5 Simple ways to look after your mental wellbeing at home
Working from home can bring with it a number of challenges, whether it being in-home distractions or lack of social engagement.
So, what can you do to look after your wellbeing when working from home? How can you create healthy boundaries between your work and personal lives, stay mentally and physically healthy whilst still being a productive and effective worker?
Self-Care
It is very easy to slip into bad habits such as sleeping late, spending all day in your pyjamas and eating junk food. But, looking after yourself is essential for your mental health. Exercising is known for significantly boosting your mental health – you can do this at home or under government regulations you are allowed to go outside to exercise once a day.
Routine
The first thing you need to do is get into a routine – which requires discipline. Do the same things, in the same order every day. Creating your own rhythm for the day, you’ll find that the day is more sustainable, bearable and enjoyable. A great way to start your day is with some exercise, whether that be a walk or jog. It releases great endorphins that will carry you throughout the day. In the day time, you could do some learning either in something your already specialize in or learning something new. Keep busy, don’t slouch around. Get up in the morning, get dressed, have a plan. With the world of the internet, you can be doing so many activities to fill your day. Additionally, make the weekends different – you have to differentiate your time.
Don’t stay glued to the news
If the media coverage is overwhelming and heightening your anxiety, it may be useful to allocate set times throughout the day to catch up on news and updates. Too much time on social media, googling things and excessive exposure to media coverage may increase your anxiety. This is an unsettling time for us, therefore it’s important to remember the facts and only listen to or follow reliable news sources.
Use trustworthy sources – such as GOV.UK or the NHS website – and fact-check information from the news, social media or other people.
Take time out
One of the most important points is being kind to yourself. If you don’t feel up to doing anything – that is fine too. It is important to recognise when you need a break. Relaxing and focusing on positive things, knowing that every effort is being made globally to bring this situation to a close, but it will take time.
When taking time out it can help with difficult emotions and worries, and improve our wellbeing. Relaxation techniques can also help deal with feelings of anxiety.
Get a good amount of sleep
The amount of sleep and the quality of our sleep plays a big role in the way we feel, so it’s important to get enough. Remain in your normal sleeping pattern, and if you are finding it harder than usual to sleep try some the Calm App as they have great sleep series.
We understand it can be difficult working from home, however if you make sure that you are prioritizing your physical and mental wellbeing you can enable yourself to carry on being a productive employee.