A message from PA Life: It’s okay to not be okay

We are all experiencing something beyond anything we could possibly have imagined just a few weeks ago. Outside of our amazing NHS staff and key workers, we’re all working from home, self-isolating and unable to meet with friends and family.

Some of us are attempting to home school our children whilst also trying to manage our work, and most of us are now locked up with our partners for 24 hours a day.

There’s the concern about job stability, personal finances, elderly relatives, managing grocery shopping safely.

Many of us are feeling lonely and isolated.

And, of course, underlying all of this is the very real worry about the threat of the virus itself – and of keeping our loved ones safe.

But yet, we have to keep working. We need to keep our children occupied – even if it’s not with curriculum-based activities. And we need to ensure that life, for ourselves and our family, remains as normal as possible in these very not normal times.

To add to all the pressure, we’re being bombarded by social media posts from influencers – and friends – showing just how well they are coping. They’re showing home-schooling schedules that would put ultra-experienced teachers to shame; their work-out routines; and they’re even ‘using this time’ to learn a foreign language. They’re all doing brilliantly when I, for one, am struggling to get a Facebook Live science lesson ready, and a clean top on, before taking (another) Zoom video call. Where is all this spare time coming from for these people?!

That’s why we’re here for everyone who’s not learning a new life skill, who’s not finding time to cook new recipes (who can find the ingredients, anyway?), who’s just doing the best they can during these unprecedented and difficult times.

Our message to you – if you’re not feeling okay, it’s fine, honestly.

At PA Life, we want to do all we can to keep you feeling connected with your career, and with other PAs and EAs. Our online content is increasing, and we’re deliberately including more advice on managing remote working, along with tips on improving your mental wellbeing.

We’re all in this together. But we need to share our concerns and challenges, and stop worrying about appearing vulnerable. To this end, we have created a survey here which we urge everyone to complete.

There are just 10 questions, so it will take you less time than it would to put on some make-up for a video call.

Hopefully we can show all of our readers the key challenges that are facing PAs and EAs during the pandemic and lockdown.

And, ultimately, demonstrate to all that it’s really okay to not be okay.

Outside of the survey, I’d love to hear from about how you’re coping with work and life during the lockdown. Email me at li*********@mi*********.com .