How to Ace Your Mental Health While Working From Home

1. Organize Your Space

By now, you’ve probably got your home office set up to meet your work needs, but what about comfort? Start thinking about how you can improve the comfortability of your area as you spend many hours at a time there.

Start with a desk, you want to make sure you have a comfortable desk that is the proper height and has enough surface to hold your items. L-shaped desks are an increasingly popular trend that gives you enough space to put papers as well as your monitor, planners, accessories, and of course extra room to move freely.

Next, upgrade your chair! Having a comfortable, ergonomic chair that allows movement and keeps your blood flowing will instantly improve your work station. Since you’ll be actively sitting at your desk setup for hours at end, increasing your circulation and posture can provide you back pain relief and have your overall body feeling better throughout the day. Our range of office chairs ensures quality comfort for hours and can be the solution you need for not only physical comfort but also mental comfort too. Because these two aspects of your health work together in the grand scheme of your overall wellness, staying snug physically in your office can avoid you from slipping into a funk mentally.

2. Establish a Work/Life Balance

• Relationships are key to staying sane, and remaining social with your friends and family can offer an incentive to work harder so you can chat with your loved ones after.
  • Tip: Make your plans before work so you’re not distracted during your day-to-day. Weekly phone calls, going out to a happy hour, or scheduling a coffee with someone are just some ways you can look forward to after hours.
• Many people’s personal finances are constantly on their minds (especially when they’re actually on the job making that money). Whether it’s checking their bank accounts, budgeting for the week ahead, or preparing for tax season, these are all common distractions for WFH employees. Take care of your finances outside of work time and think about monetary ventures that can keep you stress-free in the future!
  • Tip: Thinking about your financial future can help keep you focused on earning money right now. The first big example of this includes opening a retirement account in order to save money for later in life. Being diligent and proactive about your finances earlier in life will give you a stress free retirement to look forward to. Second, look into protecting the big-ticket items in your home. Something as simple as acquiring a home warranty to cover household appliances can help you avoid replacement costs down the road should something unexpectedly stop working. Making these precautionary investments that will last a lifetime will eliminate the feeling of panic if something happens (and can help you focus on the now)!

3. Create Routines

While work can be stressful at times, it’s important to reflect on your habits and see if you can adjust your day-to-day to ease some mental stress. This begins early in the morning before your workday begins. Try waking up at the same time each morning in order to create some consistency. Sleep is a huge factor in mental wellness so not only waking up at the same time each day but getting enough sleep will go a long way! After you wake up, carve out “me-time” before your workday begins. Focus on something that makes you happy before you get into your work. Whether it’s listening to music or reading a chapter of your book, investing time in yourself before you clock in will help you go into your workday with a positive attitude.

If you’re looking to get serious about routines, consider researching the top scheduling and task apps that can help keep you focused before, during, and after work. Some apps can even send you push notifications to help remind you of what you should be doing. That in itself can take the stress out of the planning aspect of it!

4. Prioritize Your Physical Wellness

Similar to what we mentioned earlier about finding comfort in your space, it’s important to remember to keep track of your wellness when you’re away from your desk as well. We suggest beginning your WFH wellness journey by drinking lots of water! Remaining hydrated will not only keep you healthier and happier but also more motivated and focused while you work.

Another great idea is to implement exercise somewhere in your day. Physical exercise can be a great way to free your mind for a half hour or hour and focus on bettering yourself! Go do some yoga or pilates for a bit, or even take your pet for a stroll around the block. No matter your choice, stepping away from your workspace is a good way to break up your day and keep your mind stimulated throughout the day.

No matter how long you’ve been working from home, mental wellness should be at the forefront of your mind. Understanding this is step one, now you have to take the actions to make it happen! Be proactive and productive as you navigate your WFH journey!