We’re almost 2 years into the work from home culture. For many, while work from home started, mental well-being exited their life. It is a completely different environment with many significant changes.
There are no coworkers to hi-five and celebrate small wins with. There’s a baby crying next door or your sibling making a smoothie with the noisy blender. There’s more distractions and your mind is running a hundred different ways.
The lines between personal life and work life have blurred. Working from home is challenging. Luckily, there are some healthy habits to handle it better and be in a good space, mentally.
1. Stretch away the stress
Sitting long hours in front of a laptop in a non-ergonomic chair takes a toll on your body. Stretching and exercising your muscles throughout the day helps your body stay comfortable. When your body finds comfort, so does your mind.
Also, starting your day with some exercise releases endorphins. It betters your concentration and prepares your mind for the day ahead.
2. Meditate to quiet your mind
A half cubicle, no distracting sights. A silent surrounding except for printers printing and papers shuffling. Our workplaces have less interruptions and in turn we have longer attention spans.
It’s not the same here at home. There’s more external distractions that trigger our mind to wander. The most effective way to combat this is meditation. A study showed that meditation may even reverse patterns in the brain that contribute to mind-wandering, worrying and poor attention.
Meditating for a few minutes everyday helps you focus better, tick things off your list faster and have enough time for yourself outside of work.
3. Journal your thoughts
Working from home means less people around and less communication. We express ourselves when we meet people and interact with them in person. Nowadays, work calls are quick and just about work. There are no coffee-breaks with colleagues or lunches with your team.
A lot of thoughts don’t find a way out of your head. When they don’t, newer ones don’t enter your mind. Write down what you think to make way for fresher ideas. Maintain a journal, Tweet your musings or write emails to yourself.
4. Start early
Mornings are quiet, no calls or meetings, more energy and mindspace. Harvard Biologist Christoph Randler discovered that early risers are more proactive and proactive mindset increases productivity.
When you start early, you gain a sense of achievement before the day gets busy. Achievement inspires you to do more and feel good.
5. Practice less-is-more
Work is a part of our lives, not our whole life. Not every waking hour must be productive. You deserve breaks, enjoy downtime. Don’t jump back to work in the middle of your lunch break just because you heard an email notification. It can wait.
Automate wherever possible, delegate more, work as a team. Rope in the principles of minimalism at work too. Practice doing more with less. Ward off distractions and get more done in less time. It leaves you with more time to unwind and a fresh mind for a productive next day.
Even with easy-to-follow work from home habits, having a healthy mindspace takes time and patience. Comfort comes with practice. Practice these habits and you’ll surely acquire a healthy mindspace while working from home. Not just healthy, but also confident and happy.
