Five Ways to Destress While Working From Home

Working from home can be something of a paradox. For most people, we’ve been socialized to see our homes as a reprieve from work. Now that organizations are switching to a work-from-home (WFH) model, a lot of lines are getting blurred for workers.

Five Ways to De-stress While Working From Home
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One such lines is where to de-stress. While de-stressing techniques vary among people, one thing that's common with most people is that they're done where people feel most comfortable. For many of us, that's at home. Working from home will induce similar, or even higher, levels of stress than if you worked at the office. If left unchecked, the physical space that's your home can quickly become a stress trigger, leaving you mentally, and eventually, physically fatigued.

Here are a couple of tips to help you alleviate stress while working from home:

Create a workspace: 

The importance of having a workspace in your home can't be over-emphasized. The simple act of creating a physical space for work can have significant effects on your psychology. The best option is to distinguish your work station from the rest of your home as much as possible. Using different wall designs, or even cordoning it off, can help your mind dissociate it from the rest of your home.

Have specific work hours: 

One of the dangers of working from home is work creep. While you were previously able to leave work until the next day, there's now a danger of working all day. To avoid overworking yourself due to your new work-from-home status, make sure to have well-defined work hours. Make sure to communicate the hours to your colleagues, especially if you work across different time zones. It can help reduce instances of after-work emails.

Exercise: 

Apart from helping you keep in shape, exercising has been found to have tremendous effects on psychology. Physical activities make the body produce endorphins, which are feel-good hormones that boost positivity. Thirty minutes of any kind of daily exercise can be very instrumental in keeping both your body and mind in shape.

Meditate: 

Taking a few minutes every day to meditate is an excellent way to de-stress. This doesn’t mean you need to sit cross-legged with scented candles while listening to soothing music. While all of those can be helpful, meditation is more about quieting the mind. The best part is that you can do it right in the house.

Outsource chores: 

Balancing work and home chores is a significant source of stress, especially for women. The truth is, you may never be able to balance it yourself. If you have a partner, you can discuss sharing more responsibilities or hiring help. Discuss the benefits of a cleaner home. If it makes sense financially, go ahead and hire a cleaner. It will do a lot of good.

When dealing with new situations, it's reasonable to experience some kind of stress. However, a failure to manage can lead to a breakdown. Always keep in mind that preventing and managing stress is crucial for both your mental and physical health.