3 Tips For Staying Healthy While Working Remote
So many of us now work remotely. Even before the pandemic, it seemed like things were moving that direction, but now, working from home has become a reality for the vast majority of people.
When I first got the opportunity to work from home, I was extremely excited. No more getting up early, putting makeup on, and rushing out the door every day! However, sitting on your couch every single day, staring at your computer screen for 8ish hours a day in your sweatpants gets old pretty fast, too.
After having experienced about a year and half’s worth of working in an office, and almost a year of working remotely, I believe the best possible scenario would be working from home on Monday and Friday, and going into an office Tuesday-Thursday.
But I digress.
Since working from home is more than likely to be a reality for many (even after the pandemic as many companies have realized they can save tons of money by not paying for an office), it’s important that we figure out how to stay healthy (both mentally and physically). I say this because we’re already cooped up with things being shut down, and staying home for months on end (especially in the winter when things are already naturally depressing outside), binging Netflix, and eating comfort food, cannot be good for you in any way.
So, here are 3 tips for staying healthy and refreshed during your work day 🙂
1 – Invest In Blue Light Glasses
I hadn’t ever really heard of blue light glasses until my family started wearing them. I’d go over to visit, and my mom, my brother, and my sister were all wearing them while they were on screens and such. I didn’t think much of it…until I started to get mini head aches and my eyes started to hurt, feel incredibly tired, and even start twitching involuntarily.
Yeah – I bought blue light glasses pretty quick after that.
I think working from home makes me more prone to getting into my work zone and then not looking up from my computer for HOURS, which was contributing to the issue. Honestly though, you should wear them if you have a job that requires a lot of computer screen time, even if you work at an office. They’re relatively cheap (I got mine on Amazon), and now they’re kind of part of my look (or so my roommate says). Just make sure you get the right size though…I got one size too small and they caused more head aches until a friend of mine gave me some that fit…ha….
2 – Make Your Work Space Your Own
As I mentioned earlier, it’s really easy to get stuck in a rut working from home. You get up, stumble to the couch, maybe sleep through your morning meeting, then proceed to stare at a screen for hours….maybe eat, then go back to the same thing.
It’s incredibly important for productivity, as well as mental health, to find a place to work that’s your designated WORK place. Not a place you associate with falling asleep while watching sit-coms.
For me, I don’t have a ton of space in my apartment, so I just set up my monitor, laptop, keyboard, mouse, and notepad on my dining room table. It’s right next to the window, so I can open that and let in natural light as well, which also helps wake me up and get me excited to start my day.
Side note – shout out to my roommate, who used to walk in on me in the morning and exclaim “HOPE! You NEED to open the window shades or you’ll get depressed!” I would just forget… but they did really make a difference when she opened them!
If you have room, put decorations in there, plants, pictures, etc. Also, if you have small children, you might want to find a place in your home that allows you to be behind closed doors for meetings if need be! I also stand up and work sometimes, and change the way I’m sitting every now and then.
Occasionally, my roommate and I have gone to coffee shops to work in order to get a change of scenery, which really does help. However, this does depend on if you have anything open near you.
The point is, you need to separate the space you work in from the spaces where you sleep, watch TV, eat, etc. It does something to you mentally and gets you into “work mode” much quicker.
3 – Take Mini Breaks
My chiropractor says the body was not meant to sit still all day long, and he’s right. If you work from home, you need to take more than just a lunch break. Get up every now and then, walk around, stretch, workout, make food, do laundry or the dishes, do some light cleaning, take a short nap, go for a walk (if it’s not zero degrees outside), etc.
MOVE.
Give your eyes a break from staring at a screen.
This isn’t me saying, “take tons of breaks and never get anything done,” or “just steal worktime from your employer.” It’s a matter of being focused, getting a task done, then taking a break to give your body and mind a rest. Those are the days I’m most productive, when I take just enough breaks to be focused for the next task.
I’ve been guilty of this many times, so I need to mention it here: please eat when you’re hungry. I sometimes get so heads down I forget to eat until my stomach is punishing me severely for my behavior. In general, don’t sacrifice your wellbeing just to get more work done. Take care of yourself, and take those mini rests to renew your mind and body so you can give your best effort to your work and your company!
One last point in this section – checking your phone should not count as a break. That’s a screen too. I often will put my phone on silent and turn it upside down so I can’t see notifications to distract me. It helps me stay focused on one task until it’s time to take a break. At that time, I should go stretch, do something to get moving, then maybe check my phone again. I’m not saying I do this perfectly all the time, but I should start, because that little device is addicting enough as it is 🙂
At the end of the day, we only get one body while we’re here on this earth. God has given us the gift of life and has given us our time, work, and health, to steward well. Making sure you take care of yourself while you’re working, and grant forgiveness to yourself when you fall short, is a huge part of that.
Here’s to more productivity and a happier, healthier, lifestyle in 2021 😀
Until next time,
Hope Szymanski
Photo by Domenico Loia on Unsplash
