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Keeping Safe Inside & Outside The Workplace!
Now, more than ever, safety is crucial both inside and outside the workplace. Whether you are going into work or working from home, the COVID-19 pandemic has probably changed the way you work in more ways than one. And these changes can have a big impact on both our physical and mental health. The good news is there are several steps we can take to help protect both our physical and mental health at home and within the workplace.
Let’s review the basic pre-cautionary steps you can take to protect yourself and others while at home or work.
- Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, if soap and water are not readily available use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, but if you must do so wash hands before and after thoroughly.
- Cover your cough and sneezes, discard any used tissues in the trash and wash hands immediately after.
- Wear a face mask or face covering when in public settings or when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. And be sure that it fits properly over your nose and mouth.
- Practice safe social distancing, which means keeping a distance of 6 feet between you and other people. This is especially important when around people who don’t live in your household or around people that are sick or at higher risk of getting sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
While these steps can be vitally important in protecting your physical health, we know this pandemic can cause immense stress and strain on your mental health as well. Our mental health has big effects on how we think, feel, and act. It may also affect how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices during an emergency, all which are vitally important now more than ever. If you start to recognize the signs of stress, don’t fret there are coping strategies that can help build resiliency and reduce stress that you can practice at home or work, such as the following:
- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories about COVID-19. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can cause unsettled emotions and anxiety.
- Make time to unwind. Try doing an activity you enjoy or practice relaxation techniques.
- Take care of your body by eating healthy, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and avoiding excessive alcohol use.
- Take care of your emotional health. Taking care of your emotional health will help you think clearly and react to the urgent needs to protect yourself and your family.
- Connect with others. While social distancing measures are in place, consider connecting online, through social media, by phone, or by mail. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
- Know where and how to get treatment and other support services and resources, including counseling or therapy (in person or through telehealth services).
- Focus on the facts. There’s so much information floating around out there it can become overwhelming, so just focusing on the facts allows you to eliminate any additional stress or anxiety caused by having to filter through various resources all the time.
At SIHF Healthcare we care about you and your safety, so by taking these small steps and becoming more proactive in protecting your health and the health of others we can make life-saving differences during this pandemic. Remember we are in this together, so if you ever become too overwhelmed with COVID-19 related issues or any other issues our medical professionals are here to help you at over two dozen SIHF Healthcare locations. Click here to find a healthcare professional near you that can assist you during this time of crisis.