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Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the COVID-19
Pandemic:
Feeling overwhelmed with the new norm
Dr. Bill Howatt
President, Howatt HR
Chief Research Workforce Productivity,
Conference Board of Canada
Jesse Adams, MSc
Chief Learning Officer, Howatt HR
Agenda
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Feeling overwhelmed with the new norm
3 Actions for today
2
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Feeling overwhelmed with the new norm
3 Actions for today
3
Recall, we are like batteries and each day we may start
at a different level of charge
4
Charged
Charging
Half-full
Drained
Empty
=
Resilience is built through joint responsibility
5
Feel safe
Trust in direct manager
Sense of pride in work
Feelings of appreciation
Positive peer interactions
Positive customerinteractions
Absent of workplace conflict
Clear role
Understand priorities
Managingworkload
Employee ActionsEmployer Actions +
Job satisfaction
Mental fitness
Physical activity
Nutrition
Passion
Sleep
Social connections
Relaxation
Lifestyle choices
Work-life blending
Maintaining Mental Fitness: Micro-skills
• Micro-skills are small behaviours or
cognitive skills you can add to your life to
support mental fitness
• They are skills that can be applied to all
areas of your life:
– Physical
– Mental health
– Personal life
– Work experience
Understanding
Stress
Social Connection
Coping with
Grief and Loss
Supporting
others
Feeling overwhelmed
with the new norm
Leading your
team
Contagion vs.
Inciting
Insulating
for Anxiety
6
Barb’s Mental Fitness Plan
7
Mental Fitness Physical Health Social Connection
Daily
• Read/watch something of
interest
• Keep things in perspective
• Prioritize my own charge
• Outdoor activity
• Attend to the basics—Eat well,
hydrate often, get enough sleep
• Family/friend connection
• Offer to help
• Talk to strangers!
When needed
• Total down time
• Flowers
• Creative pursuits
• Pay attention when the basics
slide—like now!
• Host a small social gathering
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Feeling overwhelmed with the new norm
3 Actions for today
8
Many of are facing extra demands since COVID-19 that
we are not accustom to
What is your
biggest
challenge
today?
9
Manage
Finances
Physical
Health
Mental
Health
COVID-19
Protocols
Teaching
Kids
Cooking
dinner
Work
Demands
Personal
Demands
• A lot has changed since the COVID pandemic has taken hold of Canadian lifestyle
• Many of us are facing a significant amount of change from what was our daily lives.
This has created a new norm for many of us
10
New social
protocols
Increased drug
and alcohol use
Online meetings
and gatherings
Restricted from
restaurant use
Physical
Isolation
Concern about
health
Inability for
recreational
activity
No self-care
Work
environment
Financial
strain
At times with change can come challenges
11
• The removal of aspects of our life that we have become accustom to can put
extra strain and drain on our batteries.
• This can result in an increase in personal and societal tensions.
A big part of the change we are experiencing is
getting used to the mundane or “ground hog day”.
With all of this change we can start to feel overwhelmed
• This can happen when we have too many
responsibilities with not enough time.
• It’s easy to lump everything together.
• We can often leap from specifics that need attention to
global generalities.
• Small things can become earth-shattering and feel
impossible to do.
12
We are in a pressure cooker!!!
We may be experiencing the new norm through a
different lens
ExcitedTentativeWorriedStrainedTraumatized
13
If we are not aware of, and communicate where are at it
can have significant impacts on our life
Mental health
issues
Addiction risk
Increase in suicide
Mental
Distress
Breakdown of
relationships
Increased anger
Chronic
disease
Engagement and
Productivity
Loss of
purpose
14
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Feeling overwhelmed with the new norm
3 Actions for today
15
16
4 micro-skills for working with your thoughts
Stop
Multi-tasking
NormalizeAnxious feelings
Remove one
thingForgetperfection
17
4 micro-skills for communicating with others
Challengeassumptions
Setboundaries
Delegate Ask for
help
Reflection for today
• What is the area of your life that has you feeling overwhelmed right now?
• What is one thing you can do to address your concerns?
• Share your reflection on social media using the hashtag:
– #MYMF
– #MYMFPLAN
– #MFSTRONG
18
Next Weeks Webinar
• When: Tuesday May 26, 2020
• What time: 12 pm est
• How to find it: www.maintainingmentalfitness.com
• Micro-skill: Suicide Ideation
19
