Five Easy Ways to Preserve that Pandemic Peace of Mind.

• Author: Althauser, Meri

As we go back to work, it's not uncommon to be fearful of the future: of going back to... "THE BEFORE." We were scheduled to the gills. We didn't see our families. We worked without pets and children and didn't cultivate sourdough starter in order to throw it out weeks later. (Okay maybe that one is less important). Here are five quick activities to identify the Pandemic Pros and to make plans to keep them in your routine even as we go back to full-time hustle.

1. Pie chart. When data is your love language, draw a circle and make a pie chart capturing how you spent your time on your best and most balanced days. Be sure to capture everything: 5% mindless scrolling, 9% cooking, 30% work, 10% exercise, and don't forget 7% stressing about the future. Draw a second pie chart capturing your old stressed-out state. And last, make your third capturing the perfect proportion of where you want to be devoting your time.

2. Vision. Did lockdown get you wondering what you're doing with your life? A global sense of things being "off" or feeling lost can come from not having a clear purpose. There are lots of vision planning tools on the internet that will help you compile your values, your strengths, and lessons learned from life experiences to draft a clear personal vision. When looking for a tool, be sure to find one that asks you lots of insightful questions, rather than just one or two fill-in-the-blanks.

3. Lifestyle goals. Though it seems obvious, maintaining a healthy lifestyle (a balanced, colorful diet, regular exercise, exposure to nature, and social engagement) is vital to your well-being. Think of it as building up your mental health immune system. Pick one small lifestyle goal that you can stick with to build traction (like drinking water or taking a short walk break) then snowball those goals as you get back to work. Protect the time needed to get these tasks done on your calendar so that you can be sure to maintain your well-being goals when you get back to the nine-to-five.

4. Office policies that support well-being. If keeping up...