How are you adapting the way you work around lockdown?
Our Where I Work series is exploring just that, taking a look at different people’s home-working setups each weekday.
We’ve (virtually) met everyone from film producers to posture therapists getting stuff done from their homes, and today we’re chatting with Kristy Ki, the owner of holistic wellbeing centre The Ki Retreat, which offers Reiki training, crystal healing, and meditation classes.
Since lockdown hit, Kristy, 35, has been unable to see her usual clients in-person at her centre in Manchester or go to festivals and events. Instead, she’s delivering meditation sessions online.
Hey, Kristy! How has coronavirus changed things?
Coronavirus has drastically changed the way in which I work. When we entered lockdown I needed to adapt and find a way to still help my clients. Many of them come for help with their emotional and mental wellbeing. I needed to find a way to quite literally bring the Healing & Meditation sessions to them.
So I launched a wellbeing subscription box – bringing a range of Reiki healing, Meditation, crystals and more direct to their door. This has been well received, and we even had influencers jumping onboard with it.
I also took meditation classes online on both Facebook and Zoom.
With the nature of energy healing such as Reiki, you’re able to perform distance Healings, so I was able to continue treating some of my clients remotely.
The Ki Retreat also runs Events. We have the Rebalance Wellbeing festival in the pipeline for September in Manchester. The purpose of this is to showcase Holistic therapies & bring them to the mainstream. Realistically, I realise that there in a chance that this may not be able to go ahead in its current form, and we may need to adapt to an online event.
We have our first online Retreat day being held on the 17th May – we are raising money for a charity called Street Hearts BG – along with supporting the NHS & Railway workers with free tickets.
Talk us through your working space
At first I took over the house and wasn’t very organised at all. Having two children, I need an option of where to work, in case they’re in the living room etc.
I have an area in the garden in which I carry out distance healings for clients, online meditation classes and live streams. We’ve been very lucky with the weather recently. I just bring a blanket and candles and I’m ready to go.
I’ve set aside a corner of our living room for a working area for subscription box fulfillment. I found at first that we had boxes of crystals all around the house. I de-cluttered the units in the living room. Now rather than being full of unused children’s toys, they’re full of crystals, incense and other stock for the subscription boxes. I set the area up and it’s like a mini production line.
The area is decorated with some crystals and my partner & children had a sign made for me with the name of my business. I also use this area for distance healings if it’s raining.
The third and final area that I use is the kitchen table. I set up a ring light and my laptop/phone for when I teach Reiki courses. I keep a box of crystals and decorations underneath the table, so I can just set the table up so that it has a different feeling to the schoolroom!
What’s a working day like in lockdown?
Mornings are for school work. We try to get it all done in the morning. The children then have a bit of a play and I’ll catch up on emails and social media.
We spend the afternoons going for a walk, then the evenings, after the children are in bed, is when I work. I’m lucky in the fact that I can fulfill the subscription boxes in the evenings, along with recording meditations and carrying out distance healings.
What are your personal rules for staying focused and getting stuff done while working from home?
I try to have a routine – albeit it a loose one. I have the memory of a sieve, so I need to write lists of the things that I need to do each day.
What challenges have you come up against when working in lockdown?
The biggest challenge I have found is with trying to ensure that I can dedicate enough time to helping both of my children with their school work.
The first few weeks were a bit of a juggling act, but we’ve got ourselves into a routine and I’m actually really loving working from home. I’m enjoying getting to spend the time with them.
It’s also a challenge to sometimes to get caught up in replying to social media when I’m with the children- so I make a point of leaving my phone to one side.
How are you doing mentally with all of this going on?
I’ve actually enjoyed the change of pace. And I’m enjoying getting to spend more time with the children.
At first, I think along with every other business owner, there was the panic of ‘how am I going to keep my business afloat?’, but we’ve adapted.
I’m lucky with my business as I’m sharing with clients, on a daily basis, tools with which they can look after their mental wellbeing.
I try to not put too much pressure on myself to get things done. There isn’t a rulebook for this, and we’re all doing the best we can.
I make sure that I get out each day for a walk in nature. I have two boys – so I’m blessed with the fact they want to get out and about exploring.
I also set aside two evenings a week when I don’t work.
What advice do you have for other people newly working from home?
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Be kind to yourself. We’re living though history and no one is sure how that should look.
You’re not likely to be as productive as when you’re in your normal work environment, and that’s absolutely fine.
Do you have an unusual working-from-home setup you fancy sharing?
To get involved in Where I Work, email Ellen.Scott@Metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/15/where-work-kristy-owner-wellbeing-centre-offering-online-meditation-sessions-12706520/
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