Staying Physically and Emotionally Healthy During a Pandemic

[Danyelle] Hello everybody. Welcome to Comets Discuss, part of the UT Dallas CometCast network, where we give you mini episodes on big, trending topics. For this series, we’re talking about COVID-19. With nearly every aspect of life now affected by this global pandemic, we’re interviewing UT Dallas experts — while practicing social distancing — to provide you various perspectives during this evolving situation. I’m Danyelle. Today we’re talking to Taylor Tran. Taylor is the employee health program manager in the Office of Human Resources at UT Dallas. She talked to us about some of the challenges of working from home and offered tips for making that transition a little easier. Welcome to the show, Taylor. Thank you so much for taking time away from your work to join us today.

[Taylor] Thank you for having me.

[Danyelle] How has your office had to respond to the COVID-19 crisis?

[Taylor] Our office is adjusting pretty well. I think everyone has sort of set up their home office and trying to stay healthy and be healthy and so they can be productive.

[Danyelle] I know this is a really weird time for most of us who are fortunate enough to work from home like you’ve mentioned. What do you think some of the biggest challenges have been for people who are working from home?

[Taylor] Often times it can disrupt your eating and your workout schedule but it’s important though for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle especially during times when our health can be compromised. It’s good to have that routine so that we can create a sense of normality during uncertain times. So you know it’s good for people to find a place that they can work at home and be productive so that again it can stay healthy and continue to work.

[Danyelle] Do you have any tips for our listeners to try and continue to keep that normalcy in their routine? Yes, definitely try to keep the same schedule as they would if they were going to the office. I know it may be tempting to work in our pajamas but it’s good to get up, get dressed for the day. Again you don’t have to get into your normal work clothes but do get out of your pajamas. Um, also try to set a schedule for mealtimes and snacks to avoid mindless eating or stress eating. I know this is challenging for a lot of people, you know, there’s a lot of time during the day and we’re very close to our pantry and our fridge so it may seem tempting, but again set a schedule for meal times and snacks. Again, maintaining that healthy routine, whether it’s, you know, getting up and working out in the morning or starting the day off with a healthy meal can provide a sense of control when things feel uncertain.

[Danyelle] Are there any ways that technology has assisted in helping people keep a normal schedule or getting into the habit of working out?

[Taylor] There are lots of online videos and livestream workouts from gyms that have helped people to continue to be active. UREC is also offering fitness classes that the campus can participate in and I think that’s been really helpful for a lot of people.

[Danyelle] That’s awesome. I’m glad, like you said, that we implemented the use of Teams so that we do have some level of connection with one another. What are some common questions or concerns that you and your office have received during this time?

[Taylor] I think the big one is the work-life balance that a lot of people are struggling with. In addition a lot of people are trying to avoid the COVID-19 weight gain. It’s no longer, you know, “freshman 15,” it’s the COVID-19 weight gain that they’re concerned with, again, because they’re snacking throughout the day or it’s been challenging to work out but again I try to tell people to continue to be mindful, stick to schedule, try to maintain their healthy diet. It’s important that we stock up on foods and snacks that are healthy for us, that pack a nutritional punch, the best that we can. You still try to eat that balanced meal as often as we can and again, just, you know, try to move around throughout the day as much as they can. Take short breaks to stretch and get up from sitting all day long and then also trying to tell people to stay hydrated throughout the day as well. This will also help prevent the additional snackings that they may be doing throughout the day.

[Danyelle] That’s really good advice. I personally need to work on some of those things. What are some challenges that people may have if they have any kids in the house? Because it’s hard enough to keep one individual on the type of schedule that you’re talking about but what are some tips that people can use when they have children and they’re wanting to maintain these healthy habits for themselves and for their children.

[Taylor] Yes that’s definitely a challenging time right now. Like I mentioned earlier the work/life balance is now thrown off because we’re also having to home-school as well as take care of daycare activities. So first thing is you know we have to set boundaries with our family members. It’s important to, you know, discuss times of when you’re gonna be working and when, you know, you’re able to help them with schoolwork, to minimize distractions. But it’s also important that we also involve the kids. You know kids are a part of our lives, our family members are part of life so I think it’s good to have kids help with either meal planning or meal preparation. So again, just depending on the age of the kids, you can have them set out plates for dinner or create meals that they’re gonna enjoy. The older kids can help with preparation. Lots of baking going on so they can help as well with, you know, getting ingredients in the bowl and prepping meals. And it’s also good that we take time to release energy throughout the day, as well. Take time for play or creative artwork. My sister’s kids have PE still during their their school at home and so she works out with them. So it’s good to, again, try to still be with your kids and participate with them and move around and have them involved as much as you can.

[Danyelle] What is your favorite way to keep your body active during this quarantine time?

[Taylor] So I’m a big yoga advocate. So I still do my yoga classes and yoga is one of those things that you can practically do anywhere and everywhere as long as you have a mat. Lots of online yoga classes that you can participate in. It also’s good to help to calm me as well. You know the breathing exercises and the stretching exercises have really been helpful to not only keep me healthy but also mentally prepared as well for the day.

[Danyelle] And then what’s your favorite quarantine meal?

[Taylor] So as a dietician I try to still stick with healthy options. So my meals are pretty similar to what they were when I was working. I start my day off with my coffee and my Greek yogurt. I try to still incorporate in fruits and vegetables with my meals. Again, they’re packed with lots of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants to keep me healthy, to keep your immune system going as well. I try to still eat balanced meals. I snack on, you know, healthy options. I know, again, that’s a big one for a lot of people but I try to practice, you know, the whole keeping healthy options available to me so when I am hungry at least have the option of eating something healthy.

[Danyelle] That’s awesome. What I need to also do that because I get hungry and then don’t realize I was hungry and then I’m like, “I’m gonna grab whatever this is.”

[Taylor] Again, this is a challenging time for everyone so I do feel like it’s good to allow yourself a little leeway here and there. It’s okay to enjoy that comfort food or that, you know, snack that we’ve been craving. Definitely don’t deprive yourself. Because we don’t want people binging or feeling guilt so definitely allow yourself a little bit of that.

[Danyelle] Was there anything else that we’ve already discussed so far that you feel like you want to add any additional clarification on?

[Taylor] It’s again important to just have people focus on, you know, taking care of themselves so that they can continue to take care of others. Often time we’re so busy trying to take care of everyone else that we’re the last one — we’re the last one to eat or the last one to bathe. We’re the last one to do things for ourselves so it’s good to make sure we do at least allow ourselves a little bit of “me time” during the day if we can to decompress from the day and just breathe and know that it’s going to be okay.

[Danyelle] What tips would you have for folks who live in close quarters with their family members or whoever else might be living in their home to carve out a space for that “me time.” For example, like I’m fortunate enough that we have a guest room so if I need some time I can come into my guest room but some people, every room of their house is filled up. So do you have any like quick and easy tips for folks to utilize whatever space they have to achieve that “me time?”

[Taylor] Yes, so I actually had an employee who mentioned that now she’s working at home, her husbands at home, her son’s at home and again they’re in a small apartment. What she’s doing is actually dedicating a certain time where you know she can be alone in a room so that that would be her “me time,” her alone time and I know it’s difficult because you know space is limited for everyone right now but you know if spacing is an issue then just allowing yourself, you know, 5 or 10 minutes to be in the bedroom or be in the living room so that you can decompress. You know that would allow you time to take some space away from everyone and just be alone and know that it’s gonna be okay.

[Danyelle] Was there any final thought or one last piece of wisdom you wanted to leave our audience with?

[Taylor] Yeah. I just want again to tell people that this is a challenging time for everyone right now but you know we will get through this, you know, by staying home, staying safe and staying healthy.

[Danyelle] Great. Well, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate you taking time out and we really appreciate all of the knowledge and resources that you’ve referenced in this conversation.

[Taylor] Thank you. Thanks again for having me and again I hope that everyone stays healthy again not just physically but emotionally as well.

[Danyelle] Thanks for joining us. Taylor provided us with some helpful links that will be listed in the show notes. If you would like more information about UT Dallas resources on working from home, please visit utdallas.edu/coronavirus and click on the “administrative continuity” tab. Thanks for joining us. Comets Discuss is brought to you by the UT Dallas Office of Communications. A special thanks to senior lecturer Roxanne Minnish for our music. Be sure to check out our other shows at utdallas.edu/cometcast. For the most up-to-date news at UT Dallas visit the university’s official COVID-19 information web page at utdallas.edu/coronavirus. Take care and stay healthy. Whoosh!