“We’ve been in lockdown for so long I’m not sure if I still know how to talk to other people”, says one of my friends when we caught up with her a week ago when restaurants started to reopen to the public.
As the outside world starts to reopen to society during the post-lockdown era, one can’t help but think if we really are ready to go back to how we were pre-pandemic. Of course, we have to face the reality that what we are about to face is no longer the environment and workplace that we were previously used to. Nevertheless, we still need to “reboot” our essential social skills in making sure that we will be ready to deal with human beings again, after getting stuck with Zoom and Meet calls for the past two years.
Here are three things (the 3Ms!) that may help us prepare to get back out there and start making some waves again — in the workplace and beyond.
Meals
More than making sure that we get the right nutrition (yes, we’re looking at you chicken nuggets and Cheetos), it’s the conversation around the table that can start getting us going in reconnecting with people. As famous chef Giada de Laurentis says, “Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body. It’s love.” Of course, this is in the assumption that we still follow health protocols.
Meditation
WIth mental awareness getting more prevalent among organizations in these recent months, being mentally healthy has become a top priority for wellbeing, both at work and on a personal level. There are simple and yet significant ways for being mindful – from exploring meditation apps to something as trivial as lying down and spending a few minutes to listen to relaxing sounds.
Movement
It’s no secret that the remote work setup has brought out the couch potatoes and keyboard workers in us. As a result, our minds have somewhat become tied to the notion that being stuck somewhere physically is okay – when it’s obviously not. Aside from the endorphins that it releases, exercising or any continuous physical activity could really give us that right boost to start the day right, and this may come in handy during the post-pandemic era.
