I have been working from home since July 2020 and it has been an incredible experience and definitely has some benefits from my previous occupation. However, there can be some challenges regarding our mental, social and physical health. One key factor in staying healthy while working from home is developing the ability to control our actions, feelings, and emotions through self-discipline. This will ensure we remain motivated, which will result in the likelihood of achieving success.
In theory, it should be easier to be healthy when working from home since we won’t be engaging in the usual office activity of snacking on treats that one of our co-workers brought to work. One would think that working from home would now be easier to say “No” to those glazed donuts since we can cook healthy meals and workout whenever we want. Talk about a “Win-Win, situation right?”
Unfortunately, for some people staying healthy while working from home looks more like this.: Slumped on the couch still wearing pajamas while watching a couple of specials on Netflix. And the bag of Doritos and a can of Pepsi goes down so well while vegging out watching those specials.
Some additional challenges can come into play while working from home. Loneliness and a sense of isolation, attempting to remain motivated, unwanted distractions, avoiding burnout, getting the recommended level of physical activity and achieving a work-life balance.
So, what are the best ways to stay healthy while working from home?
Developing Self-Discipline. A key factor is having a strong desire to achieve a specific goal. Self-Discipline requires fuel, and that fuel typically comes in the form of either aspiration or motivation.
Create a Designated Work Area. Divide your living space into a “home” and “home office.” Setup your home office for optimal posture and comfort. It should be functional with an applicable office station, adequate lighting, comfortable chair, and seamless tech setup.
Get Showered and Dressed. This may sound strange but getting dressed for your work day sets you up for being more productive since it psychologically signals that you are in work mode. Your energy, motivation and performance are intrinsically linked to how you feel mentally and physically.
Schedule Your Day. Establish a time frame when you are available for work. Schedule high-priority and urgent activities first. Then schedule time to cope with contingencies and emergencies. Followed by discretionary time to deliver your priorities and achieve your goals. Finally, take a moment to analyze your activities to determine if your activities were efficient and effective.
Prep Meals and Snacks. Preparing and cooking your own food is arguably one of the best things we can do for our health. When we prepare our own food we know exactly what's going in it and can avoid preservatives, chemical additives, GMO ingredients, hidden sugars and artificial flavours. All of those things can weaken our immune system, drain our energy and make it harder for us to manage our weight. Healthy eating helps us maintain our body’s everyday functions, promotes optimal body weight and can assist in disease prevention.
Keep Hydrated. When it comes to maintaining our health working from home hydration is crucial for many reasons. It regulates our body temperature, keeps our joints lubricated, prevention of infections, delivers nutrients to our cells, and keeps our organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves our cognition, mood and sleep quality.
Take Regular Breaks. Taking breaks can reduce or prevent stress, help to maintain performance throughout the day and reduce the need for a long recovery at the end of the day.
Schedule Daily Exercise. Getting out of the house for 30 to 45 minutes for a brisk walk, going for a bike ride or working out in our home gym will boost our energy, alleviate stress promote a positive attitude while maintaining overall good health. We will come back to our home office rejuvenated and ready to tackle the remaining day at work from home.
Make Personal Connections. There are a few ways to make personal connections. Schedule chats on a daily basis with family, friends or members of groups you have joined who have similar interests. Check in with colleagues to discuss work related topics of interest. I would suggest face time since research has indicated more than 90% of human communication consists of body language. When you see the way that the person you are speaking with reacts, you are able to better understand how they are feeling.
Maintain a Work-Life Balance. This is extremely important in maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life. Working from home can “muddy the waters” between work related activities and personal time for ourselves and our family/friends. Like our previous work schedule, we should choose a time when we will “clock out” from work. This is when we shut off our computer, close our laptop and ensure to not take any work related calls during this “self-time”. This will reinforce the mindset of work-personal life separation.
Knowing and practising these recommended steps will ensure our work from home experience will have some positive benefits and an easy transition into our new work related lifestyle. I encourage you to revisit these recommendations once a month to see how successful you were in terms of spending your time and balancing work and personal time. Do some self analysis with an important question. “Am I achieving a noticeable work-life balance?” I would encourage you to seek feedback from those who are closest to you since they are one of the important factors in your quest to achieve a healthy balance.
I hope my personal experiences and knowledge of establishing a balance between work and personal life has been insightful for you.
I wish you all the best in your personal endeavour in staying healthy while working from home.
About The Author: Steve is a Christian Blogger, Videographer, and Personal Trainer. His content creation focuses on Societal Lifestyles, Health/Fitness and Faith. #healthylifestyle
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