Remote work has become an increasingly popular option for many people in recent years. Whether you work for a large corporation, a small startup or you are a freelancer, working remotely offers a host of benefits such as increased flexibility, reduced commuting costs, and the ability to work from anywhere in the world. However, remote work also comes with its own set of unique challenges, especially when it comes to your mental health.
In this long-form blog, we will explore in-depth the ways in which remote working can affect your mental health and offer tips and strategies you can use to cope with these issues. We understand that not everyone’s experience with remote work is the same, so we will be discussing the most common difficulties people face and provide actionable insights you can use to improve your mental health while working from home.
The Impact of Remote Work on Mental Health
Working from home can have a significant impact on your mental health. While some people thrive in a remote work environment, for others it can feel isolating, stressful, and overwhelming. Here are a few common issues that can arise when working remotely:
Loneliness and Isolation
Remote workers often miss out on the social interaction and camaraderie of an office environment. Even if you enjoy working independently, it’s important to have social connections to maintain your mental health.
According to research, interaction with other individuals is vital to mental well-being. When people experience social isolation due to remote work, they’re more likely to feel depressed, irritable, and anxious. To combat isolation, remote workers need to take an active approach to staying connected to people they don’t necessarily see in person.
Work-Life Imbalance
When your workspace is also your living space, it can be difficult to separate work and personal life. This can lead to overworking, burnout, and feelings of stress and anxiety.
One of the major advantages of remote work is the flexibility it offers; however, this convenience can also be a double-edged sword. It can make you feel like you need to work around the clock, which can lead to burnout.
Working from home can make it tougher to switch off from work as there are no clear boundaries between them, meaning that stressors from one bleed over to the other. It’s essential that remote workers set up clear boundaries between work and their personal life to help mitigate burnout risk.
Lack of structure and Routine
The absence of a daily routine and clear structure can lead to procrastination, missed deadlines, and sleep irregularities, which can negatively impact mental health over time.
When working from home, it can be challenging to maintain a consistent routine and workflow. Without a strict daily schedule, time management becomes a significant hurdle, which can result in procrastination and disorganization.
Increased Distractions
At home, there are many distractions that may not exist in a traditional office environment, such as household chores, pets, children, and social media, to name a few. These distractions can disrupt your focus, causing stress, and affect your overall well-being.
Unlike when at the office, home offers up a host of tempting distractions that can impede productivity. Remote workers must learn how to identify and manage these distractions to keep on track with their workload.
Technology Fatigue
Since remote workers are exposed to a higher amount of screen time and prolonged screen exposure, this can create eye strain, headaches, and fatigue.
Remote workers spend most of their day in front of their computers, which can lead to headaches, tired eyes, and back, neck, and shoulder pain. Long-term screen exposure does not solely risk physical health but also mental health since it constitutes sedentary behaviour, which reduces overall energy and mood levels.
Tips and Strategies to Improve Mental Health While Working Remotely
Now that you understand the ways remote work can impact your mental health, let’s discuss specific strategies that can help counteract these issues:
Set Boundaries and Stick to Them
One of the keys to achieving a healthy work-life balance is setting boundaries between work and personal time. This can mean establishing daily routines and communicating clearly about availability expectations.
By setting clear and consistent boundaries with coworkers and employers about schedules, responsibilities, and availability, remote workers can avoid being overworked, which lowers stress and anxiety levels. Along with this, setting up a dedicated workspace away from other areas in the house can promote productivity, limit distractions, and improve focus.
Stay Connected
As discussed earlier, social isolation can be a significant hurdle for remote workers. However, it’s easier than ever to communicate with colleagues and friends through a range of chat tools, video conferencing applications, and messaging platforms. Remote workers can establish virtual coffee breaks or water cooler chats to maintain consistent communication with coworkers.
Create a Workspace That’s Conducive to Productivity
To combat distractions and increase focus, create a workspace that is conducive to productivity. This can mean having a designated room or area for work, investing in a comfortable chair and workspace setup, minimizing distractions, and using background noise applications.
When creating a workspace, the aim is to achieve an environment that separates your work environments and home environments. Ensure your workspace has adequate insulation from external noise, good light levels and temperature control. A calming yet energising pallet can make the environment look and feel productive.
Prioritize Your Health
Taking care of your physical and mental health is crucial when working from home. Make sure to prioritize exercise, eat healthy meals, and take breaks to practice self-care. Be mindful of things like posture to avoid physical strain.
Psychologists recommend physical activity to combat anxiety and depression. Taking breaks throughout the day to stretch, walk, or do other exercises helps to stay invigorated mentally and physiologically. Eating healthy and balanced diets throughout the day and maintaining adequate water intake also go a long way in improving mental health.
Set Realistic Goals and Deadlines
To avoid overworking and burnout, it’s important to set realistic goals and deadlines for yourself. Break large projects down into smaller, achievable milestones, and be realistic about how much time you have available to work. It can also be helpful to use task management tools to track your progress and avoid procrastination.
Accountability is crucial in setting deadlines and achieving goals. Utilizing timely self-check-ins helps to stay on track and tap into your motivational reserves. Task management tools like Trello or Asana help to break down complicated tasks by creating lists to organize and prioritize to-do lists.
Design a Routine
Creating a routine can help instill structure and organization into your workday. It helps avoid being overwhelmed with work and maintains a good work-life balance. A routine can also make it easier for you to switch off from work and be present in personal life.
A well-designed routine should comprise of regular work hours, scheduled breaks, time set aside for exercise, and other activities for relaxation. Remote workers should observe that the routine fits their daily life and that they can maintain it to optimize productivity.
Get Outdoors and Engage with Nature
Physical exercise helps with mental health, and we all know walking, from going to the mailbox to hiking in a park, boosts wellbeing. Engage with nature, even small glimpses of greenery over your desk, to improve your mood.
Remote workers need to take a break from their computers to spend some time outside. Taking walks or going for runs outside after work or during breaks help alleviate stress and increase serotonin production. Being in nature can lead to a sense of calm and lowers cortisol levels; it enhances mood while also providing phototherapy.
Seek Professional Help
If you’re experiencing significant stress, anxiety, or other mental health challenges related to remote work, consider seeking professional help. This could involve consulting with a therapist, counselor, or mental health specialist.
Remote work can present unique challenges to mental health, and there is no shame in seeking help. Your employer may provide counseling services or mental health resources, or you may be able to access free or low-cost mental health services in your community.
Final Thoughts
Remote work can present unique challenges to mental health, but with the right strategies and approaches, it is possible to mitigate these issues. By setting boundaries, staying connected, creating a productive workspace, prioritizing health, setting realistic goals, designing a routine, getting outdoors, and seeking professional help if needed, remote workers can achieve a healthy work-life balance while maintaining their mental health.