Isolation
Whilst there are many pros to working from home – setting your own schedule, not having to commute, not having to deal with unpleasant work colleagues – there are plenty of cons any many contribute towards stress.
Many people find working from home is very isolating, especially if they’re used to the social aspects of working in an office. Some people thrive in the peace and quiet of working alone but even those people sometimes want some people interaction.
I’ve been working from home for the best part of 20 years and even now I find it isolating at times. Days can go by when I don’t actually talk to anyone (when most communication is by email). Sometimes days can also go by when I haven’t even stepped out the door of the house!
Overlap of work and personal life
This can come about when you don’t set boundaries.
People can feel they need to be available all the time to respond to work demands whether by email or phone. This can cause an overlap and means you never actually turn off.
I’ve been there, done that, burned the dinner! In one of my homes, it was open-plan and so the kitchen, living room and “office” were all in the same place. I used to find it very hard to totally disconnect and would check my email while cooking dinner – only to end up burning the dinner because it always takes more than a minute to read an email!
In another house, the kitchen was right next to the office so a “I’ll just quickly check my email whilst this is cooking” would inevitably lead to something getting burned.
It’s easy to get into a situation where there is no “start” and no “stop” to your working day. This can affect your relationships, it can affect your own personal care and it can affect your sleep.
Insomnia
When there’s no “stop” to your working day you can often go to bed thinking about things that need to be done. I find this is the case partly because of the physical location of the “office”. If it’s just downstairs, or next door or – the worst – in the bedroom, it’s hard to get your attention off of it. Whereas when the office is a few miles away, you leave the office, shut the door and don’t think about it until you open the door the next day.
Using any kind of screen late in the evening can cause insomnia. So if you’re checking your email late into the evening or working on the computer late then it is very likely to affect your sleep. And it’s not just the effect of the screens, it can be hard to “stop” and turn off your thoughts. When you feel tired, you’re more predisposed to stress, so getting enough sleep is super important.
This ties in with the setting of boundaries as above.
Longer working hours
There can be a tendency to work longer hours. This is often the case for someone who is self-employed and whose income depends on completing work on time. In fact, when you don’t set boundaries and “start” and “stop” for your days they can go on and on because you’re worried about the next job and the next so you work as fast as possible to get the current job completed – and on and on it goes.
When you’re used to commuting to and from work and you’ve suddenly got this extra time on your hands it can be tempting to work more. Maybe that’s a good thing – an extra 2 hours of work in your day.
Or maybe it would be good to put this time to different use like some self-care or some family time.
Procrastination and lack of focus
Depending on how you’re used to working you might find that working from home makes it hard to focus and you procrastinate a lot!
That’s understandable. You don’t have that work environment where everyone else is working which encourages you to work.
There can be the Monday morning blues, especially if you don’t like your job. Even if you do like your job, there are times when you just don’t feel like it! The TV looks much more interesting or your bed feels so comfortable you don’t want to get up.
Social media can also be a big distraction when you’re not focused; in fact there are so many things to distract that sometimes it’s a wonder we get anything done!
Working around children
This is a tough one. When there are young children in the house it’s hard to concentrate. There’s the general noise, then there’s the arguing or the incessant requests for food or “I’m bored” that you have to deal with.
If you have a partner to share the parenting with, then it can be organised, but if you’re the parent who has to take care of the child AND work, then it’s twice as hard to work. There are no easy answers to this one.
On the one hand, you want to play with your child and keep them occupied but on the other hand, you’ve got to finish the presentation you’re working on and they just won’t stop nagging!
Stressed by technology
Having difficulties with technology can be very stressful.
You have to attend a Zoom meeting with your work colleagues but you can’t get it working. Your laptop battery dies in the middle of writing a big proposal. Your phone freezes and won’t unlock. You can’t remember the password to your work email account. The wifi cuts out or the connection is really slow!
So many issues! If technology isn’t your “thing”, then it can be quite daunting to have to deal with teleworking over long distances.
And add children to the mix…. you’ve probably seen one or two funny videos of a serious business meeting being interrupted by a child appearing in the room!
Not leaving the house
When you work from home it’s easy to forget to go outside – especially when it’s cold and wet.
This can have an effect on both your mental health and physical health.
Physically, being inside all the time does 2 things.
Firstly, it can reduce your physical activity to little or nothing and secondly, you don’t get as much oxygen as you need.
Mentally, it reduces your attention to what’s just in front of you – the computer screen, the work documents etc. – and the physical surroundings like your office, living room etc.
This might sound like no big deal but this does have an effect on how you feel. It also affects your problem-solving abilities because your attention is stuck right there on the problem.
When you’re able to extend your attention far and wide it helps raise your emotional tone. It makes you feel happier and can give you a broader view of things which, in turn, helps with problem-solving.
The answer?
How do you handle stress when working from home?
Create a work from home strategy that will save your sanity! By having a strategy in place you won’t fall prey to the various pitfalls that cause stress and anxiety when working from home.
Here are 10 tips to help relieve stress and maintain a healthy work/life balance when working from home:
1. Set boundaries
By setting boundaries you “start” your workday and you “stop” your workday at certain times – and the rest of the time is your personal time for your own interests, for you to spend with your partner and or family etc. When you’re working, you’re working, and when you’re not then you’re not.
When you’re not working, don’t keep checking your email. Ignore any work messages on your phone.
Set out a schedule which is workable: time to start in the morning; break time; lunchtime; time to end the workday etc.
You might not stick to it rigidly but as long as you do it 90% of the time this will go a long way to helping you keep those boundaries in.
2. No screens late in the evening
This is partly covered by #1 but needs to be stated as a separate item as it’s so important. Don’t be on your phone or computer late in the evening. Have a definite cut-off time (even if you’re using a computer for personal reasons), ideally at least an hour before bedtime.
Follow a winding down routine in the evening to help you settle down for a good night’s sleep. Remember – work is in the “office” and it will wait until the next day to be dealt with.
3. Stop procrastinating!
This is easy to say but here are some things that can help:
- Write a to-do list every morning first thing. Or you might prefer doing it at the end of the day ready for the morning – that’s one way of turning of the churning thoughts at night about what you need to do.
- Work out what is the best time of day for you to do specific types of tasks. If you’re not a morning person then it might be better to do tasks that don’t require a lot of thought and leave the more meaty side of things until after lunch.
- If you have lots of little things that need to be done and you found yourself going around in circles and not doing any of them, block off a time during the day and whip through those little things – you’ll find you get them done faster and once they’re out of the way you can concentrate on the bigger projects.
- If there’s something you just keep putting off then grab it by the horns and just do it! Thinking about it all the time can actually absorb more attention than just getting on with it. For example: you need to make some phone calls that you’ve been dreading – just pick up the phone and start!
- To stay focused on what you’re doing, don’t have any social media apps open on your computer and mute notifications on your phone. You can waste so much time on social media without realising it!
4. Use self-discipline
One of the key things about working from home is that there’s no one there looking over your shoulder, less accountability. Therefore you need to apply self-discipline.
This includes such things as sticking to a schedule, work while you’re working rather than surfing social media sites, and not going to the kitchen for a snack. It can also include such things as ensuring you take time to exercise.
5. Have some social interaction
Make a point of connecting up with people as often as possible. This could be by Zoom, Whatsapp or whatever your favourite app is. It could also be talking on the phone or meeting someone in a park for a walk.
If you feel really isolated, arrange to have an online “meeting” every day with some colleagues/friends during which time you all just do your work and have the occasional chit-chat. It’s almost as if they’re in the same room as you and gives you some company.
6. Go for a walk every day to relieve stress
This is one of the best stress-relievers and is so simple it’s almost discounted.
When you work from home it can be easy to “forget” to go outside but it’s very important for your physical and mental health. When you’re out walking, look at your surroundings; don’t just look at the ground in front of your feet. As you walk you should feel your attention moving outwards and away from the problems you’re facing at work.
Take some deep breaths and inhale the oxygen, which is so important for our bodies!
I’ve always found it easier to go for a walk when the sun is shining, not so easy when it’s pouring with rain! But when I force myself out the door it’s always therapeutic and rewarding.
I find it’s good to start the day with a walk because it really gives a START to the working day – just as if you’re travelling to the office, whether you walk to work or use some transportation. When you get back from the walk it’s time to START.
7. Relieve stress caused by technology
There are a number of ways to do this:
- Get help from a friend to explain how to use something
- Watch a YouTube video on how to use Zoom, for example
- Pay for an upgrade of your broadband so you have a fast wifi connection
- If you’re spending extra time trying to do something on the computer, consider outsourcing it – for example, if you have to create a lot of Pins for Pinterest this is something you could pay someone to do
8. Working around children
There are many different situations and potential solutions for this but here are some ideas:
- Set your office up in a separate room if possible and keep the door shut. If the children are old enough set a rule that when the door is shut they mustn’t interrupt
- If you’re co-parenting at home divide the time between you where one of you looks after the kids while the other works
- Try setting up a “swap” with another parent. You have their child one day and they have your child another day. That way you both have a day, or a few hours, to fully concentrate on your work
- If it’s possible, adjust your schedule so you do some work in the evening after they’ve gone to bed
9. Establish a good sleeping routine
Lack of sleep is one of the biggest contributors to stress and anxiety. When you haven’t had enough sleep everything can seem harder to deal with.
Here is a separate article on how to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep.
10. Take a break
Sometimes the best thing to do is take a break. You might think it’s a bad use of your time, especially if you’re really busy, but just taking half an hour out can recharge your batteries and give you a fresh look at what you’re doing and ultimately speed up productivity.
Obviously, it’s not going to be good if you take a break every half hour! But don’t be afraid to take some time out to de-stress. Do something you enjoy, like reading a book, doing some gardening, going for (another) walk; even watching some TV can help you relax.
So many times I’ve been dealing with something I couldn’t solve, I take a break for half an hour and then when I come back the solution is staring me in the face!
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Digital Detox
A really beneficial thing to do to relieve stress and anxiety is a DIGITAL DETOX! This involves freeing yourself from a digital addiction. Find out more here.