navigating uncertain times, including covid19

What I realised was important to me during COVID:

Social connection, intellectual stimulation, debates, discussions, challenges and collaboration. I didn’t realise how important these things were to me until an organisational lockdown was enforced and I had to work from home for three months. Without all of this, I felt as though I was floating around in the universe with no direction and purpose.

Tips, tricks and strategies that help me navigate uncertain times, including COVID:

If you have an immersive personality like me, then the best possible advice I could give you is to create a routine and build in physical breaks that remove you from your work environment and home environment. This creates separation between ‘work you’ vs ‘home you’ and allows you to recharge and rejuvenate.

Journaling is a good way to express and articulate your thoughts and to literally, get your thoughts out of your head. I tend to use journaling as a way to problem solve through my thoughts and worries.

Another tip would be to slow down and actually acknowledge that you are going through an uncertain & challenging time. It’s important to take a step back and to realise that it is normal to feel what you are feeling and to think what you think. Rather than avoiding or suppressing these thoughts and feelings, learn to work with them. 😊

Words that describe my experiences before, during and after COVID:

          Before: Confusion | Anxious | Disbelief

                    During: Boredom | Agitated | Fatigued

                              After: Cautious | Relieved | Curious

           During the ‘Circuit Breaker’: Unexpected | Agitated | Hopeless

What decision makers and service providers need to know/do for people living through uncertainty and tough times:

As challenging as COVID was, we need to acknowledge the positive moments that have come out of this global pandemic. Re-connecting with loved ones, adapting our traditional methods of social connection, experiencing new things, focusing on yourself, and slowing down and taking a breath – personally, I believe that these are great things to come out of such an uncertain and turbulent time and perhaps, this was a reset that society needed, as a whole, after what we have been through in 2020. 

Decision makers and service providers should know that the leniency, the patience, the understanding and the flexibility that occurred during COVID was highly appreciated and valued and must continue as we move on from COVID. People need time to transition back into their normal life and into their ‘new normal’. They need time to recover and I don’t think the way our current society is structured allowed for this to happen. 

We, especially in Australia, have experienced so much change fatigue – not only with COVID, but with bushfires and everything else that is going on in the world. We need to learn to patient with ourselves. We need to respond with empathy, love and care – in addition to decisive strategies, logics and transparency – in order for Australia to move forward. 

by Sam, LELAN Team Member from SA