Ed talks about his experience of being furloughed and how he’s tried to use his time productively. He also shares his top tips on keeping a positive mental health mindset.
Here at Rambutan, we like many other businesses have furloughed members of the bunch. When I first found out I was being furloughed I asked myself quite a few questions. How will I fill my time? How will I stay sane in the house with no work to do? What’s actually happening in the world and why is it happening so fast?
Of course, regardless of whether you’re still working or not, it’s a tough time for everyone with many a mental health challenge. Some of you may know we’re hosting a series of free webinars to help people during this difficult time, one of which is about regaining control. I thought about what I can and can’t control right now.
I asked myself a series of questions:
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- how can I choose to feel about this situation?
- if I choose to feel a different way, what control does this give me over the situation?
- what can I choose to do right now based on my new feelings?
By asking myself these questions, it helped me to rationalise what’s happening and feel positive about the situation as I had time to focus on me. This allowed me to plan how to use my time, especially while the other members of my household were still working.
As well as asking myself these questions on a daily basis to support my mental health, I’m writing a daily diary of what I need to do; similar to my daily task list when I was working.
Each of my days has a simple structure:
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- the opportunity to learn something new
- time spent doing something I enjoy which I’m passionate about
- time to relax and check-in with myself
- my daily exercise
I’ve been building my skills in data analytics by writing articles on cricketers over the years; I’m learning and enjoying, both at the same time. For my daily exercise, I ‘ve been on a 5K run, three to four times a week.
What activities have you been up to that you’d like to share? Be safe, be kind and care for each other.
