After living through the last 18 months, just surviving was more than enough to be doing. Coming back to life, fuelling yourself and your family and re-entering your social life will likely require an extra boost.
We spoke to Rob Burke, 34, an engineering leader for a large tech company who lives with his family on the coast in Dublin, about post-pandemic life and what he’s been doing to keep healthy in mind and body.
“Pre-pandemic, I travelled for a third of the year. I was usually away for a week or two a month between work and adventures - I have a global team: I manage people in Seattle, Dublin, Sydney, and a few other places in between,” Burke says.
“During the pandemic, my weeks have been a little bit more consistent. I work fairly long hours Monday to Thursday, usually starting by 7:30am, finishing between 7pm and 9pm. A couple of evenings a week I will have something social – either work related or with friends.”
Burke aims to keep a balance. “I try to wrap things up by 7pm on a Friday. Saturdays are busy with friends, home projects, whatever else. We try to keep Sundays free, which has been a huge benefit. My wife and I lead incredibly busy lives and keeping that day for family time has been lovely,” he says.
The pandemic period brought a unique set of challenges to Burke’s life. “I found that my days were getting really weird. I found myself working really early mornings or late evenings to try to ‘make up’ for the lack of in-person time together,” he says.
“The other big challenge, for me, was working from home. I'm incredibly lucky in that we have room for a home office and I've always had the flexibility to work from home when needed. Doing it full-time was a big difference, though,” Burke recalls.
“I started to really dislike the lack of boundaries between work and home. Finishing a difficult conversation or a really challenging meeting and then stepping out onto the landing was, and is, very jarring for me. I've been back in the office ever since we've been able to get back in under the guidelines. I enjoy getting out and about for the day and I use the commute as time to unwind and reflect on the day.”
Making positive changes
To bolster his own mental and physical health, Burke implemented some new habits as well as focusing on continuing established ones.
“I'm convinced that sleep is the most overlooked part of most people's health and wellbeing,” he says. “I track my sleep and I've tried lately to shift my bedtime earlier. I feel so much better all round when I'm consistently getting enough quality sleep.
I found myself really enjoying running ... it's a nice way to explore parts of Dublin I usually wouldn't get to
“I also started meditating using an app in 2019 when my mom was sick. I found it incredibly helpful in managing my mental health as her illness progressed and she passed away that autumn. It's a habit I've kept up since then. I try to do a bit more when life gets challenging,” he continues.
Like many of us, exercise has become a focus too. “I took up running at the beginning of the pandemic. I used to play rugby and then transitioned to being a mediocre powerlifter. I decided to start doing something I could totally control without needing any equipment,” he says.
“I found myself really enjoying running and I'm definitely not a natural runner and I'm incredibly slow but I enjoy it. I get through a bunch of podcasts and audiobooks and it's a nice way to explore parts of Dublin I usually wouldn't get to.”
Fertility awareness
As well as some new lifestyle and exercise habits, when planning ahead for their family, Burke and his wife had some fertility testing done last year, to get ahead of any potential issues they might face.
“My wife and I decided to get a full set of fertility testing done last summer. We knew we were planning to have children in the next couple of years and we're both pretty organised and prepared people, so we figured we'd get a head start on any fertility problems there might be,” he says.
While managing his sleep, general health and mental wellbeing, Burke’s physical health and immunity have been focuses too.
“I think the extra focus and attention on hand washing and the introduction of wearing a mask has made a difference. Other than the odd niggle from training, I don't think my health has ever been better,” he says.
“I still need to lose some weight but all of my other indicators - resting heart rate and bloods - are better than they've even been.”
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