This year and the last has been filled with many first experiences for all of us. First pandemic, first-time experiencing restrictions on our movements, and the first time working from home. Remote work is something many of us once dreamed about. The idea of that unbothered lady or businessman getting it all done from the comfort of their living room or from their cabin by the lake. Controlling their universe with just a laptop and a cell phone. The equivalent to MacGyver and his pocketknife, that got everything done. It looked good didn’t it? Well fantasy usually does. The reality though looks more like barely crawling out of bed. Then trying to decide if you should shower or not before logging in and then wondering if there is enough food in the house to eat lunch today. Or if you have a family and kids, waking up in a mad rush trying to get the kids ready for their remote school lessons. Then trying to find a quiet corner in the house to work and hoping that the kid’s classes go long today.
Either way, for some of us, working from home has not been the dream we saw in our minds, but more of a seemingly unending nightmare. Remote work has had a negative effect on the mental health of some workers, especially those who live alone. According to Forbes magazine, a survey done by Telus International of 1000 Americans showed that 45% say they feel less mentally healthy while working from home, and 4 out of 5 workers find it hard to “shut off” in the evenings. Let's face it, there is some correlation between the two. If we never shut ourselves off mentally or even physically from the day's or the week's work, we never give ourselves time to wind down or relax. That can have a serious effect on our mental health. I asked a few of my colleagues what they do to counteract the isolation, burnout and mental fatigue that sometimes come with working from home. Here are five tips to help you protect your mental health while working from home.
Get a Few Minutes of Exercise Every day
Tanya Ellis, a High School teacher in Jamaica says she tackles the mental fatigue of teaching online from home by exercising. She ensures that she goes to the gym every day for at least an hour or she has one on one training sessions with her personal trainer when the gym is closed due to COVID restrictions. She says she craves that time of intense activity that she gets from exercising. At the end of each workout, she feels pumped, refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day. She says without it, she would not be able to muster up the energy to teach her hectic online classes of 30 students. But for those of us without access to the gym or a personal trainer, a few minutes of exercise at home is still beneficial. You can use one of the many exercise apps available or watch one of your favorite YouTube exercise videos.
If doctors and medical research such as this one from the American Psychological Association are to be believed, exercise is also good for reducing anxiety, depression, stress and helps to boost our brainpower. It also helps you to sleep better and reduces your likelihood of physical illness. And of course, for the weight conscious among us, it also helps with weight loss or maintaining your weight. So even without remote work or pandemic conditions, exercise is something that we should all add to our to do lists for the day. If you have to travel to your gym or to your personal trainer, Tanya recommends sticking to the COVID19 safety guidelines in your area. You can also get some tips on traveling safely during the pandemic here.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Don't stay inside all day, that is advice from Kellie Bryan, a computer technician at a non-profit organization in Toronto. She says as a computer technician, even before the pandemic, she was always glued to her desk most of the day. However, now working from home that time on the computer has increased exponentially. She has to constantly be logged on just in case anyone needs technical assistance. So she has had to be more mindful of not staying at her desk and computer all day. So she goes outside at random times, even if it is just in her yard to look at her garden or to take a breath of fresh air. She says this has been helping her a lot. It keeps her grounded and connected to what is happening around her. If she doesn't do it, she could easily stay in her bubble around the computer all day, she says, and that is just not good for anyone.
Schedule Breaks
Schedule your breaks. If you work in an organization where this is possible it is a good way to let others know that you will not be available at certain times. This is coming from illustrator and web designer, Paul Dwyer from the Netherlands. Studies also show that if you schedule your breaks in your calendar, you are more likely to take them. In this work from home environment, Paul says that he has found that people have been respectful of his breaks. They seem to understand the constant pressure of working from home, trying to make deadlines, while also trying to stay mentally healthy during a pandemic. So, no one has complained about it. The truth is, when we were physically working in the office, we took small breaks throughout our day. We would go to the bathroom, go get a coffee or have a quick chat with a colleague in the break room. The only difference is that people could see that you were on a break. Remote work does not allow anyone to see that, so you have to be deliberate about your breaks now and scheduling them into your company calendar helps you to do that. Just don't make your breaks too long, then that might be a problem, he joked.
Catch Up with a Friend or Work Colleague
Humans are social beings and isolation is not an ideal mode for us to be in constantly. So, it is good to catch up with friends and socialize with your colleagues. This is especially important for those who live alone. Sharon Moses, a customer care representative in Toronto, states that even though the way we socialize has changed due to lockdown conditions in some places, it is still good to try and stay connected with family and friends. She recommends using zoom or other video chat applications to call friends and have quick chats here and there. These chats could also be with colleagues from work, to have non work-related conversations just to catch up and see how they are doing. You can also have zoom parties with friends, which I have personally done and hosted. These zoom parties are surprisingly fun, just bring your games, your own refreshments, and the energy. You can also have movie nights using various video applications. You can relax with a glass of wine or a cup of tea, watch your movie and chat with your friends online. There is no need to be a social butterfly, but it is good to maintain social connections even when working from home. These quick chats with people that we love can really have a great effect on our day.
Connect with Nature
My personal advice is a combination of connecting with nature and exercising. I try to go for walks every day. I either go in the mornings before I start my workday or if I have a busy morning I might do it after work instead. But I go for walks a few times a week just to get away from my computer and the apartment for a while. I listen to an audiobook or music while I walk, or I just quietly enjoy the view at the park. I find that I feel more relaxed and centered after these walks. I sometimes go to the lake by my house or I find other ways and places where I can commune with nature for a few minutes each day. Nature tends to have a calming effect on us but unfortunately sometimes we are too busy to utilize it. You can read here to find out more about the power of nature. These walks and time in nature has been working for me so far, and I hope to continue it for the rest of the year.
Conclusion
Working from home can take a toll on us. It is therefore important to do what we can to protect our mental space and stay healthy. I hope some of these tips can be helpful to you. Remember mental health and self-care is never a one size fits all situation. Some tips might work better for you because of your work environment or where you are located while some won't. Try different things and see what works best for you. I also know some of you may have your own ways of practicing self-care during your days working from home. So, please share some of these practices with us in the comments. We would love to learn from you as well. Until next time, be safe and keep smiling.
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