People are working from home in greater numbers than ever before. This will be by choice for some. Others are affected by situations over which they have no control. Dealing with the ‘new normal’ is critical, regardless of the cause or whether you would have chosen to operate this way or not. One of the issues that might arise as a result of working from home is a loss of mental health. Here are some steps you can take to guarantee you take care of this no matter what.
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Have A Separate Workspace
Working from home might make it challenging to properly focus because you will often be distracted by what is going on around you. This might be other household members or just clutter in the space you’re working in. You could just feel uncomfortable, which can be a distraction.
If possible, having a separate workstation is the ideal way to work from home. This entails having a workspace that is not being utilized for anything else. So, if possible, avoid using the kitchen table or work surface, and avoid sitting on the sofa or in bed in the living room or bedroom. The best thing you can do is set up a space for work alone. If this is not feasible, try to devote a section of a room to work – have a decent desk and a comfy chair to work from, and you will be a lot more productive and psychologically happy.
Take Breaks
Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you can’t take breaks when you need them. Breaks are critical for maintaining your positive mental health as well as your productivity. If you don’t take breaks – maybe to show your employer that you can be productive at home – your work will suffer, as will your mental health. You will be disappointed by your failure to meet your objectives, which will make you even more dissatisfied – the cycle will never stop.
Take the pauses you need, particularly now when everything might seem too much. Yes, it is important to continue working, but your health — mental or otherwise – is much more critical. When you need a break, you can spend time doing things that you might otherwise not have time for. This could be visiting Men’s Revival to check up on your physical healthcare, buying some pamper items, or booking a vacation, for example. It could just be reading a book or catching up on your favorite TV show.
It’s also a good idea to time at least one of your breaks to coincide with some of your coworkers. You can keep up with how everyone is doing by having ‘watercooler’ talks through FaceTime or Zoom, for example. It’s always nice to see people and hear familiar voices.
Be Open And Honest
You must be open and honest from the outset of your working from home adventure. Let people know if you want to finish working at a specific hour and not have to check your communications again till the morning. Let people know if you want lunch at a certain time and it will last an hour. Let people know if you have a regular school run to do and won’t be reachable.
It’s remarkable how much less stressed you’ll feel about disconnecting from your computer and gadgets if you’ve made everyone aware of your plans from the beginning!
Thank you for reading!
