Feeling trapped working from home? Can’t seem to escape from job responsibilities or often find yourself obliged to return a work-related call / text outside of working hours? Oh wait, what is the new norm of working hours again? Feel as though you worked 24/7? Well, you are not alone.
Like many of my friends and acquaintances whom I catch up with recently, we are on the same boat. The boat never gets docked until bedtime. Feel like you are losing your sanity, your memory getting worse and you can’t find stillness in your mind? Working from home is definitely a grey area as to where is your personal space and what are your responsibilities, how to define and strike a balance?
Here’s how…
- Wake up with a good stretch and smile on your face
Trust me, it is never easy getting up from a good deep sleep and waking up to the alarm or the thought of a weekday. There was once I even “woke up” for a run at 7am, and felt so accomplished. It was then I realized I was actually dreaming, too tired to even wake up. Perhaps like many of you, I tried many ways to get out of the bed feeling less grouchy, more positive. It seems that starting at the right pace with the help of meditation helps a great deal to kickstart a positive mind. A quick 15mins is good enough.
Next, I turn on an upbeat playlist (“Feel good” — road trip playlist on Apple Music) while I wash up. On days I wish to feel extra good, I will braid my hair and put on a nice top (who actually put on nice bottoms these days WFH?) If I do not have morning meetings to rush to, I will do a quick 15mins yoga stretch, otherwise, 8 sequences of jumping jacks just to get my adrenaline pumping.
- Create a “sanctuary” at home for your private retreat
For those who are trapped working from home and can’t seem to escape “reality = work / home-based learning” kind of situation, subconsciously checking your email / group chat from 5 minutes to few hours or stare blankly at the ceiling fan, trying hard to “disconnect” but can’t help thinking about work issues.
Find a physical space for yourself within your house, spruce up your bathroom / balcony / corner of your house to “hide”.
As for me, I created a sanctuary in my bathroom as visiting the bathroom is pretty much unavoidable and it forces me to slow down and “unwind”. The moment I stepped in, there was this involuntary form of relaxation takes its course. For your “sanctuary”, use a special relaxing scent, I use Karmakamet’s Everyday happy reed diffuser and poured some essential oil on the aroma stone whenever I needed some extra mood detox. Smell aside, it has to be decked with calming visuals for a whole package. Invigorate your bathroom with greenery! Drape with faux leaf vines, cute pots of real indoor plants just lined up against the wall facing the “relief center”. For any chakra-fanatics here, place crystals with soothing healing properties such as rose quartz, amethyst, aquamarine, clear quartz. Freshen up with a nice body / facial mist before stepping out.
Whenever I find myself tensed up, or needed to be alone, this is where I will find myself, soothed with a clearer mind. It felt as though positivity is shouting from every corner. You should restore your sanity whenever you can.
- Find your personal mantra and be reminded everyday
Place kind encouraging notes at your work desk / at your bedroom / study room’s door. Firstly, you need to create the right environment for work as this is where you spend most of the hours dealing with panic attacks, crazy co-workers / boss. To get sh*t done, you need to be in the correct state of mind and be productive at work. It is also recommended to be kind to yourself every now and then, for a little boost amidst work. When you find yourself facing some challenges at work, or drowning in the workload, take a step back, take deep breathes. Remind yourself to take a chill pill or even forgive yourself for the mistakes you made. Nobody’s perfect and understand that everyone makes mistakes. Life is hard enough, be less harsh on yourself, pick up from the blunder, and move on gracefully.
Share kind and positive reminders to people around you, your team, co-workers, friend, or even your instagram follower. You never know who will find comfort when they stumbled upon your “quotes”. Someone out there may be having a bad day too.
- Treat yourself something nice, as long as it sparks joy
Give yourself a pat on the shoulder when you did well or completed your task. Your favorite ice cream? Favorite artisan coffee? Warm piping hot bowl of Mac n Cheese for dinner? or 10 minutes break of Netflix? Take a day off away from work. Find anything simple that sparks joy! You deserve it! A reward will incentivize you to push a little harder, get more sh*t done. Doesn’t it feel good to reach milestones in your goals? It is also good for your mental health and mindset in a long run. It drives productivity and quality work too!
- Lastly, try to take a deep breath before you respond
Take a deep breath before you respond during a discussion or present some business plan in a zoom call. Having a thoughtful response and not saying dumb things helps others see you as a more mature communicator and thinker. Pausing and taking a real breath will help you physiologically. Taking a breath introduces oxygen into your body and brain, which will help you stay calm and improve your thinking processes.
Hope these 5 steps will improve your hectic WFH situation. Stay sane and healthy!
Dear readers, do share how you cope with working from home in the comments section so we can learn from each other.
