Managing Anxiety while Working from Home

When we first started working from home we couldn’t believe our luck. We didn’t have to drive through peak hour traffic half asleep, no one would know if you woke up 10 minutes before office time, and no one would know if you wanted to go to the grocery store in the middle of the day. But sooner rather than later the feeling of freedom might have been replaced by a fear and anxiety that found itself in your stiffening shoulders as soon as the clock struck 8:30am.

We began to ask ourselves consistently and incessantly: “‘How many tasks can I complete in one day?’, ‘Am I doing enough?’, ‘Why is it taking so long for people to reply?’ ”.

We all knew sooner or later that the anxiety was not healthy and we had to combat it somehow. So without further ado; here are some tips for managing anxiety while working from home.

Tip One: Structure Your Day in the Way it Works for You.

If your corporate work diary is uninspiring, or just isn’t in an appealing format; change it up. Find a diary size or format that works for you: if a lined diary is too restrictive, go with a dotted diary. If the dates are in a boring font; make a bullet journal and create your own font. You don’t have to spend hours or days laying out pages carefully, but if you give yourself enough freedom in your own structural methods, you might find yourself more organised and motivated to work. 

When you structure your work day make manageable to-do lists. Add the little things to your list as well like making your bed. Once you accomplish the little things on your list it will give you a positive feeling about the rest of your to-do list and an accurate depiction as to how much you are actually accomplishing in a day. When you are working from home it is not a controlled office environment and there are many variables that you should account for as well. Make reasonable lists that you know you can complete, and at the end of the day if you haven’t finished- save it for tomorrow.

Tip Two: Have the Best Internet Possible.

This is self explanatory. Working from home requires connectivity and having bad internet will make your stress and anxiety levels go up ten fold when you’re on a deadline or just need to send an important email. Your housemates or family will all benefit from this in the long run and it will speed up your day and your productivity. Make sure you’re on Home-connect’s unbeatable fibre internet! Check our fibre packages or alternatively check for coverage:

Tip Three: Get Outside

There is nothing worse than spending an 8 hour work day at home and then spending another few hours streaming series or movies on the same device. Change your scenery, do something that requires you to not need a device in your hands. Collectively our nodes have become smaller, so exploring them in different ways could be a way to expand them without really having to travel. Go for a run, go for a bike ride (not in peak hour) down some backroads you haven’t before. 

We spend hours and hours exercising our brains and our bodies deserve the same attention- your older self will thank you for it later. So when your workday ends: switch off your computer and get away from your desk to exercise. After all- we are more body than brain, so let’s take care of that too.

Tip Four: Utilise Your Mute Button.

When the workday ends; mute your work WhatsApp group. Exit your work email tab. Close it all. Its easy to overwork when you’re always in your office. Be strict with your work times and boundaries, chances are you will overwork if you don’t and you’ll burn out. Balance is key.

The whole world has been thrown into the deep end this last year. So be easy on yourself and even though you work from home take those leave days that you earned.

BONUS:

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