EMBRACING THE NEW NORMAL

It’s a weekend and just after month end, but for many it’s actually a weak end. As we battle this irritating invisible enemy dubbed coronavirus (Covid-19), days are just not the same. But we need to look beyond that.

We need to be resolute and united as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II recently encouraged. “Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it,” she said in a brilliant message of hope to not only Britain but the world.

A scripture, for those of you who find strength in the Bible, says in (Joel 3:10) “let the weak say I am strong.” There has since been songs that even go on to say, “let the poor say I am rich.” That is a message to oneself that you should not speak negatively, no matter your present condition.

self-efficacy

So, dare to speak and act positively at all times. After all self-efficacy is powerful as one’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. One’s sense of self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.

To be able to adapt to the new normal we need to have victorious thinking and seek a silver lining on every dark cloud. It is the only way we will remain sane. It is the only way we will protect our immune systems from self-destructing due to stress and anxiety caused by the after effects of this pandemic.

lives

The new normal has touched every area of our lives. Who would have imagined weddings or funerals with only 20 people, schools being closed beyond a month, no churches or on the other end of the chain no clubs and bars open and only 17 sectors allowed to operate?  The world as we know it has drastically changed.

Add to that the recent news of a ‘no-work, no-pay’ for non-essential services workers means we are headed for times where a lot of psychosocial adaptability to the new normal needs to be embraced.
If your industry is not among the 17 sectors allowed to operate during this partial lockdown period it means that you face an uncertain period of not getting any income.

perspective

Looking at it from the employers’ perspective, if a business is not making any sales then it has no money for its expenses and wage bill. It’s simple. But from an employee perspective it is emotionally paralysing. Imagine a low wage earner who was barely making it month by month now having nothing at all. It all feels just too much to take, but one must look at it from a perspective of redirection than rejection.

In a feature on one of the World Health Organisation sites, it notes that as the coronavirus  pandemic sweeps across the world, it is causing widespread concern, fear and stress, all of which are natural and normal reactions to the changing and uncertain situation that everyone finds themselves in.

Quoting Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, he said something that really got me. He said; “The issue facing each and every one of us is how we manage and react to the stressful situation unfolding so rapidly in our lives and communities.

powers

“Here we can draw on the remarkable powers of strength and cooperation that we also fortunately possess as humans. And that is what we must try to focus on to respond most effectively to this crisis as individuals, family and community members, friends and colleagues.”

He reassured us that WHO is taking the impact of the crisis on people’s mental health very seriously and is monitoring the situation together with national authorities, while providing information and guidance to governments and the public. That is another message of hope we need to hear indeed.

This week I posted on my social media page about how heartbreaking it is to hear that people may have no income for months on end. But in the same breath I reminded them that it is now the time to be there for each other more than before. The WHO expert agrees with me.

“With the disruptive effects of COVID-19 – including social distancing – currently dominating our daily lives, it is important that we check on each other, call and video-chat, and are mindful of and sensitive to the unique mental health needs of those we care for.

Our anxiety and fears should be acknowledged and not be ignored, but better understood and addressed by individuals, communities and governments,” Dr Hans Kluge noted.

Beyond that though, for those with no income now, it’s important for them to restrategise with the skills they got from their employers on ways that they can make their own small businesses.

TAX

If perhaps you were in the finance department and dealing with tax issues, you can help people who are to file tax returns at a fee. If you were a chef, you can spend the quiet period cooking and making home deliveries. If your industry is not one that can be replicated then you can use the work ethic you adopted to start a home garden because now more than ever food security is of paramount importance.

There is no better time to also fill in an online business plan and have it ready in case you eventually have to venture into self-employment.

For now we all do not know how long this season will last, so it is better to be like Peter in the Bible and always have your nets clean even if they have not caught anything, you never know when your miracle may come by, and when it does it must find you ready.

As we embrace the new normal we must also continue to capacitate ourselves and keep ourselves psychologically healthy, picturing life after Covid-19.

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