5 Habits to Adopt This WFH Season So You Don’t Go Bonkers
Updated: May 26, 2021
Working from home may seem like an absolute privilege: not having to wake up earlier to go
to the office and deal with pesky colleagues and small talk over lunch and being able to take
breaks as and when you like without your micromanaging supervisor hovering over your
back.
However, working from home has also been a huge stress factor for many as many people
don’t know how to deal with their work and play spaces all being enmeshed into their home.
They may feel overwhelmed, anxious or agitated, all without knowing what the root cause is
and how to curb these negative feelings.
In this article, we bring you a few handy tips to manage your stresses from working from
home
Strike An Even Stricter Work-Life Balance
In the office, we know it’s time to work. At home, we know it’s time to play. But what happens
when we both work and play at home?
If your place is big enough, start by compartmentalizing your home and assigning designated spaces for you to do work, and don’t take your work outside of that space. Doing
work all around your house causes your brain to associate all those spaces with doing work,
which may stress you out when you’re trying to relax in your cosy armchair.
If space constraint is an issue you face, try having a routine, or wear uncomfortable clothing
to mimic your pre-work routine. Uncomfortable clothing can range from stiff shorts to a crisp button-up shirt, whichever makes you feel ready to work and allows you to simply remove
when you’re done for the day.
Working Out
We all know that exercise is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but many of
us still don’t exercise frequently or regularly enough. Besides helping to improve our body’s
immune system and making us stronger, exercise also causes our body to release endorphins and lower cortisol levels, which helps to improve our stress levels.
Exercising outdoors also helps us to get some fresh air after being cooped up at home all day from working from home.
Check out our article on the 5 best exercises to do, so you don’t feel too much of the work
from home jitters and anxiety: 5 Best Exercises To Do At Home In Light of Gym Closures This 8 May - 30 May
Journaling
The paper and pen may seem like a thing of the past, especially with the rapid advancements in technology, but these archaic tools can do wonders for our stress levels.
When we journal, we write with a “stream of consciousness”, which means that we write
whatever comes to mind.
Writing without constraints allows us to have an outlet for us to release steam, whether it be an exceptionally difficult day, or your boss being extra hard on you. It allows us to vent, which is especially important in light of the safety distancing measures which have been tightened, which prevents us from meeting as many friends and family to vent to and chat with.
Getting Enough Sleep
While your workplace and resting areas most probably clash in this season of default
working from home, it may be harder for you to get adequate rest as your work is in the
same space as you while you rest.
You can try to get up earlier so that you can have a quiet morning to complete your work
earlier to free up time later in the afternoon, and have an early night’s rest.
If it is difficult for you to catch a full night’s rest of 8 hours, try taking small power naps
throughout the day to energize yourself, so that you don’t feel overwhelmed with work and
tired at the same time.
Give Yourself A Fixed Cut-off Time
If we get off work at 6pm every day in the office, what’s stopping you from doing the same at
home? It’s much harder to strike a work-life balance when your home is your office, so extra
care must be exercised to ensure that your work doesn’t seep into your relaxing and resting
hours at home.
Give yourself a routine to stick to, or a timetable to follow so that you can better manage
your time, and have a stress-free and more productive work from home session.
Article written by Michelle Ang
Email: e190201@e.ntu.edu.sg