This U.K. Mental Health Awareness Week, Linklaters senior partner Charlie Jacobs shares his experiences of feeling low during the COVID-19 crisis and some of the strategies he is using to lift his spirits.

At Linklaters it's part of our culture to look after the health and wellbeing of our people, which of course includes mental health. Current social distancing measures are having an impact on people's mental health and we believe it's important to be open about this.

Last week, I shared with the firm in my weekly video that I was experiencing a dip in my spirits along with the seven simple strategies listed below which helped me. 

  1. Stepping up my client interaction, something that always gives me great energy. 
  2. Noticing that my "bad week one habits" were creeping back in, such as spending more time on the IT devices late at night. This encouraged me to re-establish some boundaries such as allowing myself proper wind-down time in an evening.
  3. Having a spring clean of my working environment and feeling much better for it.
  4. Relaxing my early morning exercise routine – I decided I was becoming a little bit too fanatical (as did my family!). Have dialled it back a bit and am getting some extra sleep.
  5. Thinking about my own household and feeling grateful that my family are all currently in good health. Something which we can never take for granted and we all know people who have been impacted by COVID-19. 
  6. A haircut is always something that cheers you up, even if it's a home haircut by one of my four children!
  7. Took some annual leave to get a long weekend with the family.

Nearly all of us will by now have had our mental health tested to some degree over the last few weeks and months. The reasons for this will vary, and an individual's past experiences of mental health will not necessarily indicate how they experience lockdown.