The many COVID-19 related challenges have set many people, especially those working from home, straight on the road to burnout. The unending Zoom meetings, the blurring of home and work lives, economic uncertainty, etc., have been a source of stress for many.
The cumulative toll is an overwhelming feeling of mental and physical fatigue, lack of productivity, and, ultimately, an inability to meet your goals.
But, you take smaller actions at home when the outside world isn't in your control. Here are some tools and resources to help you counter COVID-19 burnout and reboot your productivity.
1. Smiling Mind: Practice Mindfulness Daily
An excellent outlet for the overwhelming pandemic-induced stress is to begin practicing mindful meditation. Mindfulness meditation is a training practice that can help you hit the pause button on racing anxious thoughts to recalibrate your focus and awareness on “the now” so that you can embrace your feelings, bodily sensations and experiences without judgment.
Although the idea of practicing mindfulness meditation daily might seem challenging, there some great tools like Smiling Mind to help you start easily and adopt it as a habit.
Smiling Mind is designed to equip you with tools and resources to bring mindfulness to your home and promote positive mental health habits to help you focus on one thing at a time and enter a state of flow.
Download: Smiling Mind for Android | iOS (Free)
2. Spotify’s Daily Wellness: Listen to Feel Good Music
It is important to take some time for self-care during the pandemic to avoid or deal with burnout. With this in mind, you can take a step further into your self-care routine, this time by listening to a personalized mix of motivational podcasts and refreshing music through Spotify’s Daily Wellness.
Spotify’s Daily Wellness Playlist seeks to leverage the healing power of music to help you start and end your day on a mindful and calm note. Although the need for wellness is universal, Spotify’s algorithm tries to make it personal; that’s why its content is curated to match your listening habits.
The playlist greets you in the morning with inspirational and motivational quotes and positive affirmations through music to start your day. At night, it focuses on relaxing content to help you unwind with meditation and peaceful music and to prepare you for a good night’s sleep.
Download: Spotify for Android| iOS (Free, subscription available)
3. Diarium: Do a Bit of Gratitude Journaling Every Day
For the most part, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a devastating blow to our everyday lives. But, while it might seem easier to focus on the negativity, it's important to realize that it can take a toll on your mental health.
That said, you must take proactive steps to switch your focus and find the silver lining. One of the most effective ways of achieving that is through journaling, and that’s where Diarium comes in.
Diarium is a feature-rich e-diary that allows you to note your thoughts, experiences, or feelings over the day. For example, to deal with pandemic burnout, you can use it as a gratitude journal and write down the things you are thankful for, such as enjoying a commute-free lifestyle or spending more time with your family.
You can set daily reminders on Diarium, attach pictures, create templates, and synchronize the information across all your devices.
Download: Diarium for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
4. Planner 5D: Design Your Own Work From Home Space
If you have been working remotely for some time now, then chances are you had to exercise, teach your kids, entertain yourself, etc., within the four walls of your home. We bet you are already feeling frustrated and anxious.
While vaccines are being rolled out and there are signs that the pandemic is steadily getting under control, remote work is likely to be the norm in the new normal. That is to say that you might be using your home office in the long term.
So, how about giving your home office a refresh to boost your productivity? Design a space that inspires you to work with Planner 5D without any professional help. This tool allows you to pick the right colors, design the perfect layout with furniture, and make adjustments with 2D and 3D views. It's all about creating a space that will meet your specific needs.
Download: Planner 5D for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
5. Learn To Dance: Pick Up Dance as a Hobby
At the initial phase of the pandemic, fitness and dance clubs had to shut down to curb the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, many people were also unmotivated to carry on with their regular physical activities at home. Perhaps, it’s time to put on your dancing shoes to de-stress and reboot.
Use this instructional site to learn a new skill (that’s if you didn’t dance before), exercise, have fun, and relieve pandemic-induced stress. The platform provides links to a wide range of free online classes, including Hip Hop dance, Belly dance, Tap dance, Breakdancing, and more. It also allows you to watch the videos on any of your devices in HD.
6. Homenauts: Crowdsourced Ideas For Better Mental Health
Physical isolation due to the pandemic can negatively affect your well-being and productivity, especially if it lasts for an extended period. But it doesn’t need to be so; you can do something about it—use ideas from Homenauts to make the most out of this time.
Homenauts is a platform that allows users to share innovative tools and tips to improve mental health during the pandemic. You can learn how to watch Netflix with your loved ones, host an online dance party, play board games online with friends, learn to bake bread, etc. Use Homenauts to more ways to stay productive and motivated when working from home.
Unwind and Boost Your Productivity
There is no denying that this is a difficult period, but you can take proactive steps towards a stress-free and more productive lifestyle by taking advantage of these tools. They can also help you to establish healthy work-life boundaries to avoid burnout. Use this time to practice self-care and hit the reset button.