There are many benefits to working from home, but there can be many mental, physical and social challenges.
Some of the challenges of working at home include:
- Trouble staying motivated
- Feeling isolated
- Having to manage disruptions
- Maintaining a healthy work-life balance
- Avoiding burnout
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Ensuring you get enough physical activity
Because of these challenges, it’s important to take the necessary steps to maintain wellness and stay healthy. Some things you can do include:
Maintain a Healthy Diet
A healthy diet includes nutritious foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low fat dairy. It should also include eggs, lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts and beans, and limit foods high in saturated fats,trans fats, salt and sugar.
In order to maintain a healthy diet, don’t skip meals – no matter how busy you are. Keep your kitchen stocked with healthy snacks like fresh fruits and veggies to keep you going between meals.
Ensure You Stay Hydrated
It’s important to ensure you drink enough fluids every day to avoid dehydration. Water is preferable, and there are great options for flavored water. But, coffee and tea are acceptable in small amounts. Try to avoid sugary drinks such as energy drinks, sodas and juices.
Get Regular Exercise
Regular exercise has physical and mental benefits. Consider using the time you would normally use to commute to work to get some exercise. You could take a walk, or exercise with a mobile app or fitness video.
You could also incorporate some activity into your work day. For example, pace while talking on the phone or set calendar reminders to do a few squats or push ups at regular intervals. If you can, use a standing desk or a convertible desk to avoid long periods of sitting.
Ensure Your Workspace is Set Up for Optimal Comfort and Posture
Ensuring your workspace is set up correctly can promote good posture and help prevent back pain. Your office chair should have armrests and a seat height that allows your feet to rest comfortably on the floor. Your knees and hips should be at or slightly above a 90 degree angle, and a chair with a lumbar support will help support the curvature of your back.
Optimally, your monitor should be an arm’s length away with the top at or below eye level. Increase the font size as needed to avoid eye strain.
Maintain a Healthy Work-life Balance
Working from home can blur the lines between your work and your home life. It’s helpful to set boundaries. If possible, create a space boundary by having a dedicated work space.
Use your planner or calendar to create time boundaries. Schedule your daily work and include a short morning break, a lunch break and a short afternoon break.
If possible, try to forget about work after office hours. I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s important to mentally detach from work and focus on relaxing at the end of the day.
Create a Routine and Stick to It
Creating a routine outside of work will help reduce stress. This includes going to bed and getting up at about the same time every day, and ensuring you get enough sleep. Most people need at least 7 hours of quality sleep, so ensure you don’t over schedule yourself.
Create Personal Connections
You’re at home most of the time, and that can make it difficult to socialize. Every project we have uses a Slack channel, and almost every Slack channel has a water cooler room. Use this to connect with co-workers and occasionally talk about things that aren’t related to work.
To ensure you stay connected with family members or housemates, ensure you eat meals together, and watch movies, play games or enjoy a day out together during your off time.
To connect with friends and family members outside of the home, find time to chat on the phone or use an app like Google Meet or Zoom to enjoy video chats.
Take a Screen Break
Constantly looking at a computer screen can cause eye irritation, headaches, dry eyes and difficulty sleeping. To avoid this, make sure you’re working in a well lit area, dim your screens if possible and take regular screen breaks.
Try to get in the habit of using the 20-20-20 method:
- Every 20 minutes
- Take a 20 second break
- Look at an object 20 feet away