When you work from home, there are ways to keep your mental and physical health safe. It just takes a little extra planning and communication.
Should you go back to work? COVID-19 is a public health issue, and more employers are rethinking how they set up their offices. A Gartner poll in August found that two-thirds of organizations are delaying the reopening of their sites because of new COVID-19 concerns. Large companies like Google, Apple, and Starbucks pushed back their return to the office plans.
With all the uncertainty and doubt, many employees are always tweaking workspaces that blur the lines between home, work, life, and family. Many people find that working from home can be a good thing, but it can also have unique mental and physical health problems for people who spend a lot of time sitting, watching videos, and snacking.
Creating a healthy work-from-home strategy isn’t just about making your home a productive and positive place where you can do your best work. It’s also about coming up with ways to deal with the stress that comes with this new way of working.
Since March 2020, if you’ve been working from home, or if you’re in a hybrid home-office situation, these tips might help you avoid some of the stress that comes with always being just a few steps away from your workspace.
- Make a schedule. People who work in an office enjoy the physical separation between work and home life and the chance to talk with their coworkers. Make sure you have a schedule in place that has clear start and stop times and breaks for food, exercise, and connecting with other people. This will help you avoid burnout and feeling alone.
- Establish rules and tell people about them. With a schedule, you have to figure out how to set boundaries with your coworkers, family, and other people who want your time and attention. It’s important to keep in mind that if people don’t talk about boundaries, they can get mixed up and have a hard time. Check with the people in your life to make sure they know how and when you will be able to help them and meet your obligations.
- Take time for yourself. Mental and physical health are often overlooked when people work from home. For many people, their daily routine is to wake up, drink coffee, work, eat dinner, and then go to sleep. As important as any meeting or other obligation is, however, taking wellness breaks during the day is just as important as taking them. Fresh air, movement, and hydration should be planned in. Do something for yourself once an hour. Take the dog for a walk, stretch, refill your water bottle, meditate, and do other things while you do these things. These breaks from work can help you get back to work with more energy, focus, and creativity.
- Stress is bound to happen, no matter what kind of job you have. You can use these three things to help you deal with stress, which will help you protect your mind and body in the end.
Breathing exercises like box breathing can help you feel more calm, reduce stress, and improve your concentration. Deep breathing may also help people feel less anxious and depressed when done on a regular basis. When things are stressful, get up and move around. It doesn’t have to be an hour of cardio. They include walking outside, a yoga flow, and dancing. They don’t need any equipment or even a change of clothes. Check out the five-minute workout below to improve your mood.
As a result of stress, many people eat when there is a pandemic. When you want to eat when you’re stressed, choose a relaxing meditation and then a relaxing food or drink. People who meditate for five to 10 minutes and drink chamomile tea may be less stressed and have better moods. Avoid alcohol and foods that have been over-processed, even if they seem to satisfy your craving. These foods will leave you tired and stressed out in the long run.
Most experts think that working from home will be common for a long time. The stress that comes with it is also likely to stay. The more you learn how to keep up with your schedule, keep up with your healthy habits, and deal with the stress that is sure to come, the better you will be at being a partner, parent, coworker, or leader.
Workout: 5-minute Mood-booster Workout
There is no need to buy any new things. Make sure your clothes can move with you.
For a one-minute cardio warm-up, do jumping jacks, climb stairs, and more.
- Each exercise lasts for 30 seconds.
- Squats with body weight
- Push-ups
- Alternately, reverse the lunges.
- A step or chair is used to make the triceps dip, which is how they get stronger.
- They squat down like sumos.
- Plank
1 minute of stretching or yoga moves to cool down
