#WFHSeries
Ever wondered how work from home is for mental health professionals? No?
Like always, Pause for Perspective is here to show you different layers in the same story! In this Work from Home series, we will show how different groups are dealing with the pandemic and maintaining their work-life balance. Being confined to our houses is not the ideal situation for a lot us. As the second week of the national lock-down is almost at the end, we look into the lives of therapists at Pause for Perspective.
Working from Home turned our schedules upside down. With no designated space to work, it can get a messy. SO how do mental health professionals deal with a crisis? What are the problems they face and what do they do to help themselves?
How is Work from Home for our therapists?
Work from home means that we have shifted to online therapy full-time. The therapists at Pause for Perspective LOVE and thrive on human interaction, so naturally, the shift to virtual sessions was difficult at first to adjust to. It felt different, almost lacking the natural charm and flow of the organic conversations they usually have.
“I found it extremely difficult to adjust at first. I was a little frustrated at the whole situation but it gets better once you find a routine to stick to.” Says our team member and counselling psychologist, Nida Mir.
Our Founder, Aarathi Selvan says, “Working from home and also having sessions gets a bit frustrating. There is a lot of work at home like domestic chores to finish in between sessions. I am trying to find a physical space to distinguish my work space from my home space.”
The lack of space in the house is what irritates everyone. When having sessions, it is important to have a space designated for it. A safe space to listen and to reflect. Skype sessions can be a little difficult as they require more time to build relationships. Although technology has been good in terms of bridging gaps in communication, it has the ability create a gap in the sessions if one is not careful. Digital spaces can take away emotional presence at times.
We understand that work from home can get difficult to deal with. The lack of human connection, the uncertainty that it comes with and not having enough physical space to work are some of the reasons why it doesn’t have the natural appeal of going to your work space/office.
How is the Team coping with it?
“I think for me, I’m going back to a lot of things I used to do previously to ground myself. A walk on my terrace in the evening after sessions or painting a mandala is what helps.Another thing that works for me is to see my schedule and plan my day accordingly so everyone at home knows when I have work too and I take mini breaks for myself accordingly as well” Pooja says.
The entire team agrees.
Having a routine and fixed schedule seems to be the answer for how everyone is dealing with the work-from-home scenario. Waking up, checking the to-do list for the day and having a designated space for work is a must for the team.
“I have found my grounding in my family and the values that I cherish. Validating and listening, inventing new silly games, stories and jokes. So yes, these all experiences have definitely been helping. It is all that I need now, and gives me extra fuel to have the sessions going and being effective.” Our team member, Meenakshi Moorjani, claims. “With my clients, we are still adjusting to virtual sessions. It feels weird seeing each other on the screen. I do miss their vibes and the rooms ambiance. They are also having tough time with work from home…I guess what I have noticed is a change in my intention and focus in sessions. Focusing more on grounding and compassion work for them and myself even as the session progresses.”
A special emphasis is placed on meditation and mindfulness. With a lot of anxiety surrounding the pandemic, our therapists say that grounding themselves through meditation and prayer helps them find their roots and focus on work. Little activities like praying, taking deep breaths can help us reconnect to ourselves.
Our team has completely adjusted to Work from Home. It took some time, some more chai and lots of support from our Pause family for us to be fully prepared to take on this challenge as well. Due to the circumstances we’re in, Pause for Perspective understands the time constraints a lot of individuals have so we are offering online sessions, even on Sundays! Having virtual sessions can seem a little intimidating at first but it gets better, trust us! There’s nothing our team can’t do. When we said that we’re here for you, we meant it. Even a pandemic can’t stop us!
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Omaiha Walajahi
Writer
Pause for Perspective