“So, this is a first…”
I tell the screen in front of me and announce the premiere of a virtual interview for the blog. On the other side of the screen is a psychologist and headhunter, Marek Navrátil. Marek finished his Ph.D. in social psychology and throughout his entire career, whether as a psychotherapist, HR Director, or an executive search consultant, he has been listening to people’s stories. How did those stories change during the pandemic? What are people dealing with now? And what are Marek’s tips on how to stay sane during the pandemic? That’s what we got to talk about.
5 things to watch out for during the pandemic, according to Marek
„I feel, as my grandma would describe it, like a tiger in a cage,“ Marek comments on his home office situation. “Even though I go out, I exercise, I jog, et cetera, there is still this glass ceiling. The barrier that you don’t see and can’t overcome.” From stories Marek hears, this is what most people feel like. What should we watch out for, according to him?
• Place
“The place, the place, the place. It’s very important. People value their environment much more than they did before,” Marek thinks, “because now having a nice cozy home with fast internet, good equipment, and a lot of space is more important than ever.”
• Relationships
“We spend much more time with people who were close to us but now became even closer. So plenty of relationships started suffering from the overload of intimacy. I see during interviews that people don’t often have a quiet corner. A room where you can close the door and escape. So many people are learning new techniques on how to be together.”
• Motivation
“This is one thing that makes my job very difficult,” Marek sighs, “people aren’t very motivated to pursue new opportunities. Because what would drive you to change your job right now? Change your kitchen for your kitchen? The job might be different but the scenery is still the same. This is one of the most serious reasons why people suffer – because there is no motivation.”
• Fridge
“And of course, you sit at home and there is a fridge and there’s food in the fridge and some people reduce their stress by eating. Which is a mechanism they’ve used for years. There are many obese people and this is very challenging for them. I talked to several people who are afraid of meeting others because they are fat and they feel threatened.”
• Substance Abuse
“Doing yoga when you have your children jumping around is a problem. And from what I’ve heard, some people found a coping mechanism in drinking or smoking weed. It can make you think deeper about your situation and that can be quite a serious problem if you analyze it and you think there is no end to it.”
Read the rest of the article here.
BY: PRINCESS UNIPONY