It’s been 2 months since my husband and children were sent home from work and school because of the pandemic.
I didn’t realise how much I was concerned about their safety until they were sent home. Then I breathed a sigh of relief. We were all safe.
It’s been 2 months of daily walks and bike rides. I have been baking a lot of cookies and muffins and we’re using a lot of toilet paper! LOL
My children are nearly teenagers and have worked out remote schooling easily. I really feel for the parents with small children. That would be very tough! While there are no free desks or tables and the internet is struggling, we are doing fine.
In the first month or so, I found I couldn’t focus for very long. I couldn’t read a book or even consider developing any training programs. I didn’t have the energy or bandwidth. This is a result of the background stress I was feeling.
What was coming? How bad would it be? Would we be ok?
My amygdala, the threat centre, was definitely activated.
I’m at the stage where I need some normality back and I need the kids to go back to school! I need to peace to think but it’s challenging with my husband on business calls and Zooms all day.
What has changed is work. I can feel the stress levels rising. Everything is different. The workload has significantly increased and the workflow has dramatically changed. Everything takes so much longer to do.
I can feel the mood changing in practice. The team is less resilient to change and adversity. This is a result of the consistent high levels of workload and stress. Clients are becoming more frustrated and less accommodating. Again, this is a result of their increased stress levels.
On May 20th, I’m presenting a 1 hour webinar with Zoetis where I’ll be discussing maintaining your wellbeing during the pandemic.
Wellbeing is feeling good and functioning well according to Felicia Huppert. Many people’s wellbeing has been impacted with he pandemic.
I’ll be discussing the impact of chronic stress on your mental health and that it’s ok to not be ok at the moment. We are in the middle of a pandemic. It’s ok to see help.
I will also be discussing why self-care is critical for rest and recovery in times of high stress.
The session will be recorded and you can find it on the Zoetis Academy.
Thank you to Zoetis for hosting this webinar and for their initiative with Beyondblue helping veterinary professionals with their mental health. You can read more about the initiative and Zoetis significant donation here.
I have been a volunteer speaker for Beyondblue since 2016. They are a fantastic organisation that exists to raise awareness of mental health issues and reduce the stigma of depression, anxiety and suicide. They have many fantastic resources on their website and have a 24/7 helpline to call if you would like to reach out.
Natasha Wilks
