Working from home has become the order of the day following the covid-19 pandemic. For so many people getting to work from home was advantageous because they get to have flexible work hours and spend more time with their families. However, with time, working from home has proved to be more challenging than not. A lot of people have complained that working from home has caused a lot of stress. Below are a few tips on how to cope with the stress of working from home;
1. Setting a schedule
One of the main stressors of working from home is the lack of a schedule. It means that there is no clear boundary between the times when you start and stop working. Most of the time, you end up going to sleep late and waking up late or feeling tired when you are supposed to be working. Most people think that flexible working hours are an advantage. However, they can give you the illusion that you can work at any time. Therefore, most people feel the freedom to take on distractions because they can add extra hours before bed. This ends up tampering with your sleeping hours hence your productivity. Eventually, all these turn into a lot of stress.
For this reason, setting up a schedule and following it religiously would be very helpful. Make sure your schedule incorporates all your daily activities. That is, the time you need to be working, taking breaks, taking care of your kids, eating, and going to bed.
2. Setting boundaries
Setting clear boundaries between work time and leisure time with your family and friends could go a long way in reducing the stress of working from home. Make sure that your family and friends understand the line between time to be productive and socializing. You can do so by discussing with the people who come to your house often. If you do not live alone, that is, if you have kids or roommates, you can create boundaries by creating a working space. Make sure all your housemates are aware of the fact that your workspace is out of limits during working hours. Doing this will help you avoid constant distractions and eventual stress.
3. Replicate your regular workday
One thing that most people do not know is that the body and brain thrive on routine. Human beings are programmed to adapt and do well with schedules like sleeping, eating, and working patterns. For this reason, when the routines or habits are disrupted, the brain experiences a neurological shift. A neurological change is where the body experiences some neurochemical imbalances. These neurological imbalances can result in poor cognitive performances, depression, anxiety, and stress. For this reason, if you have been following a regular workday routine, changing it suddenly may result in the issues mentioned above. Therefore, you may want to replicate the same routine when working from home.
4. Maintaining face to face interactions
Social isolation is one of the main reasons most people are experiencing a lot of stress from working from home. Sometimes solitude can be very advantageous. It allows you to focus on work. It’s a breath of fresh air, mainly if you are used to interacting with dozens of people daily, and it is also refreshing to do something new. However, human beings thrive on interaction. This means that the first few days of isolation may be easy and fun. However, after a few days or a week, you start feeling lonely. Loneliness can result in issues like depression, anxiety, lack of productivity, and stress.
Therefore, the immediate solution would be to maintain face to face interaction as much as possible. Technology has made way for people to maintain face to face interaction without any physical contact. Through facetime, zoom, and other video call technologies, you can interact with your workmates and family.
5. Change your surrounding
Another significant stressing factor that causes stress when working from home is staying in the same environment day in day out. Working away from home allows you to experience a change of environment every day. From the workplace to your home and all the places you experience during the commute, there is a constant change in the environment. The same cannot be said about working from home. Having to stay in the same environment every day and night can result in boredom, monotony, and eventual stress.
You may not be able to get out of your house, but you can always switch up your surroundings. Somedays you can set up your office inside, other days in your yard or a different room in the house. It may not seem like a significant change, but it will come in handy. You can also wear your mask and go out for a stroll. Just make sure to maintain social distancing and all the regulations provided by WHO.
6. Set time aside for self-care
Self-care is critical when it comes to coping with stress. Therefore, it would help if you set aside some time daily or weekly to take care of yourself. During this time, you can watch a movie, exercise, embark on some yoga, take a bath, drink some wine, or hang out with friends on zoom. You can also exercise your hobbies.
7. Drinking tea
Drinking tea is also an incredible way of coping with stress when working from home. Different types of tea, including loose leaf tea and herbal tea, are beneficial for reducing stress. For instance, chamomile tea is known as a calming tea. Below are some other types of tea for relieving stress;
- Peppermint tea- this tea contains peppermint oil, which soothes stress and anxiety.
- Kava tea- this tea targets GABA receptors responsible for the feelings of anxiety in the brain.
- Valerian root tea- this tea aids with insomnia, which is one of the causes of stress when working from home.
- Lemon balm tea- this tea boosts GABA in the brain hence relieving issues like depression, stress, and anxiety.
- Green tea- this tea contains L-thiamine, an amino acid that helps reduce anxiety and stress.
Other teas that relieve stress include fennel tea, rose, ginseng, hops, and holy basil tea.
Final Word
Each tea mentioned in the section above can be acquired in loose leaf tea or tea bags from an online tea and coffee shop. However, when buying tea bags online, make sure you deal with a legit and reliable online tea and coffee shop.