Looking after your mental health when working from home

The emergence of Coronavirus has significantly changed the way many of us are working, with most people working remotely. This, on top of government restrictions has created uncertainty and new challenges.

Whilst working from home, it is important that we look after our mental health. Whilst many may feel isolated and unmotivated it is crucial that we look after ourselves and to make the most of the current situation.

Get dressed. Getting up, brushing your hair, putting on some make up (if you wear it) and getting dressed can be helpful for motivation when working from home. It can be very tempting to stay in your pyjamas all day but getting dressed for the day can be useful when trying to get things done.

Create a work space. Having a designated workspace can make working feel a little easier. If you have a desk to sit at, it can feel more like you are working and less like you are lounging at home. Make your designated workspace tidy, clean and comfortable so to avoid distraction.

Take regular breaks. You may feel pressured to sit in front of the computer all day, however it is necessary to take regular breaks. Make sure you set aside an hour for lunch. Eat lunch away from your work area, or at the very least put your work away whilst you are eating. At the end of the day, log off and shut down the computer, do not give into temptation of checking emails once the day is done, stick to your working hours.

Try journalling. Start or end the day by listing a few things you’re grateful for, you could also try noting the challenges you have faced – by acknowledging these it will help you to see where you are struggling, then you may be able to adjust your routine, or factor in something new to assist with those challenges.

Keep up good habits. Stay hydrated, keep up exercise, try not to binge on too much sugar – keeping up healthy habits will help your mental health too.

Most importantly, create a routine that works for you. Schedule in or make time for breaks, exercise, video chats, showers/baths, make the most of the time you are able to spend outside. If you are inside all day try to have the curtains or windows open. We find ourselves in challenging times, but we have to make the most of the situation we are in. I hope you are all keeping well. Do your best and look after yourself.

Being Present

We are often thinking about things that happened in the past or about things that could happen in the future. It’s so easy to get caught up in worry or anxiety around potential negative outcomes, and things that might not have gone to plan in the past.

There is power in being present and living in the now. Practising being present is one of the hardest things to do especially when it is something you are not used to doing, but the more you engage with being present in the moment the easier it will become. It allows you to accept that you cannot control things that have already happened and you also have no control over what potentially might happen in the future whilst increasing your awareness of the things that really matter in the moment and whilst they are happening.

Sometimes, depression can stem from living in the past – you may be focused on emotional traumas, or feelings of guilt from past actions. You cannot control the things that have happened to you or the things you feel guilty about. Further to this, Anxiety and worry can stem from living in the future – thinking ahead, worrying about your job security, worrying about your partner leaving you, worrying about an outcome that you have no direct control over.

Every moment that you live in life is the present moment, it’s the now. If you want to improve your career, your relationship, your fitness, if you want to look better or dress better, everything has to be done in the present moment. You have to choose to be present in those things.

Take relationships, for example – it can be easy to think about things that went wrong in a relationship that ended, perhaps you think about things you would’ve done differently, or how things might have turned out if you had acted in a different way etc. You might also in a current relationship worry about potential things that could go wrong in the future, what if they get bored of me? what if they leave me? but this takes away from your enjoyment of that relationship. Taking a minute to focus on where you are now, how does the relationship make you feel right now? what are you grateful for? What are some things that you appreciate about your partner? If you’re doing something together focus on the sensations you are feeling, focus on the emotions you are feeling in the moment, enjoy it for what it is without expectations. Overthinking possible outcomes or things that you should have or could have done does not reflect the actual relationship, it only hinders your experience of it. (Of course, you can learn from past experiences but you cannot change them.)

Living in the now can be extremely powerful, but how do you do it?

The most important thing is simply to remind yourself, whenever possible, to think about the present – being present isn’t something that comes naturally to a lot of people, especially if you are typically someone who thinks a lot. Take a moment just to remind yourself of the ‘now’ whenever you can. Even now as you’re reading this, look around you – notice what you can see. What can you smell? What is happening around you right now? Take a deep breath in, notice how it feels. Being present in the moment is something that takes practice, it’s something that you will constantly need to remind yourself of. It’s also useful to notice, if you can, the things that you are grateful for and the things that you appreciate when you’re doing this.

One of the most powerful tools to bring yourself back to the present moment is the breath. This is something that is always available to you and you can come back to at any time. This could be in the form of meditation, or simply just taking a minute to breathe. Taking a deep breath can really help when you are trying to focus on the now. When you’re breathing, focus on the sensations in the body, how breathing feels. If your mind wanders that’s ok, just notice that it has happened and bring your focus back to the breath.

The more you remind yourself to do this, the more you will naturally come back to the present moment. Keep at it, it’s certainly worth persevering with.