DIARIES OF A MOM WORKING FROM HOME DURING LOCKDOWN
Stella Phiri is an accountant and a mother of two, a boy and a girl. Stella has been forced to work from home by her company, in efforts to decongest the work place and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. She has found herself having to balance between work and taking care of her children, who normally would spend the whole day at day care. Her husband is a business man, and has been up and about trying to make ends meet and keep his family fed during this tough time. Stella does not have a house maid, her earnings have not always been enough to pay a live-in maid, so she would have someone coming over during weekends to help her with laundry and other house chores. But again, her help had to go back to the village as her piece jobs could no longer sustain her during the lockdown. This means that Stella has to make sure that her kids and husband are well taken care of, her house is clean and everything is in order. Mind you her boss will also be waiting for her to respond to emails and keep updated on her work. Stella’s story is no different to other women out there who are working from home during this time. Stella says at first it was a nightmare for her but she has since find ways to cope. Here are the few tips she has to share:
Accept Reality
At first Stella was running away from reality. She kept telling herself that soon all this will be over. Days passed, weeks and now months. No change. She had to accept that it is what it is. She had to adapt to the situation and come up with a coping mechanism before she loses her mind.
Be positive
After accepting reality, Stella became positive about the present and future. Instead of worrying about how things will play out, she embraced the fact that she was spending more time with her family. That alone is a great achievement right. She placed her focus on what matters, that is taking care of her family and making sure that she keeps her job.
Get Help
At first when her husband would offer to help, Stella would turn him down. Naturally as women we want to be in charge, to prove that we can hold the fort without help. But hey that’s not going to help. Stella learnt that for things to be easier for her, she had to get all the help she could. She started warming up to the idea of her husband washing dishes, and even preparing meals once in a while. And this actually eased the load on her.
Above All Take a Break
Stella used to be all work no rest, and at the end of the day she would be extremely exhausted. This was taking a toll on her mental health as well. She started showing signs of anxiety, she would be all moody and be shouting at everyone for no reason. This was not her fault at all. She was tired! She later on realised that she had to take a break once in a while, stay away from that laptop, take her kids to her mother and be alone in her house. That way she could breathe, rest and take care of her self.