Mental Health Guide For People Who Have Just Started Working Remotely

The offices have shifted within our houses. Schools, colleges, workplaces, malls, everything has been under lockdown as the deadly coronavirus has engulfed the entire planet. Since businesses cannot come to a halt altogether, neither can education be stopped, we've been using the technology at our disposal in the best way possible. For a major part of the day, we sit behind our laptop screens either working or consuming content online. However, we tend to neglect our mental health, and times like these are taking a toll on it.

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The hysteria around the fast-spreading disease multiplies when the added work pressure comes into the picture. It is, thus, extremely important to not let your mental health trickle down in the challenging quarantine times. Here are a few common problems that new remote workers are coming across since they are not used to work from home.

Isolation

Those who are accustomed to the conventional offices are finding it more difficult to adjust to this new form that is being widely practised as a part of the social distancing we're all expected to abide by. There has been a drastic fall in daily interactions with colleagues which covered everything and allowed people to vent all their frustration out. Now that we're stuck at home, communicating through virtual workspaces, it seems far from possible to have those heartfelt conversations where we used to rant about everything under the sun.

Burnout

People who were hardly seen at home are now working and managing the home too. This need to fulfill several roles is causing burnout. Moreover, many companies have recreational areas to rejuvenate the employees, which is absent in the work from home scenario, adding to the feeling of frustration and non-accomplishment.

Anxiety and Stress

Since we're working in the same space we live in, the line between work and personal life is getting blurred. Many juggle work deadlines and personal tasks throughout the day rendering no time for their selves. This lack of time to introspect leads to anxiety and stress that may result in mental breakdowns.

Before you hit the rock bottom, follow these steps to make sure you stay mentally fit in the quarantine days.

• Make a schedule and stick to it, this would help in setting boundaries between work life and office life.
• Take out about 20-30 minutes every day to sit and meditate as this would de-clutter your mind and help improve the concentration span.
• Set up a workspace in a quiet corner of your house. Put pictures and motivational quotes or anything that hypes you up when you feel bored or too worked up.
• Take short breaks and do what you love, like painting or reading or any other indoor activity as going out is a big no-no.
• Learn to refuse. We often end up overestimating our abilities and taking up more work than our brains can handle.
• Talk to your family members
• Try working out for a bit to stay healthy.

To all the people who've become digital nomads, get up from that work desk and try living a life beyond your screens to keep a check on your deteriorating mental health.

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Saavriti is an intern with SheThePeople.TV. The views expressed are the author's own.