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Forbes: New Study Shows Pandemic Weary American Workers Can’t Wait For 2021

Forbes: New Study Shows Pandemic Weary American Workers Can’t Wait For 2021

Are you among the majority of Americans counting down the days until 2020 is over? The pandemic stress and all the fears and hassles it brought have made 75% of the country say they’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, according to a new SWNS research finding commissioned by R+R Medicinals CBD and conducted by OnePoll.

Working From Home

The study asked 2,000 nationally represented Americans how 2020 has treated them and found that 65% are exhausted from feeling overwhelmed by the tumultuous year, and three-quarters are counting down the days left. The survey also found 46% of Americans living with other people are on the brink of going crazy from a lack of privacy during quarantine.

Some respondents attribute the lack of time for themselves to working from home, with half of Americans working remotely, saying the quarantine has ruined their work-life balance and 47% admitting they haven’t slept well since they began working from home. Respondents get an average of nine hours of alone time in a week—8% getting no alone time at all. And over half (55%) of respondents often struggle to find time for self-care routines. Forty-three percent of those polled said they’re beyond the point of return, sharing they’re just too tired to even focus on self-care for the remainder of 2020 and have given up altogether. In fact, the average respondent only takes part in four self-care routines in a typical week, and 44% want to improve this, but they don’t know where to start.

Desperate For Good News

Another study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Vitamin Angels asked 2,000 census-balanced Americans about how they’ve coped with the stress of 2020 and Covid-19 and found 75% said the constant stream of bad news has taken a toll. Eight in 10 Americans are desperate to hear some positive news in the remainder of 2020, and their top goal is to make at least one person smile every day.

Seven in 10 respondents say they make it a priority to do something positive every day as quarantine continues. And 34% try to make someone laugh daily as well as make it a priority to share positive news with their loved ones. “Communities in the U.S. and around the world were already vulnerable before Covid-19, and now is the time when they need us most,” said Howard Schiffer, Vitamin Angels Founder & President. “Right now, we have an opportunity to come together and take what has been one of the hardest years in our lives, and turn it into one of our best, positive actions; to help the most vulnerable in our communities, the women and children most at risk.”

Recipes For Positive Action

According to the study, the 10 top tricks Americans are using to keep their spirits up in 2020 are:

  1. Watching their favorite movie – 46%
  2. Eating their favorite snack – 43%
  3. Going for a walk – 43%
  4. Calling a friend – 40%
  5. Cuddling their pet – 38%
  6. Taking a nap – 37%
  7. Hugging a loved one – 37%
  8. Baking cookies – 31%
  9. Singing in the shower – 25%
  10. Having a solo dance party – 19%

“This holiday season is a great opportunity to connect with loved ones and share some much-needed positivity,” said Schiffer. “Another way to share positivity is giving back to at-risk members of our communities, especially women and children.” The study found that nearly six in 10 respondents said the difficulties of 2020 and Covid-19 has led them to give back to their community even more, and 66% were in agreement that their communities are closer than ever. Despite the stress of Covid-19, 78% of respondents also said the pandemic has made it more important than ever to give back to their local communities. In fact, 42% of those polled have increased their donations to charities during Covid-19.

Looking To 2021

The challenges we’ve faced in 2020 are not going to magically change overnight at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve. It will still take time before we’re fully out of the woods. But when we can’t control what’s happening, we can control the way we respond to what’s happening. As the survey respondents look to the new year, three-quarters say they are hoping to start off fresh and share positivity as much as they can, with another eight in 10 hoping others will do the same. The top goals to share positivity in 2021 included having a more positive outlook in life (52%) and trying not to focus on the negative things as much (50%). Forty-eight percent of respondents are also aiming to take better care of their mental health, and a third of respondents want to donate more to charity and volunteer more.

Cara Pelletier, Director of Diversity, Equality and Belonging at Ultimate Software shared her positive outlook for 2021:

“The hope is that as our workforce evolves as a result of the crisis, we bring more empathy to our everyday connections. If things go back to normal for most people, we must lean on our working from home experience to remember that adaptations gave us equal access to participation and productivity. Our eventual transition back to the office presents an opportunity for us to better support one another, anticipate the needs of our teams and pave the way for a more empathetic and human workplace.”

To view original article, visit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/12/03/new-study-shows-pandemic-weary-american-workers-cant-wait-for-2021/?sh=3c5a848758a5