Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live and it has been a big task adjusting to this new normal. Ms Shourya Gupta,Consultant Clinical Psychologist working at The Lifestyle Clinic New Delhi shares her views on how to take care of your Mental Health while working from Home.
The Coronavirus pandemic reached our country in the month of February, 2020 and since then it has brought a lot of unprecendented changes in everyone’s life. Nobody had imagined that this would go on for so long. To follow the government norms of social distancing, a lot of us have to work from home, which for many people has been very challenging as it requires an increased effort and an increased usage of digital media. For many people, working from home since so many months has been taking a toll on their mental health. Just as it is important to take care of your physical health during the pandemic, it is also important to keep your mental health protected.
Some of the common problems that you might be experiencing while working from home –
- Being unable to switch off from work even after working hours
- Having difficulty in staying motivated
- Insomnia or sleep-cycle disturbance
- Having difficulty prioritising your workload
- Feeling isolated and disconnected from others
- Feeling uncertain about your progress
Tips on how to protect your mental health while working from home –
- Create a designated place in your home where you work (avoid bedroom)
Create a designated and cluster-free space where you work daily, preferably a table and a comfortable chair. Keep only work related stuff like laptop, notebook, pens, files, etc. on that table and refrain from keeping other informal stuff like a plate of a finished meal, snack packets and other household items. It is also important to avoid working in your bedroom, because working from bed gives us a feeling of lethargy, which might make us want to take a nap during the day and might affect our night’s sleep. Working from a proper desk or a table is associated with being alert and awake.
- Focus on the fact that working from home can have many benefits
Working from home can have many benefits. It reduces the stress of travelling to workplace, reduces the cost of travelling, saves time and energy, gives you a greater sense of control over your workday and most importantly, it makes you less prone to catching Coronavirus!
- Staying connected with your co-workers
Because everyday encounters with colleagues do not happen when you are working from home, you need to be proactive in organizing meetings and social connection to maintain positive relationships. Staying connected with others will help to reduce stress levels, help you feel less isolated, and stay productive. It also helps you communicate with your manager or employees to keep them informed of what you are working on.
- Set up a structured routine – create boundaries between ‘work time’ and ‘home time’
Set a routine as if you are going into the office, with a regular start time, and finish time, and a structure for your day, with breaks and exercises in schedule. This will help you maintain a strong boundary between work and home life, minimize the possibility of work interfering with your family time, and help you switch off from work at the end of the day. Creating cues, such as getting changed into your work clothes at the start of the day, and out at the end, can help with this.
- Prioritize your work
Prioritizing work and setting up realistic and achieveable short-term goals can help you stay motivated towards your work and also reduces unnecessary stress.
- Get some fresh air and sunshine everyday
Getting some fresh air and sunshine everyday is vital for every human to regulate their emotional functioning. It helps in increasing the level of serotonin which boosts mood and helps a person to remain calm and focused and in turn helping people in dealing with depression and anxiety.
- Taking short mental breaks between work
Taking short mental breaks between work can help you break the monotony of the work and recharge you to resume your work with greater concentration and motivation than before. A mental break can involve doing a quick mindfulness, deep breathing or a stretching routine.
- Try taking a digital detox in the evening post work
Technology makes it easier to stay connected 24X7, but the demerit is that it can make it difficult to switch off, and separate work and personal life. Try a digital detox to help you switch off from work, so you can spend a quality time with your family or to do the things that bring you happiness, for example, for some people it might be cooking new recipes and for some it might be playing with their pets.
- Exercise and stay active
Add up exercising in your daily routine. Exercising is not only good for your physical health, but also for your mental health. Staying active and exercising has shown to improve the levels of endorphin, which is the pain reduction hormone, in the body. Periodically, get up and move around your home. Yoga, walking, stretching, planks or jumping jacks — whatever works best for you to reduce or alleviate stress, do that! While gyms and fitness centers are closed during this time, there are many online tutorials and live streaming videos available that can guide you.
- Seek professional help if things are beyond control
If you feel that your mental health condition is beyond control and it is adversely affecting your personal and professional life, then do not hesitate from taking help from a Mental Health Professional for it. Just know that help is available for every kind of mental health issue.
