As the boundaries between work life and home life blur, many people find it difficult to take breaks, take care of their bodies and nourish properly. For some, not seeing other people throughout the day can make these problems worse. The good news is that there are several practices that can help you feel healthy and supported while spending most of your time at home.
Here are a few tips that can help you thrive physically and mentally while working from home:
Create Boundaries
Creating boundaries between your work life and your home life is essential for maintaining both physical and mental health while you’re spending most of your time at home. It’s important to teach your brain where your work begins and where it ends. One way to do this is to create a designated space in your home for working. When you are finished for the day, taking a break, or eating, leave this space. Set a beginning and ending time and do your best to leave your work behind you for the day. It’s also crucial to take breaks throughout the day to exercise, breathe, or take brief walks. If you don’t put boundaries in place, the line between work and home may become blurred and you might find yourself burning out easily. You can also get dressed for work and change into a more leisurely outfit when your work is finished, this will signal to your brain that it is time to relax.
Disconnect
Being constantly connected to your work and screens can lead to stress and anxiety. Set aside a few times each day to turnoff your phone, turn off the news, ignore your emails and do something tactile, whether it’s heading outside to feel your toes in the grass, reading a book, writing in your journal or meditating. This is also a great time to learn a new activity such as cooking or crafting. Screenless activities feed your soul just as much as they do your brain.
Schedule time for Fitness
Aside from making you physically fit, booking your immune system and reducing your risk of disease, moving your body every day has many benefits for your mental health as well. Exercise helps ward off anxiety, depression, stress and can help you to sleep better. Any type of activity is great and do activities you enjoy, whether that’s yoga, running, cycling etc.
Go Outside
Heading outside in nature, even to your local park can elicit so many health benefits such as decreased depression, increased mental clarity, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system and more. Try to make it a point to set down your phone at least once a day, head outside and take a walk breathing deeply as you go. Use this time to shift your focus and notice things you may not have noticed before; the changing of seasons, flowers or the way the air feels.
Shifting your Food Habits
A lot of people struggle with their eating habits when working just a few feet from the kitchen, especially during times of high stress. Just as its beneficial to create boundaries around your space, it can be helpful create boundaries around your food habits as well. Designating a certain area for snack and mealtimes, along with giving your meals your full attention (step away from your desk and turn off your phone!) can help you foster nourishing eating habits. As you eat, make a point to really tune into the flavours and the energy that your food is providing you. When you work from home it is also important to keep healthy snacks on hand. This prevent the mindless eating of processed foods. Raw veggies are a great option because they contain filling fibre and have a satisfying crunch.
You might also want to be mindful of your caffeine and alcohol consumption, as both can exacerbate health problems, anxiety and sleeplessness.
Stay Hydrated and Get Enough Sleep
Drinking lots of water and getting a lot of sleep are two of the most important components of any health regimen. Taking on these two simple practices will support your mental clarity, skin health, digestive health, immune function and so much more.
Stay Connected
working from home can be lonely because humans really are social beings just because its hard to see people face to face right doesn’t mean that you can’t stay connected. Make sure you take time to catch up with co-workers, friends and family, you can also schedule meetings to keep yourself accountable.
Morning and Evening Rituals
Taking time for yourself to perform your own soul soothing rituals each morning and evening will honestly change your life. What better time to implement at home than right now? It’s important that you make these rituals your own, but to give you some ideas could be not turning your phone on for the first 30 minutes, meditation, a luxurious skincare routine, journaling, exercise, dry brushing or energising yoga practice. A nighttime ritual may include a log warm bath, reading a book, a cup of your favourite tea or hot chocolate, a hair or face mask.
Keep in mind that it can take time to transform your health. Give yourself grace and space to shift your habits. Don’t try to implement everything all at once, change is made one small step at a time, though you may begin to notice that you’re feeling better from the get-go.
