Credits: Social Media
9 self-care tips I strongly recommend for beating burnout when working from home
While working from home has its benefits, such as eradicating the commute and allowing for more flexibility, it has created its own set of challenges with one of the most common being burnout.
Struggling to separate our home and work lives can often lead to us feeling exhausted and unproductive and can sometimes trigger struggles with mental health if left unchecked. With that said, here are nine ways we endeavor to use to help lighten the load and stave off burnout when working from home.
1. Create a dedicated workspace���
It can be incredibly difficult to switch off after your long day of work if youre trying to relax in the same room that you work in, whether thats in your bedroom or the corner of your living room.
Having a dedicated room to work in at home can be a great solution as you can leave any work-related issues alone when you clock off for the evening.
Alternatively, you could always work remotely in a local coffee shop or shared workspace to help separate your personal and professional life.
2. Stick to a schedule
With no colleagues around clocking off at a certain time, it can be very easy to try and cram in an extra bit of work at the end of the day.
While this might be fine on the odd occasion when you have a tight deadline, working late too often can heavily impact our personal lives.
To combat this, stick to your allotted work hours as best as possible and potentially try to arrange an activity for the evening, such as going to the gym or meeting friends at a certain time to give yourself a hard deadline to finish work by.
3. Remove distractions
Social media can be great for keeping up with the latest goings on in the wider world but its also one of the biggest time eaters in our modern society as what begins as a quick browse can quickly turn into a doomscrolling session.
If possible, leaving your phone in another room or putting it on Do Not Disturb to block out unnecessary notifications and finding a quiet room to work in are great ways of helping you to concentrate.
4. Take breaks and make sure to move
Working from home might mean the end of the commute, but its still important to get some exercise in during the day to help get the blood pumping.
When you do get a chance to take a break, which is also vital to avoiding burnout, try to ensure that youre not spending it sitting in the same chair youve been in all day.
Get up and have a stretch, head to the kitchen to grab a drink or venture out for a quick walk around the block.
5. Take a break from screens
As an addition to the point above, dont spend your breaks reaching for your phone to browse social media, your eyes will thank you for a rest from staring at screens all day.
If youre not going for a brisk walk, why not read a chapter of a book on your break instead?
6. Eat healthy
With so many demands on our time these days, convenience has become the name of the game, particularly when it comes to food.
But to help you banish that post-lunch sugar crash, ditch the junk food and sweet snacks for some healthier options to help re-energize you for the afternoon ahead.
And while a caffeine boost from a cup of coffee can be great to brush away those early-morning cobwebs, there is such a thing as too much and staying hydrated with water will do you more good in the long run.
7. Be sociable
One of the biggest issues faced by remote workers is loneliness which itself can lead to burnout and mental health struggles.
Setting up calls with colleagues to have a brief catch-up is one solution. They dont even have to be work-related. A quick 10-minute call where you talk about what TV shows youve been watching can be a perfect way to break the silence of working on your own and help bond with your colleagues.
Alternatively, taking the time to unwind with friends and family can help to reduce the stresses of work.
8. Get outside
Another issue caused by losing the commute is that it makes going outside and getting some fresh air and sunshine more of a rarity.
As previously mentioned, a quick walk outside will do you a world of good while you could always venture out somewhere to eat lunch or if its a damp and dreary day outside, opening a window will still let some fresh air in and help to reinvigorate you.
9. Make time for some me time
Arguably the most important entry on this list is to make time for yourself once the workday is done.
Engaging in a hobby can be a great way to unwind at the end of the day and help put any work-related stresses to one side and avoid burnout.
This writer personally likes to spend an hour or two playing video games while if thats not your cup of tea, you could always spend some time reading, listening to music, watching TV or trying to find a more creative outlet such as learning to play an instrument.
