A life coach is offering advice to Kiwi’s affected by the ever-changing environment produced by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Laurel McLay spoke to TVNZ1’s Seven Sharp about the upheaval that has been created in many areas of life over the past few months, and says life is different on the other side of lockdown but change isn’t always a bad thing.
Her comments come following a survey by Frog Recruitment released this week that found the changes in the work environment brought about by Covid-19 have led to an increase in burnout amongst Kiwi employees.
The recruitment agency conducted a survey of 900 Kiwi workers who showed that more than 64 per cent feel more burnt out at work now than they did prior to the onset of lockdown.
Burnout, officially recognised as an occupational condition by the World Health Organisation, is a syndrome occurring from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
Laurel McLay says the uncertainty caused through lockdown is valid and will have brought up a range of emotions.
“People are experiencing a whole myriad of feelings presently, and they are all valid. Our brain hates uncertainty and none of us have ever been through the kind we have had in the last three months,” she says.
“On top of that, most of us have had a bit of a reality check, be it our relationships, our work satisfaction or our health and that can naturally bring up some different emotions,” she says.
Ms McLay says that while some are experiencing some “scary” challenges, Kiwis should not just focus on the negatives.
“Because change does produce positives too,” she says.
“Life is sometimes grey. We go through seasons. Use this time to shape some new thinking, and work out what a satisfactory life would look like for you.
“It might be as simple as agreeing to continue your lockdown ritual of each family member taking turns at cooking each night or walking around the block with your partner.
“Focusing on the negative, and beating ourselves up because we are eating chocolate at 8am in the morning is not going to help. We can all lighten up a bit,” Ms McLay says.
Helping others is another way to aid post lockdown recovery, she says.
“Think about those people in your life who you know well, and those who are familiar acquaintances. For example, you could look after a neighbour’s children whilst they are out job hunting, volunteering for a social enterprise or just turn up with a home-cooked meal.
"Many of us are fortunate to have held on to our houses and our jobs and enjoyed a relatively stress-free lockdown. Let’s make sure we are there to support others in any way we can, and that has the added advantage of making us feel better too.”
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