SALOCKDOWN: It’s okay not to be productive during this time

With us having no choice but to stay home different people have reacted to the situation in various ways. Most, in a bid to adjust to this new normal, have flooded our social media timelines with different ways that they are making the most of or being super productive during this forced downtime. Resist the urge to suddenly feel you’re abnormal if you’re just putting your feet up in between keeping your family fed. Cynthia Pong, founder of Embrace Change, a coaching business which focuses on helping women of colour to transition in their careers says, “There is a tendency in Western society and within capitalism to be self-critical, as opposed to being self-compassionate. We have crafted a lot of our feelings of self-worth on achievement, accomplishment and being prolific in stuff that we do. If you take that away, there’s a void. And voids are so hard to deal with.”  This is what you should do instead:

READ: Parenty recommends: Home made facials for moms

Take it easy

Remember you are not alone

Be very aware of your feelings and take keen notice when you start to judge yourself for not setting goals or having expectations of yourself. Pong recommends reaching out to your friends through a video call regularly.  “I bet if you talked to other people in your circle, and if people were really honest, you would not be the only person experiencing this … That alone can help this feeling of ‘Oh, what’s wrong with me.”

Be flexible

If you do set a goal for your self to achieve in a week be open to not achieving it in the time you aimed so be willing to edit what success on that goal looks like for you. “Doing your best in this time is different from doing your best during non-pandemic times. Recognize that it can look different for each person, and don’t compare and despair over how others are managing hobbies and activities during this crisis,” explains Pong.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.