Todd Sumamno
Do you find that it’s more difficult to wind down when you work from home? If so, it makes sense. When your home becomes your workspace, it’s harder to disconnect from business after hours. People who have worked from home for quite some time develop routines and habits that allow them to succeed and maintain a work-life balance when working from home. Here are some things to do that’ll help you separate work from the rest of your life and wind down after the day.
Set A Schedule
Even when you work from home, every job is different. Some jobs that allow you to work from home entail set hours, whereas others are run by deadlines. Many jobs in the creative field, in particular, operate using deadlines rather than set hours. If your work hours aren’t set for you, it’s beneficial to set your own business hours and stick to them, or at least to establish a routine. Make sure that you get your meals in throughout the day, and when it’s time to log off, do it. You will work more efficiently if you have a schedule that allows time for relaxation, self-care, and other life obligations. Let the people you live with know about your work schedule, too, so that they can respect your work hours, and you can focus. If you need to, set boundaries with friends, family members, or loved ones by saying, “I need to call you back after work,” “I can look at that when I’m done with this project,” or “I need to call you back after I finish this up. Does 5 PM work?”
Have A Separate Workspace – Even If It’s Small!
Whether you have an office or a small desk, having a separate work station of some kind is beneficial. Not only is it great for organizational purposes, but it’ll train your brain to affiliate your workspace with business. Part of why so much advice about working from home says not to work in bed or urges you to get dressed is that our brains tend to affiliate places and routines with certain activities and moods. Even if you’re not in business wear, it is helpful for some people’s productivity and mood to change out of pajamas and into daywear, and the same is true for having a spot to work that isn’t affiliated with sleep or relaxation. You want to be alert during work, and you want to be in performance mode when you’re attending to your business duties or working on a project for a client. Additionally, you don’t want work-related stress to cross into family time, downtime, or bedtime. Different things work for different people, but giving your body and mind something (whether it’s fresh clothing, a specific workspace, or a routine like brushing your teeth, washing your face, checking on the kids, and logging onto your computer) to affiliate with work and get you in a productive mood is beneficial.
Self-Talk For Stress Reduction
It is essential to learn to use positive self-talk for a number of reasons. Self-talk isn’t just something you can learn in therapy, but something you can implement on your own to benefit your mental health, manage your emotions, and lower stress levels. It’s a helpful tool for reframing thoughts, which is beneficial for those trying to decrease feelings of pressure, negative thoughts about oneself, maladaptive behaviors, and so on. Say that you are stressed out because of a busy workload for the week. In that case, a way that you can use self-talk is to say to yourself, “I can only do what I can do,” or “my self-care comes first, and this is not as bad as I think it is.” Self-talk is particularly useful in this context for those struggling to maintain a work-life balance due to anxiety.
Plan Time For Fun
Similar to creating a schedule for yourself during the workday by setting business hours, it is important to set aside time for the things that you enjoy. This doesn’t need to be anything extravagant. It can be spending time with family, setting aside time to play a game, setting aside time to work on personal projects or art that is not related to work, or setting aside time to go outside, for example. This will help you to refresh your brain, which will make you more productive during the workday and will decrease your stress level overall because, during your downtime, you’ll be able to relax.
Work, Stress, And Counseling
Most of us know that stress can have a negative impact on our mental and physical wellbeing, and work-related stress is no different. Everyone encounters stress from time to time, and it’s not something that you have to go through alone. If you are struggling with mental health, stress related to the coronavirus, or something else in your life, don’t be afraid to reach out to a mental health professional for support. You can talk to a counselor in your local area, or you can try using an online therapy website like better help. Get started with BetterHelp by visiting the BetterHelp website or downloading the app on the Google play store. To learn more about BetterHelp and what sets it apart from the rest, you can visit the FAQ section on our website or head to this link: https://www.regain.us/advice/general/betterhelp-is-it-the-best-online-therapy-and-counseling-platform-in-2020-and-why/.
Brittany
