Working from home and your mental health

As another National Lockdown looms on England, we thought it makes sense to look back on the remote working tips we issued during the first Lockdown back in March 2020. Remote working can have a huge impact on your mental health, even those who have never suffered from mental health issues before.

Adjusting to not getting up, commuting to the office and being sat around your colleagues all day can become quite lonely. We all need to remember it is perfectly normal to talk about issues we are facing, especially during times like these. We’ve come up with a few ideas on how you can try to improve your day and hopefully protect your sanity whilst working from home.

1. Make your bed

When you feel like things are piling on top of you, something as small as making your bed can feel like a mountain of a task. Making your bed can make you feel accomplished early in the morning and set you up for a productive day. It will also stop you from getting back into it (hopefully!).

2. Set yourself daily tasks

Your workload can sometimes get too much. Set yourself achievable daily tasks and tick them off once you’ve completed them. You could even end your day by writing a ‘done’ list which shows everything you have done for the day!

Working from home mental health tips

3. Make a playlist

If you work better to music, make yourself a ‘working from home’ playlist. Sometimes having that bit of background noise can help you to become more productive and help with those positive vibes too!

4. Write a daily to-do list and done list

Write yourself a daily to-do list so you can keep on top of your priority tasks and keep a structured plan to your day. Once you’ve done them? Write yourself a done list! Not only does this keep you on track of what you’ve done for the day, but it also keeps you prioritising what needs to be done for the rest of the week.

Mental health top tips when working from home 

5. Have some ‘you’ time

Making sure you take regular breaks throughout the day is essential to being productive, but what can you do to calm yourself down during those breaks? Meditating is a great way to clear your head. Headspace and MindU are both great apps that can help you practise meditation and get you thinking clearly.

6. Speak to family and friends

Speaking to your loved ones is essential. Even though we can’t go grab a coffee with our mums or go shopping with your best friend, you can still chat with them. Have daily video calls with people you care about, speak to them about how your feeling. Never forget, a problem shared is a problem halved.s

7. Stay hydrated and eat healthily

We could all be tempted to eat junk food and come out of this 10 stone heavier. But would that make any of this better? Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and eating healthy snacks not just crisps and chocolate!

8. Make time for exercise

Don’t keep yourself cooped up all day. Make sure you utilise your once a day exercise that the government have said is essential. Go for a walk, even if it is just around the block. Take part in Joe Wicks’ PE lessons online – they get your heart racing. We need endorphins at times like this!

9. Remind yourself that this is temporary

And finally, remind yourself that this is temporary. We are not going to have to live like this forever. By taking each day as it comes, this will be over before you know it. We will go back to commuting to work, we will go back to sitting with our colleagues and we will go back to normality. We hope you’re all coping well and that these little tips help you get through the day to day of social distancing.

 

If you are struggling with your mental health during this time, here are some places you can turn to for professional support:

Samaritans – Tel: 116 123
Samaritans can take calls day or night. They are unable to offer face to face help, but they can answer any questions or concerns you may have over the phone.

Mind – Tel: 0300 123 3393
Mind is a mental health charity that also has a helpline which you can call for questions surrounding mental health problems, treatments and where to find help around you.