Well-being
With COVID-19, our daily routines have been suddenly changed. Our ability to communicate with friends and family has changed, our places and spaces for recharge are suddenly less accessible (if at all), and our entire way of working – especially if we are teachers – has altered.
As teachers, we are designated ‘key workers’. We are needed to help maintain, sustain, and develop the next generation. This is a powerful message. But our pre-Covid ways of teaching, at least for now, are simply not possible. While the rest of the Keep on Teaching space is devoted to helping you figure out how to migrate your lessons into the digital world, this particular space is about recognizing that your well-being matters, too. In fact, it’s paramount. The health and safety of our teachers is critical.
While many of you will by now have experience with combining working from home with online education, some will be taking up online teaching for the first time. For this reason, the text below is a reworked version of the original article we published back in March that takes into account that we have moved on, but also provides the original advice that still stands. Below, you will find some of our own suggestions for looking out for your well-being.
On this page:
Make a routine
Physical distancing, not social distancing
Keep active, keep healthy
Fresh air, when possible
Make a work space
Self-care
Media balance
Make a routine
If possible, try to decide a routine that will work for you and your household during these times. This might include working together with the members of your household to determine a tempo that will work for everyone. Do you best to try to stick to this routine but be flexible enough to know this might need some changes until you find something that works for you and your housemates. It may be a good idea to plan meetings at regular intervals to check if the arrangements are still working for everyone. This is particularly true if members of your household do project-based work or have changing schedules, as we do in education. Try to view this as a (still relatively) new if unusual experience and be gentle with yourself and those around you, as you adjust.
At the same time, be mindful that your colleagues are also finding their own new routine. Not everyone is feeling the same way at the moment, and everyone’s level of “calm” is a bit different, and some personalities are better suited than others to less social contact or to having the kids around all the time. If you need to find a new routine, it will be helpful to reduce your number of meetings, prioritize work that is really needed, and try to be sensitive to one another (e.g., an “empty” Outlook agenda might not mean your colleague is free; there are different preferred modes of “meeting”, etc.).
Physical distancing, not social distancing
We can quickly miss the connection of our friends and colleagues during this period of physical distancing. From the lazy afternoons in the park with friends and their children, to the occasional coffee with colleagues at the office or the welcome lunch break, these moments matter. Try to brainstorm how you can keep these connections in an alternative way.
Think how often we have a quick chat with a colleague sitting at a nearby desk, or a staff member standing by the water cooler. Or how we may sometimes share a funny weekend anecdote during a teaching break with a student, or in the lift with someone from the catering staff. All these little moments add up to a lot of daily non-work-related social interaction. This is a good thing because it keeps us healthy and feeling related to others, it relieves stress and can give fresh energy. Working from home means that we need to make a deliberate effort to force these little moments into existence.
Video chats (“Koffie Momentjes”) with colleagues can be a great way to break the monotony of the day, as can video chats with friends. Other digital check-ins are great, too! Online quizzing, digital working-out sessions, or even Netflix’ing together-apart can all give us the social connection we need.
Keep active, keep healthy
For many people, going to the gym or sports club is part of their weekly routine. Yet, at the moment, there is almost no availability of these resources. Can you find alternative ways of keeping active? Perhaps a daily walk (with the dog or kids!) could become part of a new routine, or perhaps you can stream your favorite workout. Many sports clubs throughout the Netherlands have been creating digital content to help us stay active during these days. There are also all kinds of outdoor initiatives, where social distancing is possible. Many of these are great for kids too, so the whole family can stay active together.
At the same time, don’t forget that a healthy diet and healthy sleep habits also contribute to your well-being. Give your immune system a boost by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and making sure you get enough vitamin D (the sunshine(!) vitamin). Try going to bed and waking up at more or less the same time during weekdays.
When working, make sure you move around regularly. Working from home on your couch is a bad idea for your muscles and joints. Sit straight at your desk or table; stand up and walk around regularly, and make it a rule to walk around when talking on the phone.
Fresh air, when possible
While physical distancing is paramount at this time, the Netherlands is home to some beautiful rural areas, parks, woods and dunes. Even in Amsterdam, there are beautiful spaces for a breath of fresh air and moments of calm. If you can, giving yourself a moment of silence in nature can be a welcome way to find calm amidst so much chaos.
Even if you stay indoors, make sure you get enough fresh air while you’re working behind your computer. Bad ventilation equals headaches. Make sure you ventilate your workspace, open a window, if weather and wifi allow, sit on your balcony or in your garden for a while. Maybe you can attend or listen to an online meeting with just earphones while walking outside. Another good idea could be to invest in some house plants, many of which are known to have air-purifying qualities. Bringing nature indoors may also contribute to overall well-being.
Make a work space
With our sudden shift to working at home, many of us found ourselves quickly trying to make space to record lectures and our necessary working documents, often without a desk or desk chair, initially. Some of you will have set up a workspace or acquired a desk and chair. If you have not, try to find a space in your home where you can work comfortably, perhaps a table in your kitchen or eating area. If you are lucky enough to be near a window (light!), even better. Designate that place as your working area, and do not work from different rooms and areas in your house. This will ensure that the rest of the house is not associated with work, and will make it easier to let go and recharge. Try to clear your work space at the end of the day, so you can feel a bit more work-life balance (as much as possible during these times) and to give yourself the opportunity to mentally and physically disconnect.
The UvA has put together a space with a rich array of resources about working from home.
Find your self-care
You know the old adage “you can’t help others if you don’t take care of yourself”; this is true, of course. These times are undoubtedly stressful, and it’s very easy to take ourselves OFF the to-do list as we still try to adjust to a new way of working, aim for perfection in our teaching, and balance family life and work life. All of this is going on whilst we are also trying to cope with any anxieties we may have about our own health, that of loved ones or the Covid situation in general.
Take a moment to be selfish and consider your own needs. What will help you? What can be your self-care? What will relax you? Creative activities? Books? Movies? Knitting? Recipe testing? Gardening? Morning yoga? A chat over the phone with a funny down-to-earth friend? What you do does not matter, but having some forms of self-care that you can fall back on to suit different moods is so very important. Set strict rules about working hours and email checking, and schedule time for self-care, if you find you will not do it otherwise.
Note: One particularly helpful form of self-care during times like these is altruism – small acts of help can give you (and your family) a sense of purpose and control. It helps us all move from helpless to helpful. There are so many small things we can do to brighten our community, and kids can help too! Emails, FaceTime check-ins, or even sidewalk chalk messages by children can bring a smile to each other during these difficult times.
(News) Media balance
While being informed is absolutely important, try to be mindful of your media diet. If the news stories are affecting you too much, perhaps try to balance them with more positive stories or non-Covid-related media content. Along with this, keep in mind that rumour and speculation can fuel anxiety. Having access to good quality information about the virus can help you feel more in control.