Photo: Nik Shuliahin/Unsplash
Managing your own time, dealing with clients, balancing life at home with your workload – it can be a balancing act that makes inner-calm a bit of a stretch at times.
Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to deal with these difficult emotions. Here are six methods of managing stress and anxiety when working from home:
- Utilize Your Sense Of Smell
Smell is a great example of how your senses can help you deal with stress. Your olfactory senses send messages to the brain in relation to your feelings. So, if you fill the best electric aroma diffuser with lavender essential oil, for example, the smell will signal to your brain that you should relax. If you find a scent you know works for you, you can use it in your working space and breathe your way straight into a state of zen.
- Learn To Be Strict With Yourself
It is so important to avoid checking emails and replying to work messages outside of working hours. This bad habit will not only cause stress 24/7, but it will also create unrealistic expectations with clients who think they can expect communication from you at all hours. Turn off your notifications, put your out-of-hours setting on, and take a second – you’re allowed to switch off.
- Get Out Of The House
If you can, remove yourself from your house at least once a day to help manage WFH stress. Just ten minutes around the block or in the garden is helpful. Even better, if you can get out in nature, you’ll get all the benefits of being out of the house plus those associated with spending time surrounded by natural stimuli.
Research shows that just two hours a week in nature is good for you, so if you do have the ability to get to a park or a forest on your lunch break, it could supercharge the benefits of being out of the house.
- Speak To Your Employer
If you are getting seriously stressed, speak to your employer. Organizations are getting better at spotting signs that employees might be stressed working from home, but they can’t read your mind. Have a chat, see if you can get some support, or perhaps a change in working hours or workload. This will only benefit your work quality (and quality of life) in the long run, so your employer should be prepared to work with you to find a solution.
- Be Your Best Safety Advocate
In a recent study, people reported improvements in pain and their perceived sense of safety thanks to working from home. For women, however, those outcomes were less likely to be improved.
To protect your physical and mental health, take the time to set up an ergonomic work desk, manage your sleep routine, and eat well. This should reduce WFH-related pain and discomfort and limit any stress caused by those issues.
- Move More
Take regular screen breaks, and if you can, access endorphins and other health benefits by walking, running, or otherwise working out. Exercise is an incredible tool for stress management, and if you can find a workout routine you love, it will serve as a helpful tool not only for stress management but for life.
Working from home can be a blessing, but only if you make sure you’re doing it in a way that limits the potential downsides and boosts all of the potential benefits. Hopefully, with the tips above and some self-love, you can enWFH happily, healthily, and with minimal stress and anxiety.
