Now, more than ever, there are stressful times and events all around us. From the novel coronavirus that has plagued the world since it was first discovered in November 2019, to unrest and civil protests and riots all around, it’s incredibly difficult to be certain in this uncertain world. Luckily, there are ways to harness the power of your mind, body, and spirit to feel more at ease in this world, and continue to do your daily work duties without letting stress hinder you.
How Stress Affects Us
Stress is an incredibly powerful thing that can harm the body and mind. Surges of adrenaline and cortisol slowly make us more hyper-aware and cause us to feel the symptoms of anxiety, as well as lie to us and tell us that the world is a dangerous place, when really, there is no place that is dangerous. This can be difficult to understand especially now when many workers have to work from home and are condition to believe that there are many dangers “out there.” This is not the case, and you can stay stress-free and sane while working from home too.
Staying Stress-Free
Working from home stress can be a pain, but it can be tackled. With the right mindset, schedule set-up, tools and therapy, its possible to avoid stressing while working from home. Almost 50% of young adults experience high levels of stress, a staggering number considering how many young adults have their full lives ahead of them. These 15 tips can help your working from home stress stay at a minimum, and, hopefully, help you to start seeing things in another way. Remember, to take away stress and anxiety takes patience, practice, and hope.
1. Dress to Impress
Even when working from home, studies show that it’s important to get up in the morning and continue to dress even if you were going to work. You will find that this gives you a sense of normalcy, calm, and also promotes confidence. This is also a good idea to use if you’re taking part, like millions of those around the world, in online webinars, web-conferences, and utilizing platforms such as zoom. Getting up in the morning and dressing for work will help you feel less stressed and give you that extra morning boost you need to fight off the depression.
2. Set up a Routine
Dressing up is a great way to feel normal in these uncertain times, but so is setting up a routine. Whether that includes having your morning coffee, going to meetings then going to lunch, or working independently on your work for a certain amount of time, anything helps. It’s important to not dismiss the importance of this powerful technique of routine setting to relieve working from home stress. Make sure to also let your workplace know of any special accommodations you might need to get into the habit of your routine. During these times, employers will understand the importance of letting their employees set up their own schedule and stick to it. If you do freelance work, it’s important to still be organized and continue to work on projects in a routine fashion as well.
3. Practice Daily Affirmations
When you wake up in the morning, and right before bed, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to practice positive affirmations. Positive affirmations serve to help your brain memorize key values you would like to tell yourself. Our brain is a machine, and it learns by repetition and doing. Much like learning to stress and be anxious, the brain can unlearn these traits as well. But, it needs a little help to do so. Working from home stress can accumulate for some, so setting time during the day to google these affirmations and practice them can help as much as natural pain relief cream to give you natural peace of mind.
4. Have a Dedicated WorkSpace
Having a workspace dedicated to simply working is great for many reasons. For one, it’s a great way to ensure your working from home situation can be written off in a tax write-off, as the IRS requires your workspace to be well-defined. Whether you have a dedicated home office or are making space in your new apartment, it’s important to set up a workspace to also be more organized. It might feel stressful to have to work from home and enjoy it at the same time, but it’s very possible. Being able to have a dedicated workspace can also make the transition easier and lessen working from home stress.
5. Do Exercise
When you’re stuck indoors, it can be easy to begin to feel trapped, depressed, and anxious. It’s important to continue to stick to an exercise routine to decrease working from home stress. If you like in a tiny apartment, there are loads of videos online to help you set up an exercise routine for this very setting. If not, taking a walk, jog, or bike ride outside can be very comforting. In addition to the usual looking both ways, avoiding bicycle accidents, and wearing bright colors, new times call for new safety protocols when outside. Check with your city or county to ensure you are taking all the proper precautions when exercising outside.
If something does go wrong, don’t hesitate to get medical attention and reach out to an accident attorney for a consultation.
6. Practice Meditation
While you’re working from home, stress can pile up, and it may seem impossible to get away from it since you’re stuck at home. However, there is no safer place than inside of our minds. It’s important to get in touch with this calm side of ourselves now more than ever, and be able to harness the power within ourselves to be strong in the face of adversity. Practicing meditation daily can help you remain grounded, realistic, and mindful about your situation as you continue to balance work, home, and daily life.
7. Talk to Others Online
The CDC suggests keeping in touch with friends and family through face to face interactions whenever possible. For one, it makes us feel safe and gives a sense of normalcy. In addition, when working from home, you might need clarity on certain projects, quotes, numbers, or anything else that you simply cannot discuss over the phone. Don’t be afraid to get your co-worker’s information in order to be able to complete projects faster. In addition, this face to face interaction does wonders for calming the anxious part of ourselves that can become detached due to working from home stress.
8. Talk to Doctors
It’s important for you to continue to take care of your health as you work from home. Luckily, many doctors are still practicing telemedicine visits that you can take part in to get treatment. A virtual doctor will be able to diagnose you if need be through the phone, pictures sent in e-mails, and even web conferences if that service is provided. However, if you feel you need the help of a doctor in person, check with your primary care provider to ensure you can safely come into their office for an appointment. Your doctor might refer you to urgent care centers in the area that are designed to help you during this pandemic.
9. Make Online Therapy Appointments
Some of us need a little extra help in dealing with working from home stress. Though a medical provider is great to treat our physical ailments, an online therapist can be helpful to provide you with mental health consultation and be able to give you more space to vent. An online therapist is a great option not just when working from home, but also during regular, everyday life. Many of us might be hesitant to go to a therapist, or think that there’s something wrong in needing help, but this is far from the case. Especially during these times of sickness and worry, it’s important to not let working from home stress get the better of you and seek mental healthcare services.
10. Don’t Break Quarantine
You might think that the easiest way to get rid of working from home stress is to simply leave your home and continue working from outside the home. However, this can cause you much more stress than you initially anticipated. In addition to possible exposure to a virus, breaking your quarantine for non-essential duties can cause you to become even more stressed at the thought of possibly being exposed to a person with COVID-19. This added stress is not what one needs right now, and can wreak havoc on your mental well-being. Stay safe, follow proper distancing protocols, and stay home unless to seek emergency care.
11. Do Renovations
If you’ve been putting off renovations until now, it might be a good time to consider starting up again. Many contractors offer safe distancing services to help you in things such as kitchen repair, following up on a home roof inspection, you name it. If you’re staying home more hours of the day, you don’t want to be uncomfortable by having to put up with faulty maintenance and undone renovations. Take this time now to lessen your working from home stress by taking your mind off things and letting your renovations put you at ease.
12. Pick Up a New Hobby
Working from home has its time and place, but what happens after you’re done with work? You can’t go golfing, or swimming, so what can you do? Picking up a hobby can do wonders for your anxiety and working from home stress. On top of being relaxing, a new hobby can also make you money. For instance, if you make custom jewelry, consider selling it online to others also stuck at home. Or, learn a new language and be a valuable asset to employers thereafter. Doing a new hobby can only help and bring positivity.
13. Consider Journaling
Journaling is a great way to get your thoughts on to paper and stop them from hindering your day. Working from home stress, as mentioned before, can accumulate and make it hard for you to properly adjust your day and get away from the stress. Journaling your feelings can help you get rid of those intrusive, negative thoughts, and see the logic behind them as flawed. Journaling is also a great way to remember the positive aspects of your day, and continue to be inspired throughout this pandemic.
14. Cook More
There is no evidence to suggest that we shouldn’t be cooking now during the pandemic. Cooking can offer you a better way to enjoy healthy meals and stay fit during the pandemic. Working from home stress can easily lead to comfort eating, weight gain, and ordering take-out every day. It’s important for you to break this unhealthy cycle and cook as much as you can in order to get out of your depression and slump. Check with your local grocery stores about the availability of products, and buy only what you need.
15. Re-Organize
Home renovations and making a dedicated workspace is one thing, but re-organizing and tidying up can also help you feel less working from home stress. Studies have shown that when our outside world is clean, our inside world and minds feel better also. Consider this when setting out on your journey to a stress-free you, and make it fun.
Stay Strong
Riots, the uncertainty of a virus, and being locked inside our homes is no fun for anyone. However, we can make the best of this situation by following the above tips and many, many more. These include meditation, yoga, singing, dancing, whatever you can do to take your mind off of working from home stress. The human mind, body, and spirit is a wonderful thing, and can overcome any circumstances. This is just another one to overcome.
