When Covid comes calling

Written By: Carisa Holmes-Peters

There is no time for this

Have you ever had that scenario where your to-do list is already so full that there is no room whatsoever to add anything more to the list? And then, what happens....a disruption comes along. 

Well in my case it was a Covid 19 illness. 

"I don't have time for this. I have so much to do to run a company. To serve our clients, to support our internal teams. No, sorry. This just isn't going to work for me. You'll have to try again another time."

If only it was that easy. Of course, it's not. So this is a time to get real with yourself and accept that you cannot do it all when you find yourself under the weather and unable to keep going at your usual pace. 

A slow recovery

I am happy to report that I am better and very slowly working on making a full recovery. That got me thinking about how we try to keep juggling all the balls when we get sick and how this takes a toll on how quickly we can rest, recover and get back to feeling productive and operating at 100%. 

With flu season approaching during an already uneasy time for illness, I thought it may be helpful to share a few tips should you find yourself down for the count and trying to maintain some level of productivity. Or at the very least trying to manage your self-care and all that has been put on hold momentarily.

Tips to consider when sickness comes calling

1. Be honest and realistic with yourself. If you are not going to be able to fulfill your responsibilities, first be honest with yourself about this. Then reach out to others on your team to tell them the real situation with what you are facing. Downplaying it only comes back up later so you are better off working in the reality of what is. Let them know how you will need support so they can be clear on what is needed from them. Taking the time to do this will only help you have the proper time to rest and recover. 
2. Establish timelines with clients and internal teams. We often want to say what we think everyone wants to hear. But in the end, if you cannot fulfill that expectation it is only going to add more stress and pressure which does nothing good for anyone. So be honest with what you can commit to and put the rest on hold to not add additional pressure to yourself. 
3. Accept that you can only do so much. When your body is sick, it needs to take priority, and sometimes that means everything else pauses until you can get yourself well again. When your brain offers you defeating thoughts, pause and go back to what the facts of the situation are. I am sick. My body needs me to shut down and let it heal. If I can't fulfill what is needed, then I must relay it to someone else. Respect what your body is telling you it needs. This will speed up your recovery and prevent you from taking a step backward.

We are all going to get sick and have adversity in our lives. Remember life is 50/50. So you can expect that things are going to get off track at some points in life. How we choose to think about them and what action we take can make a bump in the road so much smoother.

Sending thoughts for wellness to all. 

"When "I" is replaced with "We", even illness becomes wellness. 

Malcom X

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Carisa Holmes has 25+ years of experience in leadership and office culture. She is currently an Owner and Administrator of Holmes Marketing Services. In her current role, she focuses mostly on Human Relations, Client Experience, and Office Culture.