Ways To Handle Stress While Working From Home

Ways To Handle Stress While Working From Home

 Working from home can be stressful for several reasons. The long hours can make your mind and body tired. However, you can use these tips to effectively handle stress. 

The idea of working from home sounded tempting initially because you didn't have to follow a dress code, worry about commuting, had the freedom to decide where to work from (attending meetings from your bed), and there was no in-person supervision. But, eventually, it started to pile on significant challenges like no work-life balance, odd working hours, poor postures, reduced social life, etc. What started out as a boon soon became a bane as it started to build stress in your day-to-day life. While most offices are now open, a lot of people are still working from home, considering the pandemic isn't entirely over and it's not really safe out there, who are still struggling to cope with stress. Hence, we thought of sharing a few easy and effective tips and tricks to deal with work from home stress.

    Easy and Effective Stress Relieving Activities

    1. Learn How to Balance Your Responsibilities:

    Try structuring your work in a way that you can handle your professional and personal responsibilities. What's important is to work as a team with every member of your family. You need to set some basic rules and guidelines, even set a schedule. Make sure you include time to take care of your family's needs and of your own too. One general rule while dealing with work from home anxiety is to take one task at a time instead of multitasking. Engage yourself fully in what you're doing and only move to the next one after you finish the first task.

    2. Don't Wait on The Stress to Go Away:

    You might feel that the only way to manage stress is to wait for things to go back to normal. Well, instead of waiting and stressing at the same time, you can try to manage what you're feeling by taking short breaks to clear your mind, taking deep breaths, meditating or practising mindfulness. You can even try to distract yourself with some other activity during that moment.

    3: Talk to Your Boss and Colleagues:

    The fear of losing your job can make it difficult for you to express your vulnerability to your coworkers or your boss. If you know that some of your colleagues will be supportive, you can reach out to them to figure out what they're doing to cope with ‘wfh' stress. If you have the kind of bosses or colleagues who look out for each other, you can all be compassionate allies while dealing with work from home stress.

    4. Learn to Say No:

    There's only so much a person can do. During your work hours, you might receive non-work-related requests. For some, it might get difficult to say no to others. But, you should know that it's absolutely alright to turn down someone else's request if it interferes with your ability to get your task done, which is more important. When you set appropriate boundaries, it helps realise what needs to be done on priority and how much you can do in a day.

    Other Tips to Reduce Stress:

    If you're still wondering how to overcome pressure at work while working from home, here are a few other basic tips that you can follow.

    1. Create a Routine for Yourself:

    Creating a routine will greatly help you manage your time and focus better on your work. You can start by creating a ritual that marks the start of your day like stretching, a jog, enjoying your coffee or tea, reading the newspaper, etc. Mark the end of your day by putting all your work materials out of your sight, taking an evening walk, lighting a candle, etc. Take time to move around throughout the day and be consistent with taking these breaks to give yourself some time off your screens.

    Set a regular lunchtime and stick to it even if you have a lot of work that day. Taking lunch at a similar time every day will give you the much-needed break and offer you time to refuel before you get back to work. Spend some time outside and enjoy the fresh air as it helps re-energize you. You can also practice deep breathing while you're at it.

    2. Dedicate a Workspace:

    It might seem tempting to work out of your bed all day. But try to keep a dedicated workspace so that you can solely focus on your job instead of getting distracted. Creating boundaries for home and work will help you deal with work from home stress as you won't get lazy or cosy in the same spot where you sleep at night.

    3. Connect with Friends

    If you feel isolated while coping with wfh stress, make an effort to connect with your friends. Everyone has their own schedules, but setting up a regular time to video call or call each other will help both of you take a breather after a long day at work.

    4. Reduce Distractions:

    When you begin to work, be sure to put your phone on silent, turn off the television, and avoid doing anything that isn't work-related. Listening to some instrumental music while you work or using noise-cancelling headphones can also help you cope with work from home stress in a better manner.

    5. Reward Yourself:

    The best way to motivate yourself is to break down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps and then reward yourself after you complete them.

    Your rewards may include:

    - Giving yourself a few minutes to check in with friends and family

    - Taking a well-deserved break to eat or watch an episode of your favourite series

    - Reciting positive affirmations to yourself

    - Physically checking the task off of your to-do list

    - Taking a few moments to stretch or engage in any kind of relaxation exercise.

    Conclusion:

    Working from home may very well provide a sense of freedom and flexibility, but there are hidden stressors to be aware of. When you focus on what you can do to eliminate work from home stress, you will be able to improve your overall work-life balance and general well being too.

    Explore our blog section to read more about Tips to Manage StressStress-Relieving Activities and Tips to Calm Yourself Down When You Feel Stressed to get relaxed and pamper yourself at home.

    Frequently Asked Questions On Work From Home Stress (FAQs)

    1. Why is work from home stressful?

    Employees who work from home may eventually experience more of a blur when it comes to maintaining a work-life balance. This mainly happens because employees fail to set boundaries when it comes to work and personal life. If you exceed your time at work, it leaves you with no personal time and vice versa.

    2. Does working from home affect mental health?

    Adverse psychological effects of working from home are loneliness and isolation, stress, anxiety, pressure and depression. Working from home can have any of these effects on your mental health if you don't know how to manage your work time and your personal time. It's very important to maintain a work-life balance, the day it starts to get unmanageable, your mental health starts going for a toss.

    3. How can I relax my brain after work?

    You can do the following if you wish to relax your mind after work:

    - Take slow, deep breaths. Try breathing exercises for relaxation

    - Use guided imagery

    - Listen to soothing music

    - Soak in a warm bath

    - Practise mindful meditation

    - Write your thoughts out.