Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses have moved to have workers work from home. Working from home has its own set of difficulties, but there are some steps you can take to ensure your emotional well-being.
It’s okay to feel fear, shock, or confusion
It’s fine to be scared, shocked, or perplexed.
It’s natural to feel fear, shock, rage, perplexity, and irritation in this situation. It could be as a result of:
Uncertainty about what to expect and how to respond to the existing situation.
The uncertainty about how long the current situation will last and in what direction it will go.
The difficulty of adjusting to working from home may entail logistical issues such as internet connectivity as well as work-related issues such as reevaluating individual and team goals.
Trying to focus on work while juggling various responsibilities such as housework, eldercare, and childcare.
Adapting to working from home
Making the abrupt move to working from home, unless this is something you’ve done before or have been doing for a time, might be difficult. Workplace Options’ director of global clinical infrastructure, Mallika Sharma, provides several strategies to make the shift smoother.
Make working from home a part of your routine or ritual. This could be accomplished by:
Having a separate work area. Working from your bed or a comfortable chair is not a good idea. Work at a table or a desk, and make sure the area is adequately lit and ventilated.
To get into the work mood, put on your typical business attire.
Follow your work and break schedules exactly as you would if you were in the office.
Make sure there are clear boundaries between work and home life so you don’t spend all of your waking hours working.
Keep track of your scheduled meetings. When working from home, it’s easy to forget about meetings, so set alerts or connect your work calendar to your phone if necessary.
Keep track of your personal and professional objectives.
Maintain contact with your coworkers. Stay in touch with them by checking in with them every day.
Create agreements with your family
If more than one member of the family works from home, consider giving each individual their workspace where they may work uninterrupted. This could apply to children who are learning or who engage in other pursuits such as art or reading stories.
Hold a family meeting to discuss how they will fit into your work-from-home routine. You could talk about any or all of the following topics: What are your work-from-home hours? What role does your family play? When do you and your family interact/do things together? How can you limit noise levels from television sets, for example, so that you can work?
How can you split the weight of housework now that domestic help is taking time off? If necessary, create a schedule that does not conflict with your working hours.
To stay connected as a family, plan activities together.
Want to know more? Feel free to send us an email
For more information on how we can help improve your mental health, send us an email at info@holifit.ph.
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Were with you,
Team HoliFit
References:
Jeurkar, R. (2020, March 30, Managing your Mental health while you work from Home)
