More than half the workforce in the UK are currently working from home. While some of these workers may have opted for such a lifestyle, others did not and thus have needed to adapt. It’s fair to say that while working from home can certainly have its benefits, there are other challenges that come with it, especially for those people living on their own, or that have pre-existing mental health conditions.
Looking after your mental health when working is extremely important. If you are struggling with your mental health it will understandably impact your job, such as making you less motivated, less focused, and less productive. Therefore, making time for you and your wellbeing should be a priority.
If you are suffering, you are not alone. There is a tonne of support available out there, from self help books, courses, your GP, and phone lines if you want to speak with somebody. Remember, things will get better, and how you are feeling now is temporary.
Connect With Colleagues
Part of what can make working from home difficult for many people is the lack of proper social interaction. There are less desk chats while you’re working, less banter, less corridor interactions. This doesn’t mean, however, that social contact with your colleagues needs to end!
Thankfully, living in the 21st century means that technology has our backs. With innovative technologies such as Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, it is really quite easy to stay connected with others. Whether it’s a simple conversation on instant messaging throughout the day, ‘digital office’ meetings where you all work on Zoom to simulate the office, or regular catch ups with the team, try to make time for each other.
Likewise, if you aren’t struggling yourself but you know that one of your colleagues lives alone, make an extra effort to connect with them. They will probably be extremely thankful for it.
Spend Time Away From Your Desk
If you can, make a conscious effort to spend some time away from your work desk. Due to the lack of variety in life at the moment, taking every opportunity you can to mix things up a little bit can go a long way.
This tip is obviously much easier if you have a laptop. Treat yourself to the odd morning working from the sofa, or if the weather is nice, take your laptop into the garden or, if permitted, take it to the local park.
While you might not have as much flexibility if you use a Desktop PC, you can still make sure that the times you spend not working are away from your desk. Don’t fall into the trap of being glued to your desk 24/7, as this can lead to a feeling of entrapment.
Take Breaks Outside
Moving on nicely from our last tip, as well as spending time away from your desk, why not go that step further and commit to taking some breaks outside (weather permitting, of course)! As we’ve covered before, taking a bit of time out in nature can really do wonders for your mental health.
Not only does it give you a change of scenery, but it also gives you some time to reflect, take stock of how you’re doing, and reset for the afternoon ahead. The simple feeling of the sun on your next or the wind on your face can help you re-attune to your true self. Vitamin D is also extremely important for our physical wellbeing, too!
Get Up Early
One huge bonus of working from home that we’re sure everybody agrees on is not having to commute to work. No longer sitting in the rush hour traffic every single day, taking 30min detours home due to road closures, or both leaving and returning home in the dark! However, it’s important we don’t allow this extra freedom to lead to something damaging.
Indeed, without having to get up, get ready and travel to work, it can be tempting to set that alarm for 10 minutes before work starts, or keep snoozing it until you really have to get up. Doing this every day can make us less productive and motivated to work, and even take a toll on our mental health. This is because your brain doesn’t get the chance to fully wake up before being thrust into work.
We believe you feel so much better if you try to get up at the time you normally would do in the office. This way, you can spend more time in the morning doing things for yourself. That could include reading, exercising, working on a personal project, or simply having breakfast with a loved one. Cherish this lack of commute by making the most of it.
Eat Well
This final tip isn’t necessarily only applicable to working from home, but let’s face it, it can be difficult to eat as well as we would like every day when we’re out at work. But now we all have a bit more time on our hands, why not use it to be more mindful of what we’re eating and dedicate more time to cooking fresh, healthier meals?
Cooking can be extremely rewarding, but even if you aren’t too fussed about the craft of cooking itself, being at home gives us a prime opportunity to cook and experiment with fresh ingredients. No more drawers full of pot noodles or biscuits, no more supermarket sandwiches on the go. If you aren’t used to cooking much yourself, you may be surprised at how incorporating home cooked, healthy meals into your diet can improve your mental health.
ProLife CBD
We hope that you are able to implement some of these tips into your daily working from home lifestyle, and that they can help you lead a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life. You’ve got this, and before you know it, the world as we know it today will be a distant memory. It won’t be long until we can hug, love, and laugh with our loved ones once again!
At ProLife, we encourage people to lead healthy, happier lives every single day. One of the ways we help people change their lives is by offering organic, high-quality, full spectrum CBD oils and salves. What we offer stands out from the high-street brands, as all of our products are made with Colorado grown hemp, filtered and tested for purity, before being shipped all over the world. You won’t find anything artificial in our CBD, just the power of nature.
For more wellbeing tips or information about CBD, check out our blog which is regularly updated. You can also ask any questions through our online contact form, where one of our team will respond as soon as possible. Take care, and stay safe!