Wellness Challenges For Remote Workers

To anyone who has ever endured the pain and suffering that comes with rush hour traffic, the idea of working from home sounds like a dream come true. Doing your job, from the comfort of your home, in PJs with endless coffee and snacks...what’s not to love?!

There’s no denying that working remotely, whether for a larger company or running your side hustle, has its benefits. But it can come with unique “workplace wellness” challenges.

Some people have described feeling lonely and isolated from their team, struggling to remain focused on their tasks, and finding themselves not sure of how to unplug leading to feeling overworked and burnt out.

So how can we overcome these challenges and beat work from home fatigue?

Set Up Working Hours and Know When To Shut Off

Being able to work anytime, anywhere can lead to working all the time, everywhere. A healthy work/life balance will mean different things for different people, but all of us can establish our working hours and be firm about sticking to them.

Along with setting your “office” hours, it’s also important to know what’s needed to step away. Do you need to keep the office door closed until the next morning? Should you silence work notifications on your phone or smartwatch? Can you leave your work laptop behind when you go on vacation?

Think about practical steps you can take to ensure you’re able to disconnect and enjoy fun time which will help you be more productive during work time.

Get Dressed In The Morning

When you work from home it can be so easy and tempting to stay in your PJs all day. If that’s your jam, savor every second of it! However, others might find they feel best if they freshen up in the morning and change into clothes that make them feel professional. So, if you are struggling with motivation and productivity, consider giving this a try!

For people who work from a living area of their home they use for other purposes, changing into more professional clothing can also help mentally separate your “work time” from your “relaxing at home time.”

Plan To Be Social

One side effect of working from home is that you might not get to interact with your coworkers as much as you would in a traditional office setting. Because of this, feelings of isolation and loneliness can start to set in. Even if it’s not “bothering” you, social interaction is still a vital part of overall health and helps to spark creativity.

Try making a special effort to be more social. Attend employee events, make plans to grab coffee or lunch, or even just call a coworker to dissect the latest episode of This is Us.

Find A Reason To Go Outside

When working from home, it’s easy to spend the whole day indoors. Add cold winter days to the equation and you might be tempted to go into full hibernation mode. However, spending time outside does wonders for our wellness. It boosts our energy, restores focus, and enhances creativity. Try to create a reason to go outside and get some fresh air and natural sunlight. Take your dog for a walk or walk to a mailbox to drop off your mail. When it’s cold, make sure to layer properly and use sunscreen on any exposed skin!

Get Moving

Sometimes we’re so busy that an entire day may go by when you realize that you’ve barely pulled yourself away from your laptop. While we may feel a sense of accomplishment after being heads down all day, the toll it takes on our physical, mental, and emotional health are all too serious.

Prioritize exercise by making an appointment on your calendar with yourself that you stick with. Committing to 30 minutes of movement every day is a great wellness practice. Be sure to switch things up to keep it fresh. See if you can redesign your workspace so that you are moving and standing more. A balance ball chair, a standing desk, a desk treadmill, or even an under-desk elliptical can do wonders for your health and make movement throughout the day much easier.

Do You Have Remote Work Wellness Tips? Let’s Connect!

Remote working is definitely a productive and acceptable way to work without the need to go to one centralized location. Putting these tips into practice can help us all stay healthy while enjoying all the benefits that come with working from home.

Do you have other tips for staying healthy while working remotely? Connect with us on LinkedIn and share how you stay fit and healthy at home.