Leads 2 Business Blog

20 May 2020

Abandoned Construction Projects in Africa

by Nadia Miln | posted in: Construction Chat | 0

An abandoned construction project can be defined as a project which has been 1) totally abandoned, or 2) indefinitely delayed. Abandonment may happen at any stage of a project life-cycle and incur a significant amount of loss.

There are various reasons why construction projects are abandoned:

Inadequate planning
Inadequate finance
Inflation
Bankruptcy of Contractor
Variation of project scope
Political factor
Delaying in payment
Incompetent project manager
Wrong estimate
Faulty design
Inadequate cost control
Change of priority
Unqualified/inexperience Consultants
Administrative/legal action
Disputes
Natural Disasters

The effects of construction projects are mainly:

Unemployment
Bad image for government
Government sector underdevelopment
Slow economic growth
Financial institutions lose confidence in the state
Discourages investment
Loss of revenue by state

Here are a few construction projects that have been abandoned and the reasons:

1. The Ghana-STX Building Project, a $10 billion housing project – The project was supposed to lead to the construction of 200,000 houses in Ghana for over 5 years. From research findings, causes of failure of the project were due mostly to disunity, lack of effective governance and project control. Corruption was also a feature.

2. Mususu Kalenga Building in Zambia – The structure was built at a cost of K400 million by the Zambia State Insurance Corporation and sold to Royal Lutanda Company Limited at K800 million in 2000. The 11-storey building has remained abandoned for over 25 years. There is no indication as to why it was never completed.

3. 900-1000MW Coal Power Plant at Lamu in Lamu County, Kenya – Kenya’s National Environment Tribunal revoked the license granted to the Power Company to build a coal power plant, due to the companies failure to do a thorough environment and social impact assessment (ESIA) that met the requirements of the law.

4. Construction of a 20,000 seat capacity stadium in Mongu District in Zambia – The government abandoned its plans for the Mongu Stadium most likely due to lack of funding.

5. Grand Police Bay Hotel, Seychelles – There was a lot of backlash regarding this project and the government decided to not proceed with its plans.

6. Al-Noor Tower, Casablanca, Morocco – The 540m high skyscraper was to include a luxury hotel, offices, apartments, an art gallery and a luxury arcade of shops. The client, Middle East Development LLC decided to not proceed with the development stating that a tower if this size was not an appropriate project for Morocco at the moment.

7. Hope City – A mixed-use development in Ghana – With a downturn in the economy, relocation of the project, and erratic power supply, work on the project never got underway. RLG Communications, the Ghanaian tech company which was supposed to be spearheading the project was itself caught up in various scandals. To date, nothing further has happened with this development.

8. Pinewood Uranium Project, Tanzania – Kibo Mining (AIM: KIBO; AltX: KBO) announced on 24th February 2017 that it will cease activities at its Pinewood and Morogoro uranium coal and gold projects with immediate effect. The reason behind this strategic choice is in that both Metal Tiger and Kibo Mining have experienced considerable success in other projects of their business portfolio and this has led to these interests becoming the absolute focus of each company.

9. Construction of sewers, roads and infrastructural services for 360 plots in Kazungula Village and at Nnyungwe area in Kasane, Botswana – Government mysteriously abandons the P80 Million tender as works near completion and this sparks corruption rumours.

Sources:
Research Gate – Abandoned
Research Gate – Government
PM World Library
The Gazette
L2B

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About Nadia Milln

My journey at Leads 2 Business all started back in September 2014 as a content researcher in the Daily Tenders Africa Department. In March 2018 I was promoted to content researcher in the Private Project department. I am a fun loving, bubbly person and mom to a beautiful baby boy who is the absolute light of my life.

12 May 2020

Leads 2 Business Weekly Quote

by Sasha Anderson | posted in: General | 0

“The difference between Stumbling Blocks & Stepping Stones is how you use them” Unknown

If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit Leads 2 Business.
To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit Leads 2 Business Wiki.
To view more Articles, please visit our Leads 2 Business Blog.

About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

6 May 2020

Uganda’s Standard Gauge Railway Project

by Sharika Raman | posted in: General | 2

What is the Uganda Standard Gauge Railway Project?

Uganda is revamping it’s 100-year-old railway lines to improve cargo transport in the country. The 1266 km meter-gauge rail line was built by the British during colonial times to transport copper. The condition of the rail network deteriorated due to economic instability and political upheaval. The railway line will now boast a length of 1724 km linking the country to the neighbouring countries of Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

The railway will consist of 4 major sections:

Malaba–Kampala Section: Also referred to the Eastern Line, this stretches from the border of Kenya at Malaba through Tororo and Jinja to end at Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. Total distance of approximately 215km.

Tororo–Gulu Section: Referred to as the Northern Line this would extend from Tororo and go through Mbale and Lira to Gulu, approximately 400kms in distance.

From Gulu, one line will continue North to Elegu and onto Nimule and Juba in South Sudan. The section in Uganda measures approximately 107km. Another extension stretches from Gulu to Pakwach to end at Goli the Border of the DRC with a distance of approximately 190km.

Kampala–Mpondwe Section: This referred to as the Western Line, starting in Kampala and passes through Bihanga in Ibanda District continuing on to Mpondwe at the border with the DRC, a distance of about 430km.

Bihanga–Mirama Hills Section: This also referred to as the South Western Line which stretches from Bihanga, through Ibanda and Mbarara to end at the Mirama Hills at the border with Rwanda, a distance of about 205km.

Costing of this project was quoted at a staggering USh45.6 trillion (approximately US$13.8 billion). Funding has not come easy for this project as Uganda has approached China again in 2019 in a resubmission for a loan which was rejected by China’s Exim bank. The project is now expected to be completed in 2025.

To get more information on this monitor the Project on the Leads 2 Business website PPA 15831.

If you would like to subscribe to our services contact me on 033 343 1130 or sharikar@l2b.co.za

Sources: Wikipedia

About Sharika Raman

I have worked for Leads 2 Business from January 2015. I started in the Leads 2 Quotes Department for Directory, in January 2020 I was promoted to the Deputy Head of Department for Leads 2 Quotes and in July 2021 I was promoted to the Accounts Department as a Debtors Administrator. I enjoy time with my family creating memories, I like to socialize but also enjoy time to myself so I try to keep a balance by indulging in some quiet time when I can. I see myself as a realist, amazing wife and awesome mom…I am sure my family would agree.

30 Apr 2020

How Drought and lack of Water effects Construction in the Western Cape

by Chantélle Naudé | posted in: Construction Chat | 0

A drought happens when a region receives less than average rainfall. Unlike the simplicity of this definition, the actual scenario is devastating.

Droughts don’t just affect the plants or livestock of a region, but they also pose a great threat to human lives. It is regarded as a natural disaster considering the damage it does to the entire ecosystem. Climate change has been a major factor in the creation of droughts in several parts of the world. As the earth is heating up, many regions of the world are experiencing less precipitation and droughts are becoming more common than ever before.

In some regions, such as the Western Cape, the country’s second-largest province in terms of economic contribution, the drought continued into 2017. These droughts are associated with climate change – the effect of human behaviour on the planet’s temperature. Whether from external sources (rain, groundwater, flash flooding, etc.) or internal sources (water escape or fluid release), water damage has a significant impact on a construction project. In addition to the physical loss, water damage usually impacts the project schedule. In this era of increasing deductibles, accelerated schedules, and contract penalties, even relatively small water incidents can result in large losses. Although higher deductibles generally reduce insurance premiums, contractors may face an unexpected expense when water damage occurs. Water damage incidents may also harm the contractor’s ability to obtain repeat business from an unhappy owner.

So, what can you do about it? It’s all about prevention. The best protection against water loss is proactive measures to avoid water damage.

Water is health, Water is life

Sources:
Business Tech
Green Cape

About Chantélle Naudé

I have been with Leads 2 Business since 2009, from Leads 2 Quotes to Directory. Mom to 3 girls. Outspoken, Fastidious and lover of all things Spicy and Shiny.

23 Apr 2020

Green Buildings in the Western Cape

by Carmen Van Der Westhuizen | posted in: Construction Chat | 0

When I think of a green building, a beautiful little stone house (not so sure why stone, but hey), that has ivy crawling up the one wall, with a little veggie patch in the back-garden with children running around. A water tank catching rainwater and a windmill somewhere doing whatever it is windmills do, but there is a little more that goes into being a “green building” than a few self-sustainable items.

So, what is a “green” building? A building can only be classified as being “green” if the project team decreases or eliminates as much negative impact that building would have to the environment, from the design right through the construction and operation of the building. The idea is that the build then has a positive impact on the climate as well as the environment around it, which in turn improves our quality of life.

Now that we know what a “green” building is, we need to know what aspects that make up the “green” building. Many different aspects can make a “green” build, well “green”. So, what do these aspects include? Well, the building must have an efficient way of using energy this being water and other resources. “Green” building use more alternative type of energy like solar energy or wind energy. The next aspect of a “green” building is that the materials used during the construction and finishing of the building are non – toxic, sustainable and ethical. Another aspect that makes a “green” building is the waste from the building and what is done with it. Green buildings make sure that they minimise pollution as well as implements the practice of reusing and recycling.

The last aspect that needs to be considered is design. The look and feel of the building should be one with the environment around it. What this means is that not only does the building aspects that make a “green” build “green” needs to come into play like alternative types energy and so on, but also the actual look of the building as well. The building can’t be this lump of concrete and steel in the middle of a plot of land or removing half of the earth to construct a new office park. A “green” build goes with the land, following the contours and changing the design to suit the land and not the other way around.

The best part of a “green” building is that any building can be “green” whether it is a private home, an office building, even a school as long as it includes the aspects that we have already spoken about. It is also important to note that different countries do have different characteristics that would be used to shape their approach to green building such as unique cultures and traditions and even economic and social priorities.

South Africa has a few “green” buildings that the country can be more than proud to boast about and thanks to Green Building Council South Africa, buildings can even receive a rating on how green their buildings are. This rating system recognises brilliance in the sustainable design in South Africa’s “green” buildings. Their Six Star rating is the highest rating “green” building can receive and is only reserved world-class projects. The Green Building Council South Africa has 6 different star ratings. The rating starts at 1 Star and goes through to 6 stars as already stated. So what do these stars mean? 1-2 star is on the journey to being a better, greener building. 3 star is good practice. 4 star is the best practice. 5 Star is South African Excellence and 6 star is World Leadership.

Below is a list of just some of the “green” buildings that can be found in the beautiful Western Cape Province of South Africa.

The first property that we will be looking at is the Black River Office Park. The building is situated in Cape Town and is made up of 13 buildings that boast green credentials and solar installations. I mean how beautiful are those lines and all that glass would let in so much natural light meaning that less electricity would need to be used. The buildings in the office park arrange from 4 through to 6-star ratings.

The next property that we are going to have a look at is the Convention Tower. The tower is located in Cape Tower right next to the Cape Town Convention Centre. The tower has been awarded a 4-star rating from the Green Building Council South Africa. Many features helped this building reach its 4-star rating.

The next building, we are going to be looking at is in the industrial sector of Cape Town. For me any industrial area has always been a huge source of carbon emissions for any country, so to find out that the Golf Air Park II has been designed to achieve a 4-star Green Star SA Industrial rating really made my heart happy.

The next building is a gem found in Cape Town’s Central Business District (CBD). The Towers are a building complex that has a 40-year history with the city’s CBD which has been redefined and re-imagined. The building boasts new floor plans for their occupants with the façade that removes up to 60% of the UV light as well as saves on cooling and heating costs, boasts energy-efficient daylights and even has energy-efficient LED fins that go around the building that light up by day to highlight Table Mountain and Robben Island and by night the famous Cape Town Landmarks. The building only received a 2-star rating, but it is still pretty to look at.

The next building that we will be looking at is a sophisticated, mixed-used office space for any professional that can be found in Cape Town. So, if you are looking for a chic, urban lifestyle that makes ups the cosmopolitan lifestyle, then the Wembley Square houses the offices for you. I mean, just look at the pictures and who wouldn’t want an office in this place?

The next building, we are looking at is the 35 Lower Long building that is also found in beautiful Cape Town. The building is on the De Waterkant and is close to the V&A Waterfront as well as the Cape Town Invention Centre. The building has received a 4-star Green Star rating. Some of the features include, but are not limited to: “heating ventilation and air conditioning system is a cooled-air system. Making use of minimal water usage” (Anon., 2020). “Hot water supplied via heat pump. The lighting power density for 95% of the UA is less than 1.5W/m2 per100m2. Water closets, urinals and tape fixtures all reduce water consumption. Paints, adhesives sealants and carpets have low VOC emissions” (Anon., 2020), are just some of the aspects of this building.

Our next building is the Head office of the City of Cape Town Electricity. That’s right, their head office has a 5 Star Green rating, how awesome is that? The building has two main sections that are separated by a multi-volume atrium in the centre with office spaces located around it. A series of bridges create various walkways between the different sections on each floor. Some of the features that got this building its 5-star rating including, but not limited to: “Major energy and water uses are sub-metered and controlled by a centralised Building Management System (BMS)”. “Solar panels have been installed on the main roof as well as on all carport roofs”. “A greywater recycling system reduces potable water use for flushing toilets and urinals and water-efficient fittings installed Cyclists’ facilities are provided” and so much more (Offices, 2020).

The next building is one of my favourites, by far. It is a hotel that is situated just 400m from the Cape Town International Airport and can proudly boast a 6-star Green rating from Green Building Council South Africa. The developers wanted to create a building that would be a shining example for sustainability, luxury and convenience all in one. The hotel was designed from below the group up so that the building is as ecological as it can possibly be, a concept that is then followed through its day to day operations and decisions such as waste management, procurement and staff training.

Our next building is has a 4-star rating. The SANRAL Cape Town office building which is conceptually constructed from two interlocking blocks that fall around a full-height central atrium that is in an H configuration. The building has three office levels that are over two mechanical ventilation basement levels. In other words, there are a lot of levels to this building for an office building for just one company.

The last building that I am going to be talking about is The Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village which has a 4-star green rating from the Green Building Council South Africa. The square is an iconic mixed-use which can be found in the heart of the beautiful city of Cape Town.

About Carmen Van Der Westhuizen

I've been working for L2B since January 2020. I am lucky to be married to my bestfriend. I love a good Braai and spending time with my Family and friends. When I am not working or with those I love, I am planning my next holiday.

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22 Apr 2020

Leads 2 Business Weekly Quote

by Marlaine Andersen | posted in: General | 0

“And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet & the winds long to play with your hair.” Kahlil Gibran

About Marlaine Andersen

Leads 2 Business Advertising Co-ordinator and Digital Designer

16 Apr 2020

What are Desalination Plants and How do they work?

by Claire Donaldson | posted in: Construction Chat, General | 0

When researching this topic, it seemed to be traditional to quote from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” written by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797 – 98. Ahem…

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink. “

Basically, a bunch of sailors are surrounded by water, but can’t drink it. Because it’s seawater. And they’ll die. But they’re dying of thirst. You can see the conundrum.

Why can’t you drink seawater?

“Seawater contains salt. When humans drink seawater, their cells are thus taking in water and salt. While humans can safely ingest small amounts of salt, the salt content in seawater is much higher than what can be processed by the human body. Additionally, when we consume salt as part of our daily diets, we also drink liquids, which help to dilute the salt and keep it at a healthy level. Living cells do depend on sodium chloride (salt) to maintain the body’s chemical balances and reactions; however, too much sodium can be deadly.

Human kidneys can only make urine that is less salty than saltwater. Therefore, to get rid of all the excess salt taken in by drinking seawater, you have to urinate more water than you drank. Eventually, you die of dehydration even as you become thirstier.”

The earth’s surface is approximately 71% water, which mostly we can’t drink. Approximately 97% of the total amount of water available to us is seawater and 3% is freshwater, most of which is frozen in glaciers and the like. Now throw in pollution and how most of the freshwater goes towards industries, like agriculture; things start looking a bit parched. A bit dry. A bit arid.

With stats like that, desalination is looking pretty good as an option to increase the access to drinkable, usable water.

And with South Africa’s recent and, in fact, ongoing drought/s throughout the country, paying attention to our water (where it comes from and where it goes, and how we can access more); is extremely relevant.

Desalination is the removal of mineral components from a substance. So you can have soil desalination as well as water deslination. Saltwater is desalinated to make water fit for human consumption or irrigation.

The interest in desalination is mostly geared towards the production of water for human use, and besides recycled wastewater, it is one of the few rainfall independent water sources.

The desalination process is an energy consumer though when compared to the relative ease with which water is sourced from rivers, groundwater, water recycling or water conservation. But this depletion of natural reserves or the complete lack of access is its own problem. Desalination processes are either driven by thermal (distillation) or electrical (photovoltaic or wind power), as the primary energy sources.

Approximately 1% of the world’s population is dependent on desalinated water for their daily needs.

Methods

There are many many methods of desalination, which I was surprised by. Each has advantages and disadvantages but all are useful. The methods can be divided into membrane-based (e.g., reverse osmosis) and thermal-based (e.g., multistage flash distillation) methods. The traditional process of desalination is distillation, i.e. boiling and re-condensation of seawater to leave salt and impurities behind.

Reverse osmosis plant membrane systems typically use less energy than thermal desalination processes.

Solar distillation:

Solar distillation mimics the natural water cycle, in which the sun heats the seawater enough for evaporation to occur. After evaporation, the water vapour is condensed onto a cool surface. There are two types of solar desalination. The former one is using photovoltaic cells which converts solar energy to electrical energy to power the desalination process. The latter one utilises the solar energy in the heat form itself and is known as solar thermal powered desalination.

Vacuum distillation:

In vacuum distillation atmospheric pressure is reduced, thus lowering the temperature required to evaporate the water. Liquids boil when the vapour pressure equals the ambient pressure and vapour pressure increases with temperature.

Multi-stage flash distillation:

Water is evaporated and separated from seawater through multi-stage flash distillation, which is a series of flash evaporations.

Multiple-effect distillation:

Multiple-effect distillation (MED) works through a series of steps called “effects”. Incoming water is sprayed onto pipes which are then heated to generate steam. The steam is then used to heat the next batch of incoming seawater. To increase efficiency, the steam used to heat the seawater can be taken from nearby power plants. Although this method is the most thermodynamically efficient among methods powered by heat, a few limitations exist such as a max temperature and max number of effects.

Vapor-compression distillation:

Vapour-compression evaporation involves using either a mechanical compressor or a jet stream to compress the vapour present above the liquid. The compressed vapour is then used to provide the heat needed for the evaporation of the rest of the seawater. Since this system only requires power, it is more cost-effective if kept at a small scale.

Reverse osmosis:

The leading process for desalination in terms of installed capacity and yearly growth is reverse osmosis (RO). The RO membrane processes use semipermeable membranes and applied pressure (on the membrane feed side) to preferentially induce water permeation through the membrane while rejecting salts.

Freeze-thaw:

Freeze-thaw desalination uses freezing to remove freshwater from saltwater.

Electrodialysis membrane:

Electrodialysis utilizes electric potential to move the salts through pairs of charged membranes, which trap salt in alternating channels.

Membrane distillation:

Membrane distillation uses a temperature difference across a membrane to evaporate vapour from a brine solution and condense pure condensate on the colder side.

Wave-powered desalination:

CETA is a wave power technology that desalinates seawater using submerged buoys.

Environmental Impact

The environmental considerations when considering desalination plants (of any size) are very dependent on costs, capacity, type of facility, location, feed water (i.e. seawater, brackish water, groundwater etc), labour, energy, financing and concentrate disposal (i.e. The by-product of desalination is brine. It has to go somewhere.)

So are desalination plants the final solution to our water problems: The upsides are that the methods are effective and well understood. The focus is on preserving natural water supplies, and the ocean is a massive source to draw from, which eliminates any unpredictable factors (i.e. rainfall). In other words, the ocean isn’t going anywhere any time soon. The plants are usually located outside residential areas, and away from the general populace. But for every upside, there are the drawbacks to be considered: Namely, the plants are expensive and the desalination process can be expensive in itself and a huge energy consumer. Greenhouse gas emissions have to be considered, and the disposal of the brine also needs to be worked out to lessen the negative effects on the surrounding environment and there’s always the risk of producing contaminated water.

Desalination plants can vary in size and production capacity, and there’s approximately 10 dotted along the coast of South Africa from the Western Cape through to Kwazulu-Natal. South Africa’s largest seawater desalination plant is in Mossel Bay. It cost R210 million and has a total capacity of 15 megalitres per day (10 megalitres for domestic & other uses; 5 megalitres for industrial).

Desalination can form an important puzzle piece in ensuring that we look after our current water sources, increase supply to those that don’t have access to water as well as work towards ensuring that the environmental factors are mitigated or decreased.

An example of a current Project being researched, please see PPA 21190.

Sources:
Wikipedia Desalination
Wikipedia Water
Veolia Water Technologies
Ocean Service

About Claire Donaldson

I started working at Leads 2 Business in February 2005, and have served as Head of Department of Daily Tenders from 2007 until the present. I oversee both the Daily Tenders South Africa and Africa Departments.

9 Apr 2020

How to stay Positive during Lockdown and Prepare for when it’s Over

by Christine Brooks | posted in: General | 2

With all the tragic things that are happening in the world as a result of the Virus, now might seem like an unusual time to talk about being positive. Yet staying positive is a core ingredient in the recipe of successful coping in a crisis.

Now, more than ever is the time for us to be proactive about creating small moments of happiness daily.

Staying home is the absolute best thing we can do. By staying indoors, we’re hoping to flatten the curve. There’s no denying all this time indoors has given us time to think. Social media seems to make some of us nervous while others use it to spread positivity.

We’re in week two now, some of us feel calmer while others are starting to feel nervous, bored or worried and a whole lot of mixed emotions.

I decided to research: How to keep busy during Lockdown, How to stay positive and what to prepare for once everything starts to go back to normal again. Here are a few things you can try.

For your Business:

During this time, everyone is looking for ways to get more exposure and build up a pipeline for after Lockdown.

Use this opportunity to your advantage by retaining access to our Project and Tender Information plus Advertising opportunities to build up your pipeline and have potential clients gain exposure to your business.

Benefits of L2B during lockdown:

L2B Support Services & Staying Safe during Lockdown

It’s Business as Usual during Lockdown – We’re working remotely to ensure you get the latest up-to-date information on Project and Tender leads, wherever you are.

View and manage your information on our website from your laptop, computer or on your mobile device. Our Daily Advisory and News notification emails will be published and delivered directly to your inbox, daily.

We are Here for You: L2B staff will still be available via email, phone, Skype or Zoom for any training or queries you may have.

Work Remotely: Because of the Leads 2 Business design, working from home has never been easier. Have construction industry-related leads at your fingertips – all you need is access to the internet.

Plan for the Future: Now is the best time to prospect, build a huge pipeline and get ready for when things get back to normal. Utilize the time during lockdown to identify potential business for future months.

Stay Connected while working remotely during Lockdown

Don’t let COVID-19 affect your productivity

1. Utilise video solutions to get face time with colleagues, clients and prospects, we are all little deprived of human to human interaction and video contact will lift everyone’s mood and makes it feel more personal.

2. Stick to your schedule, don’t cancel meetings, instead try to adjust and make sure you stick to your daily work schedule, work your normal working hours, and take lunch when you normally would.

3. Talk to your bosses or boss, proactively schedule one on one time with your boss, this will keep you motivated and keep them up to date with everything you are up to.

4. Talk to a co-worker, video chat at least once a day, exchange tips on working from home and staying positive whilst doing so.

5. Reach out, if you find yourself struggling, don’t just move on or waste time trying to figure things out, your boss and co-workers are still there, so reach out and ask for help.

Mental Health Wellness Tips during Lockdown

For you and your family.

1. Stick to a routine: Go to sleep and wake up your normal time, write a schedule that is varied and includes time for work as well as family or own time. Being at home all the time can result in falling into some bad habits, such as avoiding regular breaks, working longer hours, and not taking regular screen breaks if you are working from home.

To avoid falling into a slump, try to establish a daily routine and stick to it.

Start your day at roughly the same time each day and make sure to set aside time for regular work breaks. Also stick to a routine with your children, who rely on routines constructed by others to make them feel safe and to know what comes next.

2. Dress for the social life you want, not the social life you have. Get showered and dressed in comfortable clothes, wash your face, brush your teeth. Take the time to do a bath or a facial. Put on some bright colours. It is amazing how our dress can impact our mood.

3. Pamper yourself, sometimes a bit of ‘me-time’ is sorely needed, so why not enjoy the ultimate relaxed night in and pamper yourself? Run a hot bubble bath, light some candles, and unwind with some music while enjoying a relaxing soak. Try some relaxation techniques

If you are having trouble switching off from everything, why not try some relaxation techniques.

4. Get out at least once a day, for at least thirty minutes. In the sun, in the garden. If you can. Spend time with your pets. Maybe take a drive to the shops. If you are concerned about contact, try first thing in the morning, or later in the evening, and try less travelled streets and avenues. If you are high risk or living with those who are high risk, open the windows and blast the fan. It is amazing how much fresh air can do for spirits.

5. Staying active, find some time to move each day, for at least thirty minutes. If you don’t feel comfortable going outside many YouTube videos offer free movement classes, and if all else fails, turn on the music and have a dance party! Staying active not only ensures you keep your body moving, but exercise also helps to reduce stress, boost your energy levels and keep you more alert.

6. Reach out to others, you guessed it, at least once daily for thirty minutes. Try to do FaceTime, Skype, phone calls, texting—connect with other people to seek and provide support. Don’t forget to do this for your children as well. Set up virtual playdates with friends daily via FaceTime, Facebook Messenger Kids, Zoom, etc—your kids miss their friends, too! Our sales team does the same, just to check in with each other. Many of us may be fond of messaging, but you can’t beat having a face-to-face conversation with someone. While that may not be possible for most now, you can keep in contact with your loved ones by alternative means and ditch the texts in favour of video calls.

7. Stay hydrated and eat well: This one may seem obvious, but stress and eating often don’t mix well, and we find ourselves over-indulging, forgetting to eat, and avoiding food. Drink plenty of water, eat some good and nutritious foods.

8. Savour the small moments: This can look different for everyone. Even during Lockdown, you still have many small moments to savour. The smell of coffee, the feel of the warm shower on your back and so on. When you stop to take in these moments, rather than let them rush by on automatic pilot, you are giving your brain a chance to process the pleasure, which boosts your serotonin – the feel-good neurotransmitter that helps elevate your mood and make you feel calm. Bubbles to blow or blowing watercolour on paper through a straw are visually appealing as well as helps to control breathing. Mint gum, Listerine strips, ginger ale, ice packs, and cold are also good for anxiety regulation. For children, it is great to help them create a self-regulation comfort box (often a shoebox or bin they can decorate) that they can use on the ready for first aid when overwhelmed.

9. Strengthen your connections: For those of us in family lockdown, now is the opportunity to spend quality time with our loved ones. Take the time to hug your kids or partner, look them in the eyes, have long conversations with them – all of these gestures promote closeness and also boost your oxytocin, which is a hormone that bonds people and also has a calming effect on your body. When your oxytocin levels spike, they tell your body to switch off cortisol, the stress hormone. Children will rarely communicate how they are feeling but will often make a bid for attention and communication through play. Understand that play is cathartic and helpful for children—it is how they process their world and problem solve, and there’s a lot they are seeing and experiencing in the now.

10. Find your own retreat space: Space is at a premium, particularly with city living. Think through your own separate space for work and for relaxation. For children, help them identify a place where they can go to retreat when stressed. You can make this place cosy by using blankets, pillows, cushions, scarves, beanbags, tents, and “forts”. It is good to know that even when we are on top of each other, we have our own special place to go to be alone.

11. Limit social media and COVID conversation: One can find tons of information on COVID-19 to consume, and it changes minute to minute. The information is often sensationalized, negatively skewed, and alarmist. Find a few trusted sources that you can check in with consistently, limit it to a few times a day, and set a time limit for yourself on how much you consume. Keep news and alarming conversations out of earshot from children—they see and hear everything and can become very frightened by what they hear.

12. Notice the good in the world, the helpers: There are also a ton of stories of people sacrificing, donating, and supporting one another in miraculous ways. It is important to counterbalance the heavy information with hopeful information. Appreciate those who are working to keep us safe. Look for the good in others when we tune into these positive and pro-social aspects of the crisis, we are united in hope.

13. Help others: Find ways, big and small, to give back to others. Offer to grocery shop, check-in with elderly neighbours, write psychological wellness tips for others—helping others gives us a sense of agency when things seem out of control.

14. Organize your surroundings: In moments of big uncertainty and overwhelm, control your little corner of the world. Organize your bookshelf, purge your closet, put together that furniture, group your toys. It helps to anchor and ground us when the bigger things are chaotic.

15. Give yourself a project, find a long-term project to dive into. Having a fun project to focus on will not only help to keep you busy every day. Now is the time to learn how to play the keyboard, put together a huge jigsaw puzzle, paint a picture, read a new story, writing, gardening, crochet a blanket. Research has shown that repetitive movement (knitting, colouring, painting, clay sculpting, jump roping etc) especially left-right movement (running, drumming, skating, hopping) can be effective at self-soothing and maintaining self-regulation in moments of distress, find something that will keep you busy, distracted, and engaged to take breaks from what is going on in the outside world. Challenge yourself to learn how to cook something new!

16. Find lightness and humour in each day: Watch something funny each day: cat videos on YouTube, a stand-up show on Netflix, a funny movie—we all need a little comedic relief in our day, every day.

17. Reach out for help: If you are having difficulty coping, seek out help for the first time. There are mental health people on the ready to help you through this crisis. Your children’s teachers and related service providers will do anything within their power to help, especially for those parents tasked with the difficult task of being a whole treatment team to their child with special challenges. Seek support groups of fellow home-schoolers, parents, and neighbours to feel connected. There is help and support out there, any time of the day, although we are physically distant, we can always connect virtually.

18. Remind yourself daily that this is temporary: It seems during this lockdown that it will never end. It is terrifying to think of the road stretching ahead of us. Please take time to remind yourself that although this is very scary and difficult and will go on for an undetermined amount of time, it is a season of life and it will pass. We will return to feeling free, safe, busy, and connected in the days ahead.

19. Find the lesson: See the potential positive outcomes this can affect, the meaning and construction that can come out of destruction. What can each of us learn here, in big and small ways, from this crisis? What needs to change in ourselves, our homes, our business our communities, our nation, and our world?

20. Stay Positive and Stay Safe!

What is the first thing you’ll do once everything goes back to normal?

It’s a good question, to be honest. Now, life is pretty much on hold which doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll all be free to go about our days again straight away.

Perhaps, when we’re finally allowed back outside, we’ll start to appreciate the little things more.

Rearranging missed dates: Afternoon teas, baby showers, Braai with friends, cinema trips, eating out, theme park visits, weekends away, birthdays, anniversaries- whatever you’ve missed or had to sacrifice during lockdown- don’t let it be forgotten- rearrange it once you can and fill up your diary again.

Spending time with your friends: Because they are the family you choose and unfortunately can’t live with! You will be able to have a good catch up and an inevitable moan about the last few weeks.

Spending more time with the family that doesn’t live with you: If the lockdown has taught us anything, it’s the importance of family and being present with them. So, once we are all safe to get out and about again- spend more time with your family and don’t put off visits or give excuses, make the effort because you know what the alternative feels like now.

Comparing stories: We will all have lived through the same situation however everyone’s experiences will be very different. It’s important, once we can spend time with those outside the family home- to unpack the last few weeks/months by talking it out with others.

Booking a holiday: If you have holidays left at the end of lockdown, make sure you use them wisely. Given the amount of time you will have spent at home, you might want to fly far away or do day trips every day- whatever you prefer, you have earned a well-needed break from the nest.

Get back to the Gym: Being active and join your normal Pilates or dance classes, or any activity that provides classes.

Getting back to work: Enjoy your office space again. Working all those leads you have compiled.

Sources:
Cherry Professional
India Today
Edinburgh News
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About Christine Brooks

My journey started in 2015 with Leads 2 Business, as an Account Executive, and gradually grown to take the role of being the Client Liaison Officer (CLO) since 2018. Assisting in the delivery of our services and insuring our clients expectations and requirements are exceeded.

8 Apr 2020

Leads 2 Business Weekly Quote

by Marlaine Andersen | posted in: General | 0

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius

About Marlaine Andersen

Leads 2 Business Advertising Co-ordinator and Digital Designer

1 Apr 2020

Leads 2 Business Weekly Quote

by Sasha Anderson | posted in: General | 0

“The 2 most important days in your life are; the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain

About Sasha Anderson

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