Tips To Help You Handle Work from Home Stress

Since the outbreak of pandemic, most companies shifted to a work from home model It might seem that remote jobs are way more beneficial than on-site ones because remote workers enjoy flexible working hours, freedom, and less supervision, but it has its own challenges.

Most remote workers face difficulties maintaining a work-life balance as they must fulfil multiple tasks between work and household chores. Another common challenge of working from home is the lack of focus. Being at home also means plenty of distractions that can seize one’s attention in no time. Social media, calls from relatives or friends, and TV contribute to decreased work efficiency. As a result, one can find themselves less productive and spend more time on tasks that have never been time-consuming.

Working from home, in general, eliminates the work culture, face-to-face encounters, and team bonding that make work enjoyable. As a result, the ability to work and achieve one’s full potential is duly hampered.

Irregular work scheduling often negatively affects the human body and behaviour, which may entail stress and anxiety unless workers decide to change their work routine.

Scientists call stress the disease of the 21st century. Indeed, people around the world seem to be increasingly stressed out these days. Understandably, in such scenarios, everyone needs the motivation to move in the right direction towards their goals.

Challenges faced by Work from Home Employees

• Challenges faced by professionals working from home include adapting to new technologies, like teleconferencing and zoom. In addition to the stress of learning new skills, the move to virtual communication reduces personal contact and contributes to personal anxiety and depression.
• Employees may also experience challenges working from home if they have children. Depending on the child’s age, they may have to work around their school schedule, childcare, and balancing their work and family life.
•  Employees may experience interruptions and distractions throughout the day when working from home. Some distractions may include receiving deliveries, caring for pets, getting non-work-related calls and messages, watching television, spending time on social media, dealing with the neighborhood sounds like gardening, trash trucks, construction, etc.
• Working in a house full of people implies more distractions and disturbances. Addressing the demands of the work with their family responsibilities may leave the employees feeling less productive, leading to stress.
• Lack of exercise can affect sleep quality and overall mental health. If a person is less active during the day, they might not be as tired at night. This might affect their sleeping pattern and make them less productive the next day. When working from home, one may find themselves getting less exercise than they would in an office environment.

Tips on How to Deal with Work from Home Stress?

Balancing work and home responsibilities can be challenging, especially for those who are new to this approach. Reaching this newfound level of routine and system may not be easy for many. Here are a few tips for stressed-out work from home professionals:

Dealing with Changes in Routine

Many people find it challenging to adapt to new changes in their daily routine, and the only way to handle it is to wait for things to get back to normal. If such cases, it is important to realize that feeling stressed does not help you overcome your situation and may worsen things. It prevents you from thinking clearly and hinders your productivity. So, it is essential to try to manage this feeling. Taking short breaks to clear your mind, deep breathing, meditating, or practicing mindfulness are some of the things that can help you distract yourself.

Balancing Responsibilities

Structure your work arrangements in a way that allows you to be more productive while also handling your important family responsibilities. Multitasking slows people down and makes them less productive. So, set clear guidelines, basic rules, and a basic schedule. Make sure you take some time out to attend to the needs of your children and other family members, but also make sure you schedule some time to focus exclusively on work.

Avoid Distractions

Dealing with loud noises is another major distraction. Before commencing your work, it is advisable to mute the phone and turn off any computer notifications that you may receive that are not work-related. Choose a room that prevents unwanted noise or wear noise-cancelling headphones, to avoid loud noises from the neighborhood or kids.

Get Quality Sleep

Getting adequate rest and quality sleep at night is vital for your overall well-being. Even though it may be tempting to do so, using screens late at night can change your sleep patterns and make it difficult for you to fall asleep. A good night’s sleep rejuvenates the body to effectively tackle the next day and help lower the effects of stress. Make sure you unwind at night and practice good sleep hygiene.

Exercise

Remember 30 minutes of walking per day can help reduce stress levels and boost your mood. Commit to getting some physical activity by setting up an after-work ritual. You can walk around your apartment, go to the gym, or hop on a treadmill if you have one.

Take time to move around

You will find out that taking short breaks between your work schedule can help you rejuvenate and focus better. Set timely reminders on your phone to get up and move around. Do some stretching exercises, take a short walk around your home or block, or take a breathing break.

Getting Support from Your Family

The team approach works just as well at home as it is in the office. Family members can support those working from home by encouraging the person and being mindful of doing anything that can be disturbing or problematic, such as watching television at high volume or playing video games, which can help the working person be more productive and reduce stress.

How Does Physiotherapy Help in Managing Stress?

There are several proven physiotherapy stress management techniques that help alleviate the symptoms of stress and our ability to cope with it, such as aerobic exercises, breathing exercises, deep muscle relaxation, stretching, and meditation. Apollo Homecare provides best-in-class physiotherapy at home services that help you deal with psychological stress. Our professional team of counsellors and physiotherapists offer several stress management techniques and treatments that can help improve overall health and well-being.

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