How to Work From Home in a Healthy Way

mentalhealth selfcare workfromhome May 25, 2022

How many times have we used the “Oh no, I can’t do X, I have to work!” Excuse to get out of doing something we don’t want to do?

I know I have!

But for real, it can be so hard to stop working when you work from home, especially when you are trying to run your own business! There are so many things that need your full attention, so many photos to edit, videos to take, and graphics to make! And so many leads to follow up on and assets to monitor.

A lot of the time, that means that the lines between work and time off from work get blurry. We start working well into the hours of the night that we normally wouldn’t if we had a “regular” 9 to 5 job, and we start spending more time working than we do enjoying our free time. This means our mental health, families, and relationships begin to take a backseat to our jobs…

Look, I understand the hustle! I know how important it is for you to crush it with your business. I know you have to get those IG reels, posts, and stories out there for your people! But there is a RIGHT way to monitor the amount of time you’re spending working every day. And having a toxic relationship with your work-life balance can end up looking like…

Feeling burned out
Feeling isolated
Not being able to stop working when you need to
Feeling drained and unmotivated
Not taking care of yourself the way you need to

But hey woah, let’s pause here. It doesn’t have to get to these extremes.

Here are a few things that I’ve found are helpful for me:

Have a routine

Before you started working from home, you likely had a routine that you followed every day before heading to work and after you got home. However, just because you work from home doesn’t mean you have to skip that precious ME time!

Even if your new “commute” is just from your bed to the living room sofa, take the time every day to get ready for the way and have something you do at the end of the workday to help your mind shift into “relax” mode instead of work mode.

This can look like going for a workout, cooking dinner, whatever shifts your focus from work to spending time outside of work. Keep a routine, and you’ll help maintain your mental health and relationships with those important to you.

Set your “work hours”

Similarly, be sure to set specific times for those hours that you’re working and for what you’re working on. Block out time for particular tasks; set a specific time only for calls, writing, creating IG content, etc. Set your own “working hours.”

Don’t just jump out of bed and head to work. If you start your day at 8, start your workday at 8 AM and do whatever makes you happy beforehand. Set goals to work during your allotted time slots and don’t work outside of them. And be sure to turn off those Slack notifications outside of working hours!

Take scheduled breaks

I know it’s hard to pull yourself out of your work when you’re on a roll…

But you NEED to pull out of the zone just a bit to give yourself a BREAK! And a much-needed one at that. If you’re like me, you are working hard constantly to build your business and create kickass content.

But guess what? If you’re not giving yourself a break, you’re buying yourself a one-way ticket to burnout. Pushing yourself isn’t healthy and will lead to you not wanting to even show up anymore the way you need to.

Schedule breaks at specific times and try your best not to skip them. Go outside for a minute. Go get a snack, do some quick stretches (there are so many quick, 5-minute office yoga videos on Youtube that are GREAT), or go pet a furry friend. Set a timer or use a productivity app to keep you focused on your work AND on taking those breaks!

Don’t overload your to-do list

How many times have you not been able to sleep at night because of all the things you KNOW are just waiting to attack you on tomorrow’s to-do list?

Ouch, yeah, me too. I know the pain of the “impending doom” feeling of a heavy to-do list. And as much as I love a good list, sometimes it’s best to keep those lists SHORT to avoid feeling that added stress that you definitely don’t need more of!

Pick a few important tasks that need to be done ASAP. Tackle those first. If you have any spare time, take some time to work on some smaller tasks. You are only one person— you don’t have to do everything all at once!

Make sure you’re taking care of your mental health