Watch the highlights of the Webinar
The last twelve months has been a journey, with working from home just one of the many challenges that we have had to adapt to. As lockdown begins to ease and we progress steadily towards a return to normality, we welcomed back Personal Development Emily Brinnand, to help us ‘Emerge from lockdown and spring back into the workplace’. Here, we summarise Emily’s interactive webinar session looking at how we can learn from the past twelve months of lockdown, and how we can best prepare for heading back to the office with our wellbeing now a priority.
Part 1 – Understanding the past twelve months
An important first step is to try and comprehend the past twelve months, and to do this Emily took attendees through a visualisation exercise similar to meditation, asking them to imagine sitting in a cinema, watching the past twelve months of lockdown unfold in their minds.
Through reflection exercises we’re able to find out how we’ve changed during lockdown, helping us to understand what we need to leave behind, and what lessons can be learned going forwards. Reflecting on our experience of lockdown, work-related or otherwise, is the best way to come to terms with what happened to our wellbeing during this period, and how we can best prepare to emerge from lockdown.
Part 2 – Wellbeing Techniques to help us in our return to the workplace
As the end of lockdown slowly lifts, many of us will be planning on returning to the workplace. For some, it can trigger feelings of anxiety – particularly being nervous about meeting new people or about social distancing and the virus spreading. For others, the return to the office is exciting, and it’s important to not feel guilty about being excited to return to normal working life.
To cope with the return to the office, Emily took attendees through the FFT Strategy – a three-step strategy created by social researcher Brene Brown that recognises the importance of coming to terms with ‘first time’ moments and managing this level of anxiousness;
- Step one; ‘Name it’ – identify and accept the change happening in your life
- Step two; ‘Normalise it’ – understand your feelings are valid at this moment
- Step three; ‘Gain perspective’ – recognise that any anxious feelings will pass with time, and that there will be positives to come
Part 3 – Looking after ourselves outside of the work place
Moving away from work, Emily guided attendees through establishing a routine and healthy habits to help relieve feelings of anxiety.
Emily spoke about the importance of our morning routine, as it sets the tone for the rest of the day. One method of ‘controlling’ our morning is by prioritising the ‘3 Ms’;
- Mindfulness – By achieving a state of calmness on a morning, we can start the day with our wellbeing in check. To do this, try breathing techniques
- Mindset – Do something to make you feel positive, this could be something simple such as writing in a journal on a morning, or listening to music that you know will make you feel good
- Movement – Moving around can prove to be the number 1 ‘mood-booster’. By adding some activity to your morning routine, such as an early-morning run or a quick yoga session, you can truly prepare yourself for the day ahead by capitalising on your wellbeing early in the day
Part 4 – What’s next? Our post-lockdown choices
“Use this time to consider which parts of ‘normal’ are worth rushing back to” – Dave Hollis.
Now is the time to understand what matters most to us. In doing so, we can prioritise what is important and beneficial to our wellbeing, whilst moving on from the barriers holding us back.
Ultimately, remember it is ok if we have changed. To best spring back into the workplace, perhaps we need to be more flexible and adaptable so that we can make the final transition to normal life. By being compassionate upon our return to the office, we can ensure others are comfortable too.
Further information on our future webinars will be announced in the coming weeks across our website and social media channels – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.