Working from home at first may sound exciting. You might feel the happiness of not travelling to work and being at the comfort of your home. But things eventually change and there develops a feeling deep inside you that work from home is not great after all. After 2-3 weeks, you will start experiencing higher levels of stress, isolation, and even insomnia.
How Working from Home Takes a Toll on Your Mental health
Work from home can affect your mental health in the following ways:
- A feeling of uncertainty about your work progress
- Sleeplessness
- Loneliness and Isolation
- Anxiety, stress, and depression
However, there are many easy ways to reduce stress at work
Ways to Manage Your Mental Health while Working from Home
Your mental health is as much as important as your physical health. Here are some simple and effective ways to manage your mental health while working from home.
Have a designated workspace
Having a designated workspace is highly important while you are working from home. If you don’t have a room to create some sort of workspace, a small table or taking over the dining table during work hours will also work.
You get distracted easily when you are working in your bedroom or living room. This can even make you feel uneasy once you are done with the work and can impact your mental health in a negative way. However, having a small office space to work puts your brain into work-mode.
Stick on to a regular routine
Maintain a regular routine when you work from home. Wake up at a regular time every day, freshen up, have breakfast and get ready to work. Without a schedule, you will have a tendency to procrastinate or over-schedule your work.
Sticking on a regular work routine will help you maintain a balance between work and personal life. This will also help you to switch off from work at the end of the day.
Find time for self-care
Taking care of yourself is the most important thing you must do to maintain your mental health while working from home. In your busy schedule, you often tend to forget about yourselves. Spend at least 15-30 minutes a day to pamper yourself and do things that you love the most.
Set goals
Along with setting a proper time schedule, set goals for what you will complete in that time. Doing this boosts productivity and helps you know how you are progressing.
Take frequent breaks
Making sure you take at least a few breaks throughout your work schedule is necessary to maintain your mental health. Eat healthy and drink plenty of water. Keep a water bottle next to your working table. Go for a walk and get some fresh air. While working, stand up in between and do some stretching to keep your body and mind active.
Stay connected with your colleagues.
Since everyday encounters don’t happen between colleagues when you are working from home, stay connected with them through virtual means. Organize regular meetings and interactive sessions to maintain a positive relationship. This will help you reduce stress, the feeling of isolation, and lets you stay productive.
Regular exercise
Exercising every day improves your mental health by reducing depression, stress, and anxiety by improving cognitive function. This improves your memory and helps you sleep better. Exercising for at least 15-30 minutes daily releases chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins that improves your overall mood. It reduces the feeling of loneliness and isolation and helps you stay connected with your colleagues.
Spend time with your friends and family
Balance your personal life and work life. During work from home days, you need more support from your family and friends. Don’t get too much worried if you are not able to do things along with them before you worked from home. Open up and share your thoughts with them. After working hours, spend quality time with them.
Digital detox
Even though technology helps you stay connected with each other, it very much affects your personal life. After your office time, try doing a digital detox so that you can switch off from work. This will allow you to spend more time with your family or do things that make you happy.
What can Employers do to Support Employees?
- Be empathetic and make themselves available for the staffs
- Stay connected with virtual communication tools
- Encourage employees to attend online trainings
- Understand the impact of isolation and depression
If you think that you are feeling low and too much stressed, consider talking to a therapist. Know that it is not always very easy to get thrust into a new situation. Talk to a doctor and let that feeling get out of you. Remember, you are not alone. If you are too much tired to go out, you can sit in the comfort of your home and consult doctor online.
