Hello everyone, I begun writing about work-life balance lockdown edition last week. Even when I wanted to write one post only, I am writing a two post series. Today I want to continue from where I left off last week and start with the mental exhaustion and move to the more positive aspects of the lockdown edition of work-life balance.

Isolation/ Mental exhaustion

Most of us are busy with our daily job, and education and other things in life. So even those, who live under the same roof, do not always find time to spend it together. The enforced lockdown has made it easier for these people to come together and spend the time together. Those who live with their grandparents or  have them over, this time spent together is quite precious.

On the other hand, for those who are separated right now and isolated, in different cities and countries: this ongoing lockdown is creating isolation and loneliness. My elderly parents, despite having enough to do at house, is gradually finding it difficult to cope. My grandmother, who is over 80, was extremely fit and strong for her age. She travelled halfway around the world to visit me when she was eighty. But the lockdown has taken a toll on her. She belongs to high risk group, so even a short leisurely walk to local market, a quick prayer visit to local Temple, all has been stopped for a while. She has fallen sick and it took her a bit to get well and she has trouble walking right now.

I have been living in Europe for more than a decade now. This distance never meant much to me before as I could always visit home whenever I wish. Right now, the ongoing travel restrictions have suddenly made the distance very real. I do not know when international travel will be safe and I can go visit her.

It is not only the elderly though, living alone is difficult for everyone currently. Video chats can go only so far to make the presence of your loved ones. As a result a lot of us are throwing us into work. The lines separating personal space and time and work space is quite blurred now.

Working Space Ideas

Not everyone is lucky to have a dedicated office room at home. Some of us are lucky to have a work corner, some of us are working from the dinner table. Some of us are working from wherever I am finding space today. This probably has been toppling the balance between work and life a lot.

What helps me is to have a dedicated working space, a corner, where I can work and then after I finish work, I do not go to that corner unless needed. There are plenty of way to decorate that corner to make you comfortable. I came up with a post about how to make your home office space a little more cosy and comfortable just a few days back. You can read all about it here.

 Keeping the Balance

Another way of creating the balance is to indulge in some small hobbies. If necessary we need to set alarm to take time out for them. I am trying to do some sort of sports everyday. One of the best hobbies is gardening. Tending to plants, watching them grow and nurturing them is a beautiful way to reconnect with nature and try to find your place in the big picture. It is also a healthy way to deal with anxiety and find some time alone, amidst everything.

 I started gardening as a hobby a few years back and it has become one of my comfort. If anything good came out of this ongoing lockdown, I had some successful experience in gardening and some nice produce this year. I am becoming quite a passionate blogger about gardening : It’s all about gardening baby. I am planning to write a detailed post on the ways we can maintain productivity and still trying to keep the balance between work and life while working from him. It is based on my experiences mostly and those I know of. I hope you would like it.