5 Ways to Maintain Good Mental Health while Working from Home
One of the biggest surprises over the last couple of years has been the challenge of working from home remotely. Working from home has been a perplexing experiment for most of us. While some of us started out rejoicing, that joy quickly turned to lament when we realized that working from home was not necessarily the beautiful freedom we had envisioned. Making remote work efficient often entails a great deal of trial and error in order to find the set up for work that best supports you and your mental health. These five tips will help you maintain good mental health even when you continue to work out of the office.
1. Structure your day.
Set a specific start and finish time. If necessary, set alarms for these times in order to remind yourself that your workday has finished. Establishing clearly delineated working times is important for your mental health. You need dedicated periods of time for relaxation and rejuvenation. You cannot continue being productive if you don’t take time to recharge your batteries.
2. Define your workspace.
Have a dedicated workspace in order to trigger your mind that it is now time to work. Train yourself as Pavlov trained his dogs. Playing a specific song, lighting incense, or sitting in a specific working space helps your brain realize that the time for work has come. If you are not able to have a dedicated workspace, then make sure to put away all work related things at the end of the work day in order to better separate your work life and home life.
3. Give yourself a break.
Appreciate the new wellness routines that can be incorporated into your day. Get physical exercise and change your scenery. Take walking breaks around your neighborhood to clear your head. Practice mindful breathing. Take small yoga or stretch breaks. Cook a nice lunch or start dinner preparations. Listen to calming music. Light candles or incense in your home office. Embrace all the wellness practices that can only be done while working from home.
4. Set boundaries.
While one of the benefits of being at home is that you can create more personalized routines, it is also important to not let your home life bleed over into your work life. Setting boundaries and having a balance is important. If you live with others, make sure that you have a discussion with clear outcomes about this new working situation. It’s important to be aware of issues before they arise so that a clear plan is in place. Never assume that you and the people you live with are on the same page. Making assumptions is a recipe for trouble. Clear discussions and accommodations are the path to successful stability with everyone in your home.
5. Be kind to yourself.
It can be easy to allow your inner voice to point out everything you have not accomplished. So most importantly, be as kind to yourself as you would be to your loved ones. You are living through an unprecedented time right now. It’s incredibly important to remember that work productivity should not be the highest goal in your life at this moment. Find peace and tranquility however you can. Taking care of yourself and your mental health is of the utmost importance during this unusual time.
Short of a crystal ball, no one has any way of foretelling when this situation will end. You must prepare for a marathon as it is very apparent that working from home is not the sprint that was expected. Sustaining good mental health must be everyone’s top priority since success in the workplace can only occur if you are mentally healthy. Implementing these five tips can help you achieve this very important goal.
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