Working from home is the new norm of the “dotcom” generation, isn’t it? Well, with new things also come new challenges. So you should sort one as you grab an opportunity.
However, one thing you must ensure is safe is your mental health. Therefore, at all costs, make sure your mental health is secured!
Inevitably, the pressure that the people of the planet earth endure today has become more intense, or rather let’s say, “too competitive.” YOU are also in the mix, of course. You may seek what works best as you hunt for the best life ever. But what kind of life is that?
What are your Admirations?
You admire having a good home, some cars, some luxurious things that would please you. But, at the same time, you want better mental health. Well, it all starts with how you design your work. Jobs have shifted from the “physical” working from the office to working from home. It has set quite a higher level for people today. As a result, you will need to stay vigilant about how you connect with your environment, which begins with your mental health!
Critical questions and concerns on employees across that have stayed in the limelight – since the Coronavirus pandemic emerged – are; how has working from home affected their mental health? In what ways might working from home have improved mental health? And what can employers do to ensure their employees have good mental health while working from home?
Anyway, you need to know how to manage yourself at home. One vital thing that makes sense as you work from home is how you manage your entire health at home. Sometimes it is too crazy that it may set your home on a blazing fire if you don’t know. Nevertheless, we are here at such a good time.
Here are the 6 ways that you can use to improve your mental health as you are working from home.
#1: Maintain Social Connections
Maintaining social connections is a key way to improve mental balance. Many technical solutions help you stay in touch with other people. For example, try messaging platforms like Teams or Slack to exchange ideas. Zoom is a good choice for video chats or conference calls. At the same time, WhatsApp groups can help with text chat.
On the other hand, if your employer gives you a chance to socialize through the available platforms, make maximum use of them to avoid the feeling of isolation that often comes. For example, when your work environment does not support social interaction, you can engage your friends or family after completing your work. At the same time, you can participate in an online group to avoid getting lonely.
You can isolate yourself physically but do not separate from the company or colleagues. Try scheduling chats with your co-workers to mimic the office atmosphere.
If you make a plan for them in the course of your lunch hours, ensure that you do not talk about your work. Instead, converse about the present events, your favorite primetime shows, or anything you usually speak about.
Consider having a schedule for special meetings of ideas to benchmark the ideas and have responses about the projects you work on. Of course, it’s also best for freelancers to work from home without colleagues.
#2: Take Mental Health Days
One of the most important things to do if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or having trouble concentrating or focusing on work at home is to consider a mental health day.
Don’t be afraid to ask for mental health days; it’s the same as any other sick days. Respect the rules of your company, ask in advance, but do not hesitate to ask for a day off that would contribute to improving your well-being.
A mental health day will help you get the rest you need to feel motivated, more productive, and ready to take on the day when you return to work.
#3: Follow A Nutritional Diet
A nutritious breakfast gets you started for the day, but that’s just the beginning. Sticking to a nutritious diet isn’t easy, but it’s a game changer!
Taking control of your nutritional health equals maintaining good mental health. People say you are what you eat – it is closely related to your thoughts and actions.
Therefore, follow a strict diet combining fruits, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. In addition, it is important to monitor sugar and salt intake. Finally, energy intake should always be at the same level as energy consumption.
When you work from home, we recommend taking your daily water intake, enjoying fruit, and not forgetting to listen to your body.
#4: Have A Daily Work-From-Home Routine
Just as having a daily routine when working from the office, it is also important to have one when working from home.
Get up same time every day. Plan meal breaks (whether you’re dining alone or not). Adjust into “work” clothes, whether doing video calls or not. Be in control of screen time when online. Take breaks to have your mental health and eyes in good check.
A strict routine will assist in setting natural boundaries. As the work day comes to an end, be firm in reassigning to personal life.
Most importantly, stick to your sleep schedule as well. Waking up at the same time every day helps your body and mind prepare for what’s to come. Many organizations recommend sleeping between seven and nine hours each night.
#5. Drink A Lot Of Water
Drinking water is easily forgotten when working from home. Dehydration occurs when you don’t drink enough water. This can pose a major challenge to your mental focus and clarity.
Take it to the bank; with inadequate water to drink it is harder for us to think. As a result, we become more susceptible to stress and make worse decisions.
Ultimately, as we make many mistakes, we become stressed the more. Unfortunately, this vicious cycle continues until you do something to stop it. So ensuring you’ve drunk enough water should be easy if you want to keep your head clear.
Even though, how much should you take to be enough?
Try the 8 x 8 rule. This means that you will take eight oz water glasses with a frequency of eight times each day. That’s about 2 liters of water a day. Refill your glass during the day.
Note: Drink water rather than coffee. If it is hard to do away with hot drinks, choose tea to be your option. Green tea has caffeine yet it can offer antioxidant function benefits.
#6: Follow An Exercising Schedule
Exercise is also an important part of mental health. It can help reduce mental stress.
Although maintaining an exercise schedule is quite difficult. If there’s one thing working from home has made possible, it’s more time! Set a timer to get up from your desk at regular intervals. Walk around in place for a few minutes until you feel warm.
Working from home doesn’t stop you from exercising. You can find hundreds of exercises on YouTube that you can do from home with little or no equipment.
Maybe you enjoy listening to your favorite instructor online, or maybe you enjoy going for a run, either way, exercise will have many physical and mental benefits and is proven to improve your mental health.
If exercise isn’t for you, try incorporating walking into your daily routine, perhaps during your lunch break. On the other hand, some people consider working from home while standing as an alternative to exercise.
At the end of the day, you should find what works for you, but don’t forget to take time out during the week to relax as well.
Wrap It Up by Checking Your Mental Health
Mental health is quite a puzzle you must solve or improve at all times as you work from home.
Follow these practices to improve your mental health. They make it easy to have an established and good experience with your working-from-home endeavors. However, it is crucial to be in a healthy environment, whether physically or mentally.
If the ways here become your guideline, yet you struggle hard to align with them, just keep trying. We all take our own time to adapt. Nevertheless, do not hesitate to seek help if you are in trouble!
