13 May Top Tips for Staying Focussed in a Time of Chaos

The Covid 19 pandemic has certainly brought about a period of chaos to many. There isn’t anyone in the world who has not been adversely affected by it in some way.

As it seems we will have to live with this virus for some time yet, a lot of us will be adjusting to working from home being the “new normal” and some of us will also be trying to juggle that with home schooling and entertaining children as well as generally running the household.

Add in the never-ending stream of worrying and ever-changing headlines and developments about the pandemic and it is easy to see why many of us are feeling anxious, overwhelmed and struggling to focus.

• Re-set your expectations

It is important to be kind to yourself during such a period of stress and uncertainty. There are lots of well-meaning people out there suggesting that you take up a new hobby, use the time to de-clutter your house, get your garden looking immaculate! But if, like me, you have young children at home as well as work to do, your experience of this lockdown is very different from someone who is not working and has not got children to look after.

Remember that everyone is experiencing this situation differently and everyone’s feelings about it are valid. If you are feeling overwhelmed then perhaps now is not the time to add lots of things that you “should” be doing to a list and then making yourself feel guilty for not doing them.

Re-set your expectations of yourself and just focus on doing one thing that would make you feel less overwhelmed.

• Make a List

There are so many distractions around at the moment. If you have children at home, they need attention, help with school work or constant snacks in my house! There is so much to digest on social media at the moment, then a quick check of the news, make another cup of tea, tend to the garden and so the “Groundhog Day” goes on…

It is very easy to lose focus in the chaos so make a list of the things you need to get done. I call it my “Must” list. I have been guilty in the past of making the “must” list about 20 things long but have had to pair it right down to just 1 or 2 things that I must get done that day.

The feeling of achievement when you tick those things off makes it all worthwhile and perhaps you can give yourself a reward if you get the “must” done that day – like a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine!

• Be Disciplined

To keep focussed and get things done, you need to have discipline. Your day will not start as you intended if you binged watched hours of Netflix and had a late night the night before for example. Discipline comes from having a healthy routine. Starting your day with healthy habits: journaling, some exercise and a healthy breakfast will all help to keep you focussed on the job in hand.

It is very easy to spend hours and hours scrolling your phone looking at social media if you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious but having some discipline around only checking for updates at certain times of the day will help keep you focussed.

It is not easy and it takes practice and I’m still working on it.

• Limit your exposure to the news

When the news is mostly bad i.e during a Global Pandemic, it can be easy to keep wanting to check for updates every few minutes to see what else has happened. This can easily lead you into a spiral of worrying thoughts about what might happen next and how it might affect you.

Just as for social media, try to set aside a couple of times per day where you will check the news updates from trusted sources rather than checking everything constantly.

• Keep up your Healthy Habits

It is more important than ever to stay healthy during a public health crisis. The research has shown that people who look after themselves and stay healthy are much less likely to have an adverse outcome if they were to catch Covid 19. Have a look at our Facebook page for updates on tips for staying healthy. Our website also has lots of posture exercises you can do at home as well.

Getting enough sleep, exercising daily and drinking plenty water are three key habits that will help you to stay focussed in this crazy time.

Stay well and Stay Safe