Many of us are working from home currently because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though it comes with an initial excitement but after some duration working from home every day can lead to the day feeling long and monotonous. For some, it can be a blessing and for some, it can be a curse. One of the biggest struggles is trying to find a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That is why maintaining health while working at home is very important.
Let’s look at the tips to stay healthy while working from home
Establish a routine
Try to stick to a routine on your working days. There might be days where you will have to overstretch or you might be taking odd breaks but the following routine helps in dividing the time evenly on the things you want to do in a day. This helps in your office work as well as things you plan to do prior/post that. In work from home setup, it’s very easy to go easy on work and you end up catching up on the things at the last moment which ends up in long working hours.
If you have a proper schedule that by this time you plan to end your work, you will always plan your work accordingly and your concentration on work will be higher as well.
Take short breaks
Always try to take short breaks of 5 to 10 mins so that you don’t sit in the same place and in the same posture for long. This helps you relax your body and eyes (if you are working on your PC or laptop).
The ideal time to take a short break is around 1-1.5 hr but the same can vary based on your nature of work as well so you can plan accordingly.
Setup a suitable workspace
Make sure you set up a good workplace that includes:-
- Having proper lighting to make sure your eyes are not strained.
- Having a proper desk and chair to give you a nice posture.
- A place which is not noisy so that should have proper concentration on your work.
- Make sure to have water and all required things in a single place.
Find time to workout
Working from home sometimes makes you sit in the same place for a long time and restricts your movements. This can have a really bad effect on your health. So, make sure you perform any kind of workout activity. It can be going out to a gym, working out at home setup, running, yoga, or any other physical activity you like.
This helps you disengage from your work as working from home. This can sometimes take away the homely feeling and you start thinking of it as a workplace.
Also, any kind of physical activity helps a lot in relaxing your body and mind as well.
You can read our article on home workout essentials.
Pay attention to your eating habit
When your kitchen is well within 100-200 meters of your workplace, you may surely get tempted to reach out to your kitchen. This makes you eat at any time you want and you might end up binge eating while you are working. So always make you have a proper eating schedule. If you want you can have some healthy snacks around you. Same should in small quantities so that you don’t crave food and end up overeating at odd times.
Maintain work-life balance
While working from the office, there is a thin line between home and office. But during work from home, that thin line can start to diminish and people can find it difficult to maintain their work-life balance. So it’s really important to maintain the same.
This can be done by taking care of the below things-
- Try to stick to a schedule of your work. So that you get enough time for your loved ones or to do the things you love the most.
- If you are planning to work from home for a longer duration, make sure you take day-offs after some time. This helps in relaxing your mind and disconnects you from the same schedule you have been following while working from home.
- Make sure to spend time with your family and loved ones.
Sometimes while working from home you take a relaxed approach to your work and start stretching your working hours due to inefficiency.
So one should avoid such situations so that you get proper time to spend with your family and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Find a new hobby
If you are planning to work from home for a longer duration of time, you will also be spending most of the off-time at your home. Then the best thing you can do is to start a new hobby.
It can be anything from learning a new thing, starting a new online course, starting a workout at home, learning yoga, etc. Even 20-30 mins to any such thing helps your mind to relax.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information.
