How to Stay Sane During the Pandemic According to Marek Navrátil

“So, this is a first…” I tell the screen in front of me and announce the premiere of a virtual interview for the blog. On the other side of the screen is a headhunter, a former colleague, and my friend, Marek Navrátil. Marek finished his Ph.D. in social psychology and throughout his whole career, whether as a psychotherapist, HR Director, or executive search consultant, he has been listening to countless people’s stories. How did those stories change during the pandemic? What are people dealing with now? And what are Marek’s tips on how to cope with the situation? That’s what we got together to talk about. But first, what’s Marek’s story? 

Moravian Guy

“I’m dog-sitting right now. This morning I was walking my friend’s dog and I was listening to a ten-hour-long playlist of my favorite music,” Marek starts answering my question about who he is. ”Music taste gives me one of the best insights into who I’m talking to. Maybe I would call myself a professional interviewer, maybe a psychologist. Currently, I work as an executive search consultant for an American company – Stanton Chase. But I’m also Moravian because I love Moravian music. Folk music makes me nostalgic and especially on mornings like this, I like to go out and listen to the songs I heard ten years ago playing live somewhere in a wine cellar. That’s me.”

After finishing his Ph.D., Marek joined the counseling center of Masaryk University. “I worked there part-time as a psychologist for 25 years and it defined me and my approach towards people more than anything else.”

“Going to university is about starting something new, something huge. It’s one of the biggest life decisions because it determines your path for many, many years. So I was there to discuss young people’s life transition – when they decided to move from their family, in Czech we say vylétnout z hnízda – to leave the nest, to end their old and start new lives, to decide what they wanna do, who they wanna be and who they wanna be with.”

“I hope that I helped people to become successful but I don’t know. When a client is done with the sessions, you don’t hear about them anymore. You’re only listening to people’s problems and dealing with trouble. So being a therapist is a time-limited assignment. You can’t do it forever.”

Swap the Problems for Success

Besides the counseling, Marek worked in various HR management positions in manufacturing companies before moving to Prague in 2014. “The story of me moving to Prague was very simple because at that time I had no other job offers in the aftermath of the financial crises. A friend, I call her my Prague Angel, recommended me to her boss in an executive search boutique in Prague and I followed that opportunity. I packed my stuff and I left Brno after almost 40 years of living there.”

Marek slipped into his new role as Senior Executive Search Consultant. This role means working for companies that are looking for a change in their top management. Marek’s job is to find the person that fits the client’s company and position the best, and help the management to be stronger. “I completely changed my life. The fates of people that I meet in executive search are completely different from the counseling. I deal with successful people who want to be even more successful and are seeking challenges.”

“The Covid-19 Crisis Was a Big Opportunity for Me”

Marek has been in executive search for almost seven years now, and one or two years ago he started thinking about changing the environment. “I like Lisbon. So I thought about relocating there for half a year or a year to work less and relax.” Instead, the corona-virus came and he got an offer to go work in Slovakia as an interim Head of HR for a medical manufacturer that has been his client. “So instead of moving to Lisbon, I went to Žilina, which is an industrial town, five or six hours from Prague.” Moving there brought some challenges though.

“It was in April, already during the pandemic, and Slovakia was very strict about crossing the borders. So I had to sneak in there and it was a big adventure. Prior to my arrival in Žilina, I had to have an apartment rented there. I was driving there during the night and at the border with Slovakia, I had to declare myself as someone who lives near the border. I had to show my apartment contract and proof that I work for a Slovak company and that I’m going home. It was a one-way ticket at that time. Nobody knew what would happen.”

Marek had to deal with the COVID-19 in a completely strange environment and in a new job. “I’ve been in a similar role before, but it had been years since I had done that. So, it was quite demanding. But it helped me to see once again the other side of my business and get closer to my clients. And my assignment finished in August, so I came back to Prague.” 

5 things to watch out for during the pandemic, according to Marek

The second wave of government restrictions caught Marek back in Prague. “It was completely different. I went to the factory every day when I was in Žilina but now I stay home. I feel, as my grandma would describe it, like a tiger in a cage. Even though I go out, I exercise, I jog, et cetera, there is still this glass ceiling. The barrier that you don’t see and can’t overcome.” And from stories Marek hears, this is what most people feel like. What should we watch out for, according to him?

1. Place

“The place, the place, the place. It’s very important. People value their environment much more than they did before,” Marek thinks, “Because now having a nice cozy home with fast internet, good equipment, and a lot of space is more important than ever.”

2. Relationships

“We spend much more time with people who are close to us but now became even closer. So plenty of relationships started suffering from the overload of intimacy. I see it during interviews that people don’t often have a quiet corner. A room where you can close the door and escape. So a lot of people are learning new techniques on how to be together.”

3. Motivation

“This is one thing that makes my job very difficult,” Marek sighs, “people aren’t very motivated to pursue new opportunities. Because what would drive you to change your job right now? Change your kitchen for your kitchen? The job is maybe different but the scenery is still the same. This is one of the most serious reasons why people suffer because there is no motivation.”

4. Fridge

“And of course, you sit at home and there is a fridge and there’s food in the fridge and some people reduce their stress by eating. Which is a mechanism they’ve used for years. There are a lot of obese people and this is very challenging for them. I talked to several people who are afraid of meeting other people because they are fat and they feel threatened.”

5. Substance Abuse

“Doing yoga when you have your children jumping around is a problem. And from what I heard, some people found a coping mechanism in drinking or smoking weed. It can make you think deeper about your situation and that can be quite a serious problem if you analyze it and you think there is no end to it.”

5 tips on how to stay sane during the pandemic according to Marek

Last month I shared with you my 6 biggest challenges of the lockdown and my take on coping with them (you can read it here). This time, let’s see what tips on keeping our sanity during the pandemic a psychologist offers.

1. Routine and exercise 

“What works for me is the system of my work and my routines,” says Marek, “A big part of it is exercising. Getting exhausted. Because staying home, we miss something between 2000-4000 steps every day. Which is quite a significant amount of physical activity. Metabolism is very important and it affects your brain. If you don’t burn, get sweaty, if you don’t receive endorphins, you suffer. Routine and exercise is always a good idea. And especially recommended for patients with depression. Depression needs movement.”

2. Getting out

“Trends show that people are going out more, picking mushrooms, walking in a forest, and so on. When I go out, my favorite paths are full of people. And I think it is very important to get out.”

3. Relocation

“People around me also started thinking about relocating. Changing the place, finding a better apartment because prices went down and now it’s a good time.”

4. Keeping your dreams

“This crisis has one very positive thing. It gets all of us on the same starting line. I can see that people are more open to adventures. Like – ok I have nothing to lose so I can…” Snap! “…start doing this. So it’s about releasing the fear of I can’t do anything, I’m locked down and there is no future. Of course, there is a future and you have your dreams, your fantasies, your activities you always wanted to do and there is no better time than now.”

5. Taking the first step

“So yeah, people also started doing great things. And I’m not talking only about sewing masks. I’m speaking about life decisions. One of my friends decided that he wanted to go to university and he started preparing for the entrance exams. It’s a great time for the first step which is the most difficult to take. But it can be small and you can do it even from your living room. The first small step.”

Take a step of your own

Marek shares his step, “When I was practicing psychotherapy I had my supervisor and recently I contacted him and I started supervision again. I don’t do therapy right now so I’m having my life supervised, and I think now is a great time to find somebody who can help you with your life and maybe move it to the next level. It can be a therapist; it can be a mentor or any person who you can talk to.”

“I think we’re all going through a very difficult phase of our lives and it’s something we all must somehow deal with and there is nothing bad about searching for professional help. Just stay safe,” he adds.

If you feel inspired to get in touch with someone you can talk to about your ambitions or fears,  then let me suggest checking out the Prague-Expat-Friendly Guide on Where to Find a Mentor.

And if you feel like reaching out to a mental health professional, here’s a guide with links to therapists and helplines you can use if you are an English speaker living in Prague.

Thanks for reading, don’t hesitate to leave a message or comment on my Facebook page, and if you don’t wanna miss the next post, subscribe below.

Do you miss one resource that is tailor-made for expats living in Prague and will address Covid-19-related issues without an unnecessary fluff? I got you! Here’s a Prague Covid-19 Guide that I prepared for you.

In this guide, I will show you how to navigate life in Prague during the pandemic if you are an English speaker. 

We will cover all essential topics, and you will get quick access to information on: 

How to keep up with what’s going on if I don’t speak Czech?

Where to get reliable and up-to-date information?

What to do in any COVID-19 induced situation?

On top of that, I share how I dealt with the most common day-to-day situations that have changed during the pandemic and offer a couple of tips you can try too.

Get the Prague COVID-19 Guide