The Dangers of Blended Living- When the Lines of Work and Play are Blurred
Most of the world has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020. That’s about 17 months of going through work and lifestyle shifts, relying heavily on technology, and not having traveled. It’s fair to say that there’s a fair bit of monotony setting in. As an entrepreneur, parent, spouse, friend, and team leader, it’s definitely taken a toll on my mental and emotional wellbeing.
I’m all up for challenges. I’m the kind of person that likes to take the bull by the horns. Since two of my strengths are that of an Includer and Self-Assurer, I tend to take control of these situations with the intention of being a guiding light for other people. At the beginning of the pandemic, we’d have daily Zoom calls as a team, to ensure we’d maintain the team morale.
Technology, Give Me A Break
However, 17 months of doing it back-to-back definitely had an impact on me. Today I find myself more fatigued than normal. It is a lot more mental than it is physical, but, needless to say, it seeps into the physical element as well. I feel disengaged; I may not want to meet up with my friends; I may not want to meet up with my team members; I may not even want to get on Zoom calls with them. The amount of screen time that is there on a regular basis is unreal.
To give you an idea, a year and a half ago, my idea of unwinding would be to sit and watch some mindless TV, whether it was a movie or series. And this was a way for me to relax and unwind. I’d probably do that for about an hour to two hours, after which I would fall asleep. But now I’m so fatigued by the amount of screen time already, which is on my phone, my iPad, and my Zoom calls, that I don’t have the time to watch mindless TV. So, what is going to soothe me today, might be unconventional. While I’m not a reader and usually listen to audiobooks, I’m now tired of audiobooks as well. I feel like I need to physically hold a book and not look at a screen for a while- to just break away from technology.
Has Blended Living Taken a Toll on My Finances?
While we’re landing the clients we want to land- our ‘right fit’ clients, and we’re absolutely in the space we want to be in, I feel the joy of the numbers isn’t there anymore.
When I think of wealth, finances definitely have their space, but experiences, relationships, and mental health are not to be neglected. While the situation normally would demand that I power through it, I think there is a need to stop and pause. 
Explore the Unseen
There is a need for us to sit back and rethink how it is that we want to go out. I do feel that change of scene, some nature, maybe some snorkeling, a hike in the mountains, anything that’s different from what is now become monotony over the last 17 months of doing the same thing, would make a huge difference. While travel may not have been possible earlier, borders are opening up and we have no excuse to not make that time for ourselves.
Look at the situation around you, and reach out to people who can help you and lift you up. I think there is a need to cut out the negativity created by the aftermath of the pandemic because there’s already so much of that in the world.
You want to be conscious of the people that surround you. Are they impacting you negatively, whether it is cribbing, complaining, or talking about other people? Whatever the case may be, if this is the kind of environment you’ve created around yourself, needless to say, they will pull you down with them. There is a need to constantly reach out to people who are in a positive space and ensure that your mental wellbeing your mental health comes first. One thing I’ve always taken away from an aircraft is when they show you the safety precautions of the flight, what they always tell you, is to put your mask on first and then help the passenger next to you.
If you’re fatigued, feeling down, depressed, or tired, or feel like the monotony is settling in and taking you downhill, first take care of yourself before committing to taking care of somebody else.