Mental Wellbeing While Working From Home
As the WFH period stretches on and winter is drawing in, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of our mental health. Read on for my advice on the small things you can do that will make a big difference to your day…
It’s Global Wellness Week here at Wayfair, and I’ve been thinking a lot about mental wellbeing during our extended period of WFH, especially now that summer is a distant memory and the days are becoming short and grey. At this stage of the pandemic, the novelty of working from home has well and truly worn off. While being able to make some fresh bread or throw on a load of laundry during a long meeting has its perks, I’ve found myself really missing the office culture. Wayfair employees won’t be returning to the office until at least summer 2021, which is too far away to countdown the weeks anymore.
Here in Berlin we’ve entered into a second lockdown with similar measures to those we had back in March. For me, the first lockdown brought with it a kind of nervous energy, an anxiety about the future that was accompanied by an undercurrent of almost excitement from the novelty of the experience. I plunged headfirst into my new way of living with positivity and the motivation to keep busy. I stocked up on crafts supplies, put together my home office space, bought a yoga mat and tried out all the recipes I hadn’t gotten around to making.
This time around is definitely different. Winter has arrived; it’s cold out, and it’s dark by 5pm. That sense of excitement has long gone and I’m wondering how I’ll keep myself uplifted over the coming months. While I feel very privileged to be in my position — with a job I can do from home, great coworkers, a nice place to live — there’s no denying that some winter lockdown blues are setting in. With SAD season officially here, it’s important that we take stock of how we’re feeling and ensure we’re doing everything we can to stay happy and healthy.
On that note, here are my four tips on how to mind your mental health over the coming months!
Create a pleasant working space.
Whether it’s cosy lighting, the addition of some greenery or a collection of scented candles burning in the background, take advantage of your chance to create a workspace you wouldn’t have if you were in a conventional office, and surround yourself with the things that bring you happiness and tranquility. Something as simple as switching on a lamp and stringing up some fairy lights (something I can’t get enough of) can make a huge difference to your mood. Snuggly blankets and pillows will ease the chill on a wintery day, while tending to plants will bring life to your home and some form of a routine to your days. On days when creativity is hard to find or the weather is getting you down, give yourself something other than a laptop screen to focus on.
Take real breaks.
After so long working from home, it’s easy to become complacent about the routine we set ourselves all those months ago, something I’m guilty of too. Don’t skip the lunches and coffee breaks you would have taken in a more normal setting! Make time to step away, take a breath and think about something other than work, whether it’s listening to a podcast or taking a stroll around the block in between calls. Activities that occupy your mind like cooking or crafting, reading a book, doing yoga stretches or getting outdoors for a bit will bring some balance to your day and give your brain a much-needed break. Eat your meals mindfully, ignore Slack for a while and be in the moment.
Stay connected…
Video calls used to be something I only really used for seeing family and friends, but now that they’re a normal part of WFH life, I’ve been finding myself less inclined to rely on them for personal catch-ups too. I really miss the easy in-person interactions and communication that I took for granted nine months ago, and sometimes even the thought of replying to a text or scheduling a catch-up call can feel like too much effort. However, staying connected with the people we care about is something worth staying on top of when our day-to-day lives have been so disrupted. Check in with your family and friends — send an email, arrange a quiz, share a playlist, write a letter the old-fashioned way. We are lucky to have so many options nowadays for keeping in touch with people across the world, and while it can be easy to feel disconnected or isolated right now, there are people there for us at the touch of a button.
…but take time to disconnect, too.
That said, taking time off for yourself is equally important. Now that we’re spending most of our days at home, there is a sense of pressure to be permanently available — it’s not like we can say we have dinner plans or a social event when we’re not in the mood to talk to someone, after all. It’s important to remember that bad days or even bad weeks are normal and to be expected. Life is strange and stressful at the moment, and we’re all trying to figure out how to have some semblance of normality. Some days will be harder than others. It’s okay to retreat for a bit, take a break from the news and social media, and mute your notifications when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Be kind to yourself.
