How to take care of your mental health, to not let your work get impacted by it
We are going through a phase in our careers where we got what we all secretly wanted to, i.e. working from the comforts of our home, not having to step out and deal with the traffic, and people who annoy us. But soon we realized that it is turning us into hamsters and as the reality began to set in, stress and anxiety began to creep in and started affecting not just our personal life but our work too.
It’s been a little over a year since we all have been working from our homes, and more and more employees have begun complaining of suffering from higher levels of anxiety and some form of depression. The most commonly seen traits are heightened stress, feeling of loneliness, the inability to ‘switch off’ from work, and lack of motivation.
If you’re feeling the same, and have noticed that it has been affecting your work life too, here are some very simple steps to self-care, to ensure that you are being Kind to Your Mind.
Acceptance
The first step to improving your mental health and self-care is by accepting the fact that it is okay to be not okay. One of the reasons why mental health conditions deteriorate is because most of us are not ready to believe that we could be affected by anxiety and that stress can get to even the toughest, despite noticing all the traits mentioned above. Acceptance is important to build a healthy mind.
Routine Helps
Working from home may have given us the flexibility to finish our tasks while juggling a few household chores during the day. But It can disrupt your work-life balance too.
Set your work hours and personal time apart. Plan them in a manner that you have dedicated hours to complete your work, and later some hours to cool down and relax. Plan your day from morning to evening with enough breaks, and ensure that your personal chores do not come in between your work tasks and vice versa.
And the best way to do it is by structuring your timetable just the way you used to follow your day before the pandemic. Because routines work like anchors, they keep you stable and grounded.
Create a Dedicated Space
Having a dedicated space to work while being at home helps a lot. When you have a dedicated work desk, complete with your computer, diary, stationery, notes, etc at home, in a corner with the least distraction, you can focus more, improve your productivity and come out with a sense of achievement post every task.
And here’s a tip: Try and avoid working from your bedroom. Because your bedroom is the space where you go to relax and rest at the end of the day. You’ll be constantly distracted and it slows down your pace of working.
Breaks are important
else we’ll get mentally exhausted and it will affect our work. Take a 5-minute break every hour, just to get up and stretch your muscles a bit. Probably walk around the home, check up on your kids or say hello to your pet. Step away from the computer while having lunch. and if you’re not isolated, maybe step out in the park a bit, soak in some sunlight.
Digital detox
wanting to read for a long time. This break from the internet and tech will help you declutter your mind of all the thoughts about your work and you are able to get back the next day refreshed.
Don’t worry, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long. Just be kind to your mind