Over the next few months, as we settle into our new normal of working from home I’m expecting that we will all experience feelings of isolation and disconnection even in busy homes. It’s going to be increasingly important that we focus on taking care of ourselves and each other.
Here are some of the tips I’ve been sharing with organisations and with colleagues to help you maintain your wellbeing whilst working at home:
Routine – build a new routine for yourself thinking about when you want to start and finish work, and take regular breaks through the day. For many, we are also facing the added challenge of fitting in caring responsibilities for children or elderly relatives so our working days will look very different and therefore, it’s even more important to establish start and end times to help maintain those boundaries between work and home. Also talk to your colleagues, clients and teams and find out how they are doing it. It’s great to share experiences and understand how others now need to work.
Daylight – try and take a break during the day and go outside. Getting access to daylight will help your melatonin production and therefore, help you get a good night’s sleep.
Social connection – one of the impacts from working alone or at home can be the feeling of dislocation from people. One of the most important things for business owners, me included, is to get out there and meet, mix and mingle with like-minded people. Having regular social interaction are a big part of what keeps us all well and happy. I personally have really enjoyed having virtual coffees with many clients and fellow coaches and feel like this online community has really stepped up to support each other over the past few weeks.
Movement – staying active can be more challenging when working from home so try and establish new movement goals for yourself (e.g. walk around on a conference call, take the stairs 20 times in one day, download a fitness programme to follow).
Time – this is a tricky one for me, there’s so much out there currently about how we can use all this extra time to focus on new skills, habits and hobbies. Honestly, I’m struggling a bit currently with 2 children to home school and a business to run but I’m trying to find an activity to relax and reconnect. Perhaps download that podcast series you’ve been meaning to listen to, do some gardening or even do a bit of baking – just something small that you will enjoy!
For many of us this isn’t a new way of working but I understand that it feels different due to the extended nature of the situation we are all facing and the health anxiety that goes along with it. I wish you all well and if you’d like to grab a virtual coffee – drop me a line and we’ll get that set-up!