Over the course of the past year, more and more people have seen their work change. Due to the pandemic, more roles are now home-based, which comes hand in hand with plenty of benefits for those with families. When you work from home, you cut out commuting time, meaning you have more time to spend with your little ones in the morning and the evenings. It means you can keep an eye on your kids at home while you’re working. However, remote work does come hand in hand with a bunch of challenges – some potentially threatening your mental health and physical health. Here are a few ways to protect and prioritize your health and wellbeing and reap the benefits!
Be Organised
A key issue that many people face when working from home is having difficulty organizing their time and projects. This leads to stress leading up to deadlines, meetings, and other events. Of course, you’re going to want to minimize stress wherever possible, as it can result in a host of issues and health concerns. These include:
- Headaches
- Muscle Tension
- Fatigue
- Sleep Problems
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Sadness
- Procrastination
- Lack of Motivation
- Emotional Outbursts
- Undereating
- Overeating
- Social Withdrawal
To avoid stress, you can organize your work and tasks. Use a calendar and make sure to block time for activities that need to be completed. Avoid leaving anything until the last minute. It’s also good to prepare in advance for issues, such as having your hotspot ready for when there is no internet.
Set Up a Workspace
It’s a good idea to set up a proper workspace for yourself in your home. When you work in an office, you’re supplied with all the suitable and necessary equipment to complete your work safely. When you work from home, you’re going to have to provide this yourself. If you’re employed, your employer may be able to help with the costs. If you’re self-employed, you need to see it as an investment in your wellbeing. Look into ergonomic furniture and equipment, which has been specially designed to support your posture and to prevent conditions like repetitive strain injury.
Get Sufficient Sleep
When you work from an office, you tend to set yourself a bedtime that you need to stick to in order to get sufficient sleep for the commute and the day ahead. But when you work from home, you can start to find that you fail to stick to a bedtime and end up tired while trying to stay alert and productive. Getting enough sleep is more important for more than just staying alert during work though. Sleep can have a huge effect on your overall health and wellbeing. Sleep deprivation can result in stress, negative mood, and even worse conditions if you are chronically sleep-deprived. Aim to get at least seven to eight hours’ worth of sleep every night.
These are just a few steps towards leading a healthier life while working from home. Hopefully, some of the suggestions will make all the difference to your well-being!
