Working from home has increased dramatically in the last few years. Initially, it was an answer to the pandemic’s safety precautions; however, it soon became apparent that it was a great option for both businesses and their staff. That being said, working from home has its downsides too. You need to take steps to protect both your mental and physical health while working from home. Keep reading to learn more about how you make this happen.
Your Mental Health
When it comes to protecting your mental health while working from home, there are several things that you can do. Firstly, while it might be tempting to roll out of bed and go straight to your home office in your PJs, it can actually affect your productivity and your motivation. So instead, you should do your best to get up, wash and dress every morning. It helps set you up properly for the day and ensures that you have a healthier division between you at work and at home.
In fact, you should put more effort into scheduling your day as a whole. When you have your day planned out more thoroughly, it helps to provide you with a better structure. It affords you more stability, and in doing so, it can help to form connections in your brain of when to be productive and when to switch off.
Mental Health When Working
You should also do your best to have a designated workspace. Ideally, you should have a home office that you can work from. If this isn’t possible, you still need to try to find an area that is solely used to work from. Otherwise, the line gets blurred, and this can affect your productivity. This again helps you to find the right balance between your working and personal life.
Finally, remember to take regular breaks. If you feel overwhelmed, it is okay to take a step back for a moment. Taking small breaks throughout the day can actually aid in productivity because it gives your brain a chance to rest as you shift your focus elsewhere for a short time. Fresh air and sunlight can also be extremely beneficial. It can boost your mood and improve your sense of health and wellbeing.
Your Physical Health
You need to be comfortable when working; however, this does not mean that you should work from your bed or the sofa. This again blurs the lines between work and home, making it harder to concentrate. Instead, it would help if you thought about your work-from-home setup. Do you have a space that you can use as an office? Most people will use a computer when working from home. The way that you position your computer can affect your comfort. It should be about an arm’s length away, and it needs to be angled to avoid the sun’s glare because this can harm your eyes.
When it comes to designing your office space at home, you need to consider the ergonomics of the space; this article entitled “Why is Ergonomics Important in the Workplace” by Branch Furniture is a great resource that you can use to help you to design your space well. That being said, there are a few pieces that you will need regardless of your area. Firstly, you will need a desk; you can opt for a standing, sitting, or adjustable desk depending on your preference, and you should be able to find one to fit your space. Next, you need a chair to work from too. An office chair is probably best because it is adjustable, and it is designed for the user to sit in for long periods of time.
As mentioned above, taking breaks is good for your mental health, but it is also essential for your physical health too. Working from home can be limiting, and a lot of people tend to put on weight because they simply aren’t moving as much or as far as they used to. The extra weight can be bad for your health. So you need to find ways to build more exercise into your day. There are a lot of options depending on your fitness level and your preference, from walking to yoga to heading to the gym on your lunch break.
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of benefits to working from home. For the most part, it is one of the most convenient working arrangements, especially for those with other responsibilities. It also allows you to save money because you aren’t going anywhere. However, for all its advantages, it can take its toll on you mentally and physically, which is why you must take steps to safeguard your health. So take the above advice on board and use it to structure your working days.