By Nicole Fuge, MD® Managing Editor
It’s hard to believe just a few months ago, the world as we knew it started shutting down in an attempt to shield ourselves and our loved ones from ‘Rona. And while many countries are still in the eye of this fierce storm, here in Australia restrictions are starting to be lifted and we’re feeling some of the freedoms we’ve been craving since March.
It’s been a matter of taking it one (long) day at a time, and adjusting to this new norm in iso. And just like you, here at MD® HQ, we’ve all been faced with our own challenges – #bossmama Jess has been homeschooling with her two gorge boys, whereas I’ve been on what feels like the other end of the mum scale, juggling WFH with a teething one-year-old who’s starting to walk. Every single one of our journeys are different, and we all have good days and sh*tty days where all we can manage is a snuggle with our kids and hot chocolates. And that’s the thing that binds us as mums, we are all in this together. So while you’ll see the ‘lockdown motivators’ come out of this sh*t show with new side hustles and skills, remember that MOST of us have solely been focused on surviving through this time, and let me tell you that is more than enough. You are enough.
But while life is starting to look and feel a little more like it used to, there are still many of us working from home and still very much living in #iso for the unforeseeable future. So if you are, make sure you’re continuing to check in and take care of your own mental health and wellbeing, and treat yourself to a little self-care to break up the daily hustle. To help you find your own version of work/life balance this season, Perinatal Workplace Wellbeing Program shares some important questions for you to answer and then chat about how you’re feeling with your fam-bam.
1 // What matters to you most in this season?
Beyond the health and safety of your loved ones, what are your top three goals? Is there a particular work project you want to see through to completion? A relationship you want to foster? Do you want to use the time at home to map out your next career transition? Is your kids’ education top of mind?
2 // If you have a partner, what is the relative priority of your careers over the coming months?
Whose work gets priority and when? Do you have a stable deal in which one of your careers consistently takes priority over the other? Do you try and maintain a 50/50 split? Are there certain weeks/times when one of you will need to have priority over working time?
3 // What are your parenting principles during this period?
Do you need to loosen screen-time agreements? How involved in home learning do you want and need to be? What are the aspects of your children’s lives that are most important to you such as outdoor time, reading, sports, study? How will you talk about the crisis and contain your children’s anxieties?
4 // What do you need to make this all work?
If you have a partner, what do you need from each other? What does support look like for you, emotional or practical? Do you need to know that you’ll have 15 minutes of undivided attention every evening to check in and debrief the day—if so, how can you make this happen? If you have a partner, do you need them to share some of the tasks that you usually take full responsibility for?
5 // What are the things that concern you the most?
Job security? Managing boundaries between work and kids? Getting quality couple time in? Cabin fever setting in? What will you do if you (or your partner) becomes seriously ill?
