The pandemic has hit the entire globe and caused something known as the pandemic blues. If you feel stressed out, depressed, and anxious while you are remote-working and trying to adapt to the new norm, trust us when we tell you that you are not alone. While we believe that it is a good idea to seek online counseling from reputable sources, such as the Symmetry Counselling Services, we also believe that you can protect your mental health and maintain a positive outlook by incorporating proactive, mindful strategies of life until things get better from worse.
You might have noticed changes in your mental health since you have started remote working. The chances are that you might feel more stressed, bunt out, less energetic, and even have an existential crisis now and then. That said, before you hit rock bottom, incorporate the following steps in your daily routine while keeping a constant check on your mental health.
Create A Routine
Instead of working with no timetable and trying to run the office from home in a haphazard manner, you need to learn the importance of having a schedule, routing, and most primarily, having discipline. That said, instead of opening your laptop and getting to work whenever you feel like, you need to stick to a schedule while organizing your work hours.
After organizing your tasks, you can outline your milestones for each day or hour, which will allow you to get mentally prepared for the tasks before you start working on them. Your pre-defined routine must incorporate short off-screen breaks to rest your eyes and rub your shoulders and back. Don’t forget to incorporate some me-time and mediation in your daily schedule.
Create A Work Space
While remote-working is slowly becoming the new norm, as we have no fixed date on when the world would get back to normal, we have one burning question: have you a room/ space in your home fixed as your mini home office? If the answer is no and you are working from your bedroom or kitchen table, then it is safe to state that a major part of your anxiety stems from this one factor.
That said, make it your number one priority to set a space that is your dedicated workspace. If you are living at a small desk, you might also widen your free closet. Just make sure that no pets or kids disturb you and assess your workspace during your work hours. Ensure that you have an ergonomic chair to support your shoulders and neck while working from home.
Take Breaks & Move
A few essential things can put a serious strain on your back, shoulders, and neck while you are remote working. We are talking about the digital stress of being glued to the screens for countless hours, rarely getting up to take physical breaks, drinking water, doing a few stretches, and exercising a bit.
That said, make it a rule to get up every 2 hours, walk around the house, drink some water, and do a few stretches before returning to your workspace. An evening walk can also alleviate loads of stress by activating the good-feel chemicals in your brain. That said, make it a point to exercise for at least 20 minutes every day.
Decline Things When You Have To
Understandably, many people view remote working as an opportunity to take as much work as they can. However, there are certain limitations to what a person can complete in a day. Therefore if you want to protect your mental, emotional, and physical health, we encourage you to explore your limitations, set your boundaries, and decline tasks when you have to. Only by protecting your mental and emotional wellbeing can you make it through the lockdowns and remote working without getting depressed and anxious.
