Mental Health Tips for Working from Home

Working from home has become more popular in recent times since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies and organizations have decided to allow employees to continue working remotely to assist with employee comfortability and company costs. However, remote working is a much different atmosphere than working in an office building, so it is important to be aware of how this change might affect your mental health.

We often think of struggles with mental health being severe cases, like schizophrenia, but mental health affects everyone, mostly in smaller ways. Either way, you should be aware of your own mental health so that you can feel and perform your best.

Notice the Environment

The main difference between working remotely and working in the office is the change of space. Before working from home, you probably kept your home and work life separate, location-wise. When you work from home, your living space and workspace become one and the same, and sometimes it can become difficult to separate the two when you really need to.

Set Up a Workspace at Home

With the differences of environment in mind, think about a space in your home that you can dedicate to being a workspace. Having separate locations for work and homelife helps your mind separate work from home, so that you aren’t still thinking about work long after the day is over.

Manage Your Time

Some people note they get more work done at home than the office because of less office distractions, and some people note they get less work done at home, because of the home distractions. Whichever category you fall into, make sure you remain aware of your time. It’s important to get things done working from home like you’re still at the office, but it’s also important to know when to stop and take breaks as well.

Make sure to balance your time so that you are getting work done, but not pushing yourself too hard as well.

Take Care of Yourself

It’s much easier to skip breakfast or lunch when you’re working from home because you have constant access to your fridge or kitchen. It’s also a lot easier to stay up late and wake up later when working remotely. You may think you might not need to groom yourself or feed yourself on the same schedule when you worked at an office building. You might not need to keep the same schedule, but you should still make some sort of routine to continue taking care of yourself, even if you don’t plan to see anyone in person that day.

Stay Organized

When you are working from home you are adding another purpose to your current living space. It will be crucial to keep your work things in order, and together, so that they don’t scatter across your home and have you scrambling for notes when it’s time to work. As mentioned earlier, creating a space specifically for work can help with this organization so that you have everything you need to work in one place.

Staying Organized Living With Others

Staying organized or creating your own workspace when working from home can be difficult if you live with other people. Make sure to communicate with your housemates, just like you would with your coworkers, to set up an environment that works for all of you. If you feel uncomfortable, or don’t feel like you can get your work done, you should express that and make changes that better fit your work ethic.

Remote Working Tips from VOC Associates

VOC Associates has compiled a selection of tips for remote working and professional development. Visit our website or call (216) 859-1401 today!