In recent years, working remotely or on a hybrid basis has become even more common. There are so many pros to working from home but there are also a couple of things that we do need to keep in mind, for example, our mental wellbeing.
It is just as important as looking after our physical bodies and yet our mental wellbeing is one that we seem to easily forget about. It is so important that we all take steps to make sure we take good care of it. It is even more important if we do work from home full time or on occasions. This is something that I neglected for such a long time so I wanted to share a few tips that really help me keep myself balanced whilst working from home.
You may be thinking, “but I don’t have the time, life is non-stop”!
If you are, you are not alone.
The following tips have been designed so that anyone can follow them and best of all, these small changes to how we live won’t take up lots of time in our busy schedules or cost a fortune.
Talk, talk, talk
Speaking from my own experience, it is often not an easy subject to talk about. We may be able to talk and say the classic, “I’m fine”, but I’m talking about really talking. This isn’t a sign of weakness and it does take courage to let others know that you are struggling. But it is so worth it! You will feel much better, like a weight has been lifted.
Rather than keeping everything to ourselves, confide in someone close to you. Just having someone that listens to you, no matter how you are feeling can help you feel supported and less alone.
And, it works both ways. If you open up to someone, you never know, you may just encourage someone else to open up too. So go on, send that message or arrange that coffee you have been meaning to do for ages! Reach out, you never know, someone may just need you too.
Get Active
Being active is not only great for our physical health and fitness. It is also proven to be great for our mental wellbeing, helping to reduce anxiety and stress, combatting low mood and increasing our self-esteem.
This may be something that doesn’t come naturally to us, especially the thought of going into a gym. However, the most important thing is to find some form of activity that we personally enjoy, whether that’s taking a break and going for a walk or taking up a new sport or hobby. For myself, I had forgotten how much I loved swimming!
Especially if you work from home, doing something that you enjoy each day, away from your laptop is so refreshing!
Quality Sleep
It is widely known that sleep plays a massive role in our mental wellbeing. There is a good reason behind the phrase, “waking up on the wrong side of the bed”, describing someone who is likely to be irritable or grumpy!
Sleep is closely connected to our mental wellbeing and has demonstrated links to depression, anxiety and many other conditions.
There are simple ways to improve our sleep which we can all do. For example, maintaining a regular sleep schedule by going to sleep every night at the same time and waking up at the same time each day. As annoying as it is, this is something that has personally really benefitted me compared to when my sleep was all over the place each night. Also another tip is, avoiding alcohol and caffeine as you begin to unwind before sleeping. I absolutely love coffee and I could quite happily drink it all day but why not try the various herbal teas of the evening!
Learn a new skill
Every day we have the opportunity to do something different or something new. Knowledge fuels our self confidence so whether we start learning a few new words in another language or taking up a new activity, this can greatly improve our mental wellbeing as it adds meaning to our life.
For example, learning a second language can develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your brain’s natural ability to focus, entertain multiple possibilities, and process information. It also allows you to escape any worries or concerns that you may have, and focus all your attention on something new, something that you enjoy. How about scheduling 15 minutes of dedicated, quality practice time each day!
Lastly, I wanted to highlight a special week for us all to keep in mind which is coming up in May. It’s a whole week specifically dedicated to Mental Health Awareness. Each year a theme is set by the World Federation for Mental Health and this year it will be week commencing 15th to 21st May.
In the meantime, go on, start thinking about setting yourself a challenge, no matter how big or small and start looking after your mental wellbeing long term!
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