COVID19 is a tough phase for everyone to live through and for people actively involved in curtailing its spread, it’s even tougher. Our frontline warriors—policemen, safai karamcharis, municipal workers, sanitization workers, people involved in educating and spreading the message—are the ones making the pandemic survive-able for all. They are working double shifts, risking their lives, helping citizens and people get over their problems and fight the virus. But is their work overpowering their emotional and mental well-being? Are the frontline workers able to maintain the work-life balance while surrendering themselves to their job?

According to a study, more than 51% of healthcare workers have reported burnout, depression and compassion fatigue. More than 57% of police personnel have experienced extreme levels of frustration and exhaustion and stress.

Many social workers, cleaners and midwives have also reported feelings of apathy, alertness and fear of being disconnected from their loved ones. 

Due to the increased levels of stress and workload, frontline workers are experiencing mental and emotional health issues like an overpowering feeling of sadness, depression, and of wasted effort. Heightened levels of being tired, exhausted are fuelling irrational feelings as if something bad is going to happening.  

In order to avoid falling into a blackhole of such feeling, it is important for our frontline workers to try and set boundaries. They need to know that in these times of crisis, getting emotional about your job and activities might take a toll on your well being. Try and set boundaries and maintain balance so that you neither get bogged down by negativity nor lose focus on positivity, but how?

Be informed but make sure you don’t follow too much of it: With the increasing statistics, it is important for you to not let the news disturb your emotional equilibrium and add to the already prevailing stress. Try and limit your intake and focus on the NEWS and updates on the COVID situation.

Set definitive limits between work and home: If you are at home try not to think about your workplace and struggles. Similarly, if you are at work coldly focus on your job rather than creating an emotional mess by thinking of home and family and what if you carry the virus back to your home.

Keep high or lows of job-related feelings in control: A job well done and a job wasted—there will be days when you will experience highs or lows related to your job-performance. While it is good to celebrate some, and learn from others, do not delve too much into either. Avoid over-analysing, thinking too much or talking too much about it since it will lead to emotional involvement. 

It is important to define boundaries between work and emotional involvement early on in your job since with COVID, we  are all in for a long haul.