 1 thing you can control right now is your wellbeing

The world in which we are now working in is rapidly changing as we shift away from our work hub communities and into our home offices, so it’s essential that we think consciously about how we set ourselves up to be happy and motivated and to achieve the results we want from work and life. 

As the environment around us turns to one of fear, isolation, and uncertainty, the no. 1 thing we can do for ourselves is to stay grounded and to look after our wellbeing. When we do this, we calm down our nervous systems, which might be on high alert right now, and we create some certainty for the instinctual wiring in our brain that is trying to help us survive. In times of crisis, the first core need we must satisfy is certainty. According to Tony Robbins’ work on core needs, once we give ourselves this sense of certainty i.e. safety, stability, control, consistency then we can be open to variety or possibilities again. We can get into a growth mindset and start creating new solutions for the new world we find ourselves in. 

How do we create this sense of certainty for ourselves? 

We are creatures of routine and habit but all that might have gone out the window right now, since your morning commute is no longer, your daily visits to the local barista or gym class near work have gone and your office desk, once surrounded by the familiar faces and buzz of your team, is not an option. 

Are you feeling unsettled or anxious through not having your routines? 

Have you already started subconsciously seeking out new rituals or routines based on the facilities near your home? 

Well, if you have, you are not alone. I too faced all of these challenges when I first left my corporate role and no longer had a regular office to visit. Moreover, as CLARETY is a remote working team, we have been creating virtual ways to connect meaningfully, ever since the team expanded across Australia and into Asia in the last few years. So, I’m hoping some of the ideas to follow will help you to create some certainty for yourself and your teams right now. 

OK, first up, let’s get you sorted. Let’s set up your personal routines and rituals so that you are happy, healthy and engaged in your home office.  

Creating your daily 5 to thrive 

Ultimately, this is all about you taking responsibility for your wellbeing by making it a part of your daily routine. The ‘daily five to thrive’ are consciously created small habits that support your wellbeing on multiple levels — mentally, physically, socially, spiritually and emotionally. I’ve also applied the lens of ‘working from home’ to this list. Take the following 5 steps: 

1. 1. Review the list of ideas below and select the five healthy habits that could have the greatest impact on your life right now. 
   2. Write them down. 
   3. Share these goals with someone. 
   4. Every few days, focus on implementing one habit at a time so that you get into a routine with it before adding the next. 
   5. Remember, regularly take small steps. 

Healthy habit ideas: 

• Supporting your mental health 
  • Taking a moment to quieten down all the external noise and ‘fear’ swirling around to switch into the relaxation response 
    • Practice mindfulness or meditation – check out our meditation teacher Jaye Carcary and we love Insight timer 
    • Ensure news reports or social media is not running on repeat, actively tune out throughout the day 
    • Take a brain dump to clear your head by writing things down 
  • Staying focused on a positive mindset vs getting drawn into the panic 
    • Make a gratitude list by writing down at least three things you are thankful for 
    • Use affirmations and embedded commands, like ‘this will pass’ or ‘I will positively grow from this experience’, ‘this is a time to reflect, calm and grow’ 
  • Create your third space where you mindfully transition between your daily activities especially if you are now working and living from home 
    • Walk out in nature (practicing social distancing)
    • Put your bare feet on the earth (earthing) 
    • Have a shower 
    • Wash your hands
      
      
• Staying connected socially 
  • Make time for a ‘virtual coffee, lunch, wine’ to create heart connections vs just ‘virtual meetings’ that can become transactional – this applies to 1:1 and teams 
  • Say ‘I love you.’ Make a call, send a message and reach out 
  • Say ‘hi’ to people on your morning walk (practicing social distancing)
    
    
• Optimising your sleep 
  • Avoid caffeine after 12:00 noon 
  • Eat dinner before 7.30 pm 
  • Drink herbal or green tea 
  • Dim the lights at least half an hour before bedtime 
  • Switch off your devices 2 hours before bed-time to reduce the blue light 
    
    
• Stay hydrated – 8-10 glasses of water a day, this is an opportunity to get up and walk away from your home office desk 
  • Bonus: take a moment to connect with your ‘stay-at-home’ buddies or give someone in your team a quick call to check-in 
    
    
• Optimise what you eat or drink to balance your immune system and proactively take care of your health 
  • Eat colourful alive fruit and vegetables 
  • Drink hot lemon water each morning, add some slices of fresh ginger 
  • A cup of bone broth in the morning or eating fermented foods daily to support your gut we love Bens Wholefoods 
  • Mindful eating – chew your food well (20­–30 times each bite) 
  • Make an immune-balancing juice – carrot, ginger, orange 
    
    
• Keep moving 
  • Take the stairs, stretch, get out for a walk or on the bike
  • Get up from your home office desk every 90 mins and stretch or walk
  • Take an online class at home – we love yoga with Adriene 

• Optimising your sense of purpose and connecting to something higher than yourself 
  • Read or listen to motivational material: inspirational books, audiobooks, podcasts or Ted talks 
  • Draw, paint or colour in 
  • Create space to re-calibrate your plan for the year – one of our podcasts may help 

 
To your health and happiness,

Clare Robinson,
Founder & Head Coach, CLARETY

p.s. want to get your hands on our ‘how to’ guides to working from home and staying engaged with your team or, need some online wellbeing workshops run to connect your team virtually? email me directly at info@clarety.com and tell me a bit about what you need and I’ll hook you up.