Prioritising Mental Health when Working From Home (Working From Home Tips series 4/4)

Health and Wellbeing is not just about physical health. When working from home, focus in on your mental health too.

More people than ever before work from home in Basingstoke. This means that not only have we all had a significant change in our personal lives, but our work lives too. When work from home began, many people were excited to be out of the office. The novelty has worn off by now, courtesy of all the recent lockdowns. The realisation that we actually like spending some time at the office is setting in too as our work-life balance becomes more frayed. 

With so many hardships and losses, we’re all feeling some level of grief. It might be about the lives we’re not living any more or the loved ones we’ve lost. It could also be stress or anxiety due to technological issues or balancing home-schooling along with managing a full time job. With all that mental burden and fewer social interactions, it’s more important than ever that you not only look after your physical health but your mental health as well. 

Here are a few practical strategies to help you get through these challenging times.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a type of meditative practice. It’s about turning your awareness towards yourself. You learn to pay attention to what you’re thinking, feeling, and experiencing. It’s a kind of introspection that has a lot of benefits for mental wellbeing.

There are lots of different ways to integrate mindfulness into your daily routine. It only needs to take a few minutes a day if that’s all you have to spare. A couple of good ways to try it is by using guided meditations found through apps like Calm or Headspace, or perhaps by trying some yoga practices that focus on breathing and meditation as well as physical movement.

Make Gratitude Part Of Your Routine

A straightforward way to improve your mood is to take a few moments each day to think about something you’re grateful for. Studies have shown that reviewing the things you’re thankful for can lower stress and combat depressive thoughts. It’s quick, easy, and effective. Try a gratitude or vision board to stay on track.

Be Strict About Your Work Day

One of the big problems of working from home is the blurring of the line between work and home life. 52% of people are less likely to take time off when working from home, which is about the same percentage of people who are not happy with their work-life balance. So be strict. If you can, keep your work in a room that’s just for work. Then close the door at the end of your regular working hours.