The current pandemic has pushed many of us into uncharted territory: working from home for weeks or months. Even if there are upsides to it, like taking a break from the stressful and often long commute or saying goodbye to face-to-face presentations, working from home can become a source of anxiety, too.
If you’ve been working from home for months now, you’re probably well aware of the adverse effects of a home office. Many things can ruin your mood, lower your productivity, or mess with your focus. Now is the perfect time to make self-care a top priority and use the most efficient strategies to distress and unwind during this stressful period. Take a look at our list with the most useful tips!
1. Don’t forget to take a break
Whenever you feel like you’re too stressed or anxious, you must take a break from work. Instead of working your mind in front of a laptop or PC, work your body. A great workout will help you destress and also boost your energy levels for at least a day. A 20-minute high-intensity training, a 20-minute jogging session, or a relaxing yoga all positively affect your body and mind.
2. Know your schedule
One of the hardest things to do when working from home is getting off the chair when the ordinary working day has ended. It is especially tricky when you have a bigger project with a deadline, and you feel like you need to work extra to finish it. If you have a hard time finishing your work at the usual time, let’s say 5 PM, think about the life-work balance that you had before working from home.
Yes, it might feel difficult to recreate that balance if you’ve lost it over these months, but you need to reestablish that order for your mental health. You have to know when your closing time. When the clock hits 5 PM, save all your work, turn off your PC or laptop and do something else that is not work-related.
3. Keep in touch with colleagues
When you’re forced into a home office, socializing with others is completely changed. Working from home comes with a sense of isolation and loneliness, paired with the fact that you don’t meet and talk to your coworkers face to face anymore. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you feel the need to be social, give them a call or facetime them and talk about whatever you want, not focusing on work.
You can create a separate group on Skype or Slack where you only talk about fun stuff. If your colleagues are open to the idea, schedule a call with them once every week. A social setting will cheer you up, make you less stressed, and even help you with your creativity.
4. Improve your home office
A lot of stress can come from a home office that is not organized, badly-equipped, or doesn’t have everything you need. If you feel like your chair is not alright, your desk is too old; you need improvement. If you have the budget, buy the items that you desperately need to feel fully comfortable.
Countless sites offer discounts on home office items, but sometimes they charge a hefty sum for their transportation. If you need fast and cheap delivery, you can always count on a moving company. Nowadays, they are specialized to meet all your needs when it comes to transportation and delivery.
5. Explore the outside world
Every time you have the chance to go outside to take care of some business, take it! Even if you have to go shopping, take your car to a carwash or repair shop, or pay for utilities, the fresh air and seeing faces will help you unwind. Just a short walk will boost your energy levels and reset your creativity.
It’s even better if you can work outside for at least an hour every day. Enjoying the fresh air and sunshine will improve your health, boost your immune system, and make you feel better overall. So, take out your laptop on the patio or balcony and start working. Or, if you have a call or conference on the phone, you can have those meetings outside.