Cool Down: Tips for Managing Work-From-Home Burnout

Sheila Johnson Article 1 Comment

For many of us, working from home has proven to be a blessing, but with no divide between your place of work and home life, it can also result in burnout. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the new way of work, you’re not alone – here are a few tips to help you cope.

Office Environment

Our working habitat can have a profound impact on our mental wellbeing and productivity – this is no less true at home. Take the time to evaluate your office space and consider any adjustments that might make remote working more pleasurable – a new chair can help to improve comfort and posture, or you could consider investing in a few house plants to bring color and detoxify the air. 

It can also help to divide your working space from the rest of the house with a well-placed bookshelf or even a wall (if you don’t mind re-arranging the rooms). This will help you to create a division between work and home. If this isn’t possible, you could try investing in a pair of noise-canceling headphones to help you zone in and zone out during work hours.

Screen Breaks

When you’re constantly connected to a screen, with no respite or escape, it’s natural to feel a little fatigued. It’s important, therefore, to switch off and unplug from the digital world at every available opportunity. If you’ve spent multiple days staring at the screen, going for a walk, a trip to the shop, or taking part in evening team sports can have a surprisingly positive effect. You may even want to consider a digital detox over the weekend to help your body readjust to its natural rhythm.

Social Interaction

Work communication and social media are no substitute for real-life social interaction – that’s why it’s important to prioritize people during your time off. Try to schedule meet-ups in advance to ensure everyone’s free, and don’t feel shy about reaching out to old friends – during the pandemic, a lot of us have found ourselves in similar, isolated positions. Failing this, you could even try exploring communities via mutual interests – hobbies are an excellent way to meet like-minded people, and internet groups have made reaching out and connecting easier than ever.

Meditation

If you want to retake control of your mind and mood, you might find meditation to be a useful strategy. There are a number of forms that use differing techniques to help you reach a calmer, more stable mental and physical state. If you’re new to the practice, try seeking out workshops or, if you’re more experienced, you could consider hosting one yourself.

Diet

Whilst not directly linked to burnout, diet plays a crucial role in dictating our mood, energy, and sleep cycle throughout the working week. You can combat burnout by adjusting your diet – try switching to all fresh ingredients, for example – time spent batch cooking can give you an excuse to part with your desk and, with a good recipe list, you’ll be eating delicious, healthy, and fragrant food all throughout the week.

Unsurprisingly, many of us have begun to experience greater levels of burnout since the start of the pandemic. The stress of COVID, combined with increased work hours and a lack of division between employment and home life has exacerbated an already prevalent issue. Fortunately, there are strategies to help you get through the worst of it. Taking a break from technology, switching up your diet, or trying a few hours of meditation are all a good start.

Humandalas are a guided movement meditation tool for groups to get in sync with other people and with nature using intentional connection, toning, and visualization. Learn more about the practice at: www.humandalas.com

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