How to work from home: Mind your mental health

mental health, mental well-being, remote work, work from home
Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media
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How to work from home, the right way
- Tips for Successful Remote Working -

How to work from home, the right way: Tips for Successful Remote Working

Part four: Mind your mental health

Staying social, healthy and happy when you’re spending most of the day at the same place requires planning and diligence. Trust me I’ve learnt it the hard way when I was working from home for almost two years. To prevent you from the major hardships, I’m sharing my best advice with you, that already proved to be working and will help you maintain your mental health.

I’ve collected you my best tips in this 4-part series to help you keep your sanity, stay healthy and productive.

Part one: Set up your perfect home office
Part two: Boost your productivity
Part three: Take care of your physical well-being
Part four: Mind your mental health

mental health, mental well-being, remote work, work from home

Image source: Unsplash.com

Mental well-being

Working from home is not just about finding the right tools for work, productivity and effectiveness. Your mental and physical well-being should be just as important. When your home turns into your workplace the chances are high that it’ll hurt your work-life balance and mental health too.

Originally I’ve planned to cover physical and mental well-being in one post, but it turned out so long, that I divided it into two. This one focuses on your mental  well-being.

Disclaimer: These are general tips to help you anytime you’re working from home permanently. Even though I involved my sister, who has an MSc in psychology I have to highlight, that a pandemic is a special case, that can cause strong mixed-feelings, extreme anxiety and depression. I’m not a healthcare professional or therapist and I can’t provide you medical advice. Always be sure to follow the regulations and advice of your country and look for professional help if you feel you need it.

#1 Take a holistic approach

Mental health is not something you can achieve on its own. It requires attention to your physical health, daily routine and surroundings. By combining your efforts in multiple fields of your life and focusing on the right things you can create healthy habits, that supports your mental happiness.

I strongly suggest to read the other “How to work from home, the right way” series, but for now here are the main takeaways of these posts.

Set up your perfect home office

Set up a permanent workspace in your home. This helps you minimize disruption and maintain a clearer work-life balance. Choosing the right location, lighting and creating a welcoming ambience makes a big difference in your mood.

Read the full post here: https://www.rekaveszeli.com/blog/how-to-work-from-home-set-up-your-home-office

Boost your productivity

Habits, that keeps you organised and neat will clearly boost your productivity. By getting dressed in the morning and preparing a realistic to-do list you can ensure your day starts well.

Focusing on what you’re doing. Turn off notification and avoid multitasking. Furthermore, if your mind tend to wonder off use the brain dump method to stop it before it spirals out of control.

Finally, never forget to reward yourself in a positive and healthy way.

Read the full post here: https://www.rekaveszeli.com/blog/how-to-work-from-home-boost-your-productivity

Take care of your physical well-being

When your home turns into your workplace the chances are high that it’ll hurt your work-life balance and your fitness too. Keeping your body hydrated is one of the cheapest, easiest and the best thing you can do for yourself.

When commuting means walking from your bed to your desk within the house it’s hard to get enough fresh air without consideration. If you have a window next to you, keep it open or open it frequently. Furthermore, you can have a microbreak and take a 5-min walk.

Exercise can come in many colour and flavour! Probably all you need is internet and a little motivation. During exercise, your body releases endorphins. These chemicals heavily contribute to the feeling of happiness and they also reduce your perception of pain. Exactly what you need!

It is just too easy to get snacky when you’re home all day. TRy to eat regularly and choose healthy options. Always have healthy options at home and store your less healthy treats in a place where you can’t see it all the time and make it just a bit harder to get it.   

Read the full post here: https://www.rekaveszeli.com/blog/physical-well-being-at-home-office

#2 Maintain a work-life balance

When you literally live in your workplace the border between work and personal life starts to disappear. It can result in working longer hours or working on weekends or in neglecting your job to prioritize your personal demands. Both happen from time to time for shorter periods, but if it turns into a habit you’re in trouble.

Based on my experience employees who work from home long-term, tend to work longer hours and more likely to join late-night calls and check emails on the weekend. Entrepreneurs are even worse in maintaining boundaries and taking care of their mental well-being.

mental health, work-life balance, well-being

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

According to psychologists it also help if you attach a certain sensory signal to your work periods – like the smell of a certain candle or a pair of office shoe – that you consistently use, but only when you’re working.

To fix it first of all you need to accept, that the perfect work-life balance doesn’t exist. Instead of falling for this fake image, you should learn to stay flexible. Some days you may have to work longer, other times you might have to finish early.

The key is to know when to stop and to learn to separate the two words. Focus on what you’re doing at the moment – whether it’s work or relaxation – and don’t let your mind wander too far.

#3 Stay connected

The fact that you don’t meet with people naturally every day forces you work for human interaction. Although, as it doesn’t come naturally we tend to slowly forget about it or push it to the next day. The best way to overcome it if you create a habit out of it by attaching it to a day or activity.

For example, just after dinner you call your mom. Or every Friday at 5 pm you call your best friend to discuss your week. You can designate a day for virtual or real-life meetings and you can decide on that week whom you’ll meet this time.

#4 Relax your mind

You need to learn how to relax your mind to preserve your mental health. Enjoy meditating or practising mindfulness knowing you’re also doing a great favour to your intelligence. Just by 20-minutes of meditation you can improve your memory, verbal fluency and lower your stress levels.*

No matter how hard I try I’m still bad at meditating. Moreover staying still seems to be my enemy. If you’re any similar to me you also need to look for alternative ways. For example, I have a playlist full of ‘spa music’ that I listen when I’m taking a long shower. Others find ASMR relaxing and some swear on massage, sauna and spa breaks. You don’t need to be conventional, just find a solution that suits you and your circumstances.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

You can also turn off your brain by finding active ways to relax. It can be achieved by reading or via a hobby. Finding a leisure time activity that helps you break the rat race is priceless. You can try gardening, cooking or sewing. You can find more tips here.

Read the other parts of the series:

I would like to thank my sister, Flóra Veszeli for helping me write this post. As a psychologist, she gave me valuable insights.

Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media, free guides, marketing downloadables, blog, podcast

Hi, I’m Reka,

Welcome to my website. Explore, find inspiration, motivation, and resources.

How to work from home: Take care of your physical well-being

Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media
Navigate the website

How to work from home, the right way
- Tips for Successful Remote Working -

How to work from home, the right way: Tips for Successful Remote Working

Part three: Take care of your physical well-being

Most of us have dreamed of working from the comfort of our homes, but in reality, it can be a challenge. Even without kids, pets, and our significant others, there are plenty of distractions and inconveniences that can ruin our productivity.

I’ve collected you my best tips in this 4-part series to help you keep your sanity, stay healthy and productive.

Part one: Set up your perfect home office
Part two: Boost your productivity
Part three: Take care of your physical well-being
Part four: Mind your mental health

Healthy, Physical well-being, working from home the right way

Image source: Unsplash.com

Physical well-being

Working from home is not just about finding the right tools for work, productivity and effectiveness. Your mental and physical well-being should be just as important. When your home turns into your workplace the chances are high that it’ll hurt your work-life balance and your fitness too.

Originally I’ve planned to cover physical and mental well-being in one post, but it turned out so long, that I divided it into two. This one focuses on your physical well-being. All of these tips are easy to add to your day and with a little creativity, you can even combine them for the best results.

#1 Stay hydrated

Sounds easy, right? I have to admit, I’m pretty bad at drinking 2 litres of water per day, even though I should. And you should do as well because keeping your body hydrated is one of the cheapest, easiest and the best thing you can do for yourself.

If you’re living in a warm country that you’ll probably need it even more, than us in green and chilly Ireland. Water keeps every system in the body functioning properly, including flushing bacteria from your bladder, aiding digestion, cushioning joints and protecting organs and tissues.* So as you can see it has almost endless benefits besides keeping you safe from a throbbing dehydration headache.

There are several methods to achieve this from having a 2l bottle on your desk or 8 glasses of water on your kitchen counter that you have to empty by the end of the day to track it with an app. If you’re home with someone else make them a favour and remind them too.

healthy, Physical well-being - working from home the right way

Photo by Canva

#2 Get some fresh air

When commuting means walking from your bed to your desk within the house it’s hard to get enough fresh air without consideration.

If you have a window next to you, that you can keep open you’re already a step closer to achieve this, but it’s better to spend some dedicated time outside.

Try making a coffee to go for yourself and have a walk or if it’s raining since the morning at least open your window and pull your chair next to it while drinking it.

#3 Exercise regularly

It’s well-known that desk jobs harm our health. Actually, sitting too much is often called the ‘new smoking’ as studies began to link it to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and a higher chance of heart disease and cancer. Combine it with the lack of natural exercise – like walking or running for the bus – and the picture is even worse. At the end of the week you usually have back and neck pain, stiff muscles, and just in general a low energy level. Ouch…

Luckily, exercise can come in many colour and flavour! You don’t have money to spare? Find an outdoor gym. You don’t like gyms at all? It’s also fine, you can try dancing, yoga, basketball, wall climbing or pole dancing. Many things can be done at home with no tools. Probably all you need is internet and a little motivation.

Try one of these no-equipment cardio workouts, 5-minute dance tutorials or my favourite form of exercise: Just Dance videos.

exercise, well-being, health, healthy, remote working

Photo by Michael Browning on Unsplash

During exercise, your body releases endorphins. These chemicals heavily contribute to the feeling of happiness and they also reduce your perception of pain.

Trust me, the hardest part is to start it. A good way to do it is by joining an x-day challenge or creating a YouTube playlist, that you commit to doing from beginning to end. Once you’re on track it’ll come naturally and you’ll feel the positive benefits almost immediately.

#4 Stretch those stiff muscles

Besides the activities that we discussed above, I suggest incorporating stretching exercises in your daily routine.

As sitting all day is especially hard on your neck, back, hips and hamstrings search for exercises that helps you loosen up those muscles or Google for deskercise, desk – or office stretching. Try stretching at least 5 days a week to keep your muscles loose.

#5 Eat Healthy Meals & Snacks

It is just too easy to get snacky when you’re home all day… And as time goes – and you get a bit lazier – pizza and frozen meals start to seem like a good option for dinner. The other extreme is when you simply forgot some of the meals and you realise at 6 pm all you had today so far is 3 mugs of not too nourishing coffee.

healthy snack, well-being, remote work

Photo by Ola Mishchenko on Unsplash

Having regular, nutritious meals is essential for your health. 

I highly recommend cooking at home. It can be a great hobby, it makes you stand up from your chair for a bit and it’s also good for your wallet 😉 I see it as a way to relax and have a break so I usually cook fresh every day. On workdays only a quick 20-25 min dish, while I try the more complicated ones on weekends. If you’re not into that idea try batch cooking and prepare meals for multiple days. Cooking double amount and freezing half of it can serve amazingly well too. Planning is key here, but you’ll find it also makes it easier.

Buying or preparing healthy snacks, like carrots, hummus, fruits or lentil chips instead of stocking up on chocolate will benefit you as well. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t need to be extreme. I always have a jar of Nutella at home, but by putting it in a box under some other stuff in a cupboard makes it harder to just snack on it. The bottom line is: always have healthy options at home and store your less healthy treats in a place where you can’t see it all the time and make it just a bit harder to get it.

Read the other parts of the series:

Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media, free guides, marketing downloadables, blog, podcast

Hi, I’m Reka,

Welcome to my website. Explore, find inspiration, motivation, and resources.

How to work from home: Boost your productivity

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Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media
Navigate the website

How to work from home, the right way
- Tips for Successful Remote Working -

How to work from home, the right way: Tips for Successful Remote Working

Part two: Boost your productivity

Most of us have dreamed of working from the comfort of our homes, but in reality, it can be a challenge. Even without kids, pets, and our significant others, there are plenty of distractions and inconveniences that can ruin our productivity.

I’ve collected you my best tips in this 4-part series to help you keep your sanity, stay healthy and productive.

Part one: Set up your perfect home office
Part two: Boost your productivity
Part three: Take care of your physical well-being
Part four: Mind your mental health

productivity, productive, effectiveness, remote working, working from home, wfh

Image source: Unsplash.com

Productivity

These are some of my best tips that will help you get the most out of the day. They are great if you’re working from home and looking for ways to improve your productivity, but you’ll find them useful in an office environment- especially the first one 😀

#1 Get dressed

If you love the clothes you usually wear at the office, just continue as normal, but usually, this is not the case for people working from home. Most people say ‘dress for success’, but I’m someone who appreciates a comfortable outfit. So here’s my advice ‘Dress close to what you would wear in the office.’

Keep your jewellery and makeup on if you like to wear them and stick to your usual perfume, but maybe switch your jeans to a pair of black leggings. Lose the tie, or wear polo shirts instead of a shirt. The aim is to feel comfortable, but professional and video-chat ready. So surely don’t start your day in your PJs!

#2 Keep your desk neat

You know we should keep our office desk neat and you try at the desired state to leave it at the end of the day… with more or less success. When your office is part of your home, there is no leaving it until tomorrow. The messy desk will mock you all night/weekend. It’s not just annoying, but because it constantly draws your attention to your work area, it also makes it harder to stop thinking about work when you should relax.

With a little attention, you can keep your desk organsed

  • Decide what you need – Do you really need 10 blue pens and 3 piles of sticky notes? Have everything around you, that you need, but don’t pile up on unnecessary things.

  • Find a dedicated space for everything – It makes it easier to clean up and find what you need the next time.

  • Clean your desk at the end of the day – I always allow myself 1 post it with a note or an open notebook with an important date marked, but everything you won’t need tomorrow morning as you sit down should go back to its own place.

productivity, productive, effectiveness, remote working, working from home, wfh

Photo by LUM3N on Unsplash

#3 Make to-do lists

Do you know the feeling when you’re staring blankly at the computer thinking about what you should do next? Or when you have so much to do, that you don’t even know where to start? The solution to these issues can be as simple as a to-do list

Whether it’s a physical list, one created in your Outlook, Sticky Notes or a project management tool…. it doesn’t matter. Pick the one that suits you the best.

keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Stick to only one tool.

  • Create a list for each day or week. If you have multiple-day tasks you’re probably better off with a weekly one.

  • Break large tasks into smaller ones. Eg. instead of ‘new blog post’ divide it into ‘brainstorm topics’, ‘research topic’, ‘write the post’, ‘publish the post’, ‘promote on social media’.

  • Add deadlines or required time for each element on your list.

  • Prioritize your tasks!

#4 Have a brain dump

For someone who always has the most creative ideas at the worst time – like, just before going to sleep or during a call – discovering the brain dump method had been the most powerful revelation of the year so far.

It’s almost impossible to focus on your task if you’re constantly distracted by random thoughts. The ‘brain dump’ is a super simple, yet powerful tool to get a grip on these ad hoc ideas. All you need is paper and a pen.

The next time you have an amazing business concept or cool recipe idea just write it down quickly and move on. This way you can let it go from your mind. Later, at a dedicated time get back to your list, review it and move forward with those that you find worthy.

productivity, productive, effectiveness, remote working, working from home, wfh

Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash

Put your phone on silent or even airplane mode for certain time periods to minimise destruction and maximise your effectiveness and productivity.

#5 Turn off your notifications

A new like on Instagram, a new Tweet, Pins recommended to you… Does it sound familiar? You can easily lose your focus if your phone is buzzing every 5 minutes and if you go and check every message then you can waste even more time.

Consider turning off some of your notifications, that you don’t need both on your phone and your smartwatch / fitness tracker. Furthermore, put your phone on silent or even airplane mode for certain time periods to minimise destruction and maximise your effectiveness.

#6 Avoid multitasking

Let go of the myth of multitasking! “Research in neuroscience tells us that the brain doesn’t really do tasks simultaneously, as we thought (hoped) it might. In fact, we just switch tasks quickly. (…) Rather than saving time, it costs time (even very small micro seconds). It’s less efficient, we make more mistakes, and over time, it can sap our energy.”

So instead of wasting your energy and time on rapid refocusing between two things focus your attention on one for better results.

productivity, focus, productive, effectiveness, remote working, working from home, wfh

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

#7 Listen to music

Depending on what you’re working on listening to music can help to keep you motivated and to shut out the noises of your surrounding. For more monotone task you can go for something upbeat and fun, while complex ones might require something more abstract. The goal is to maintain the balance of stimulation without distraction.

To avoid wasting your time searching for the right songs and testing other’s lists I suggest creating your pre-made lists on YouTube or Spotify. Everyone is different so you should find those, that are right for you. I have one with upbeat Hungarian songs, an indie and an electro-swing list, one with meditational songs (in case I’m getting annoyed or angry) and my gym list if I need a boost. I also find video game music (like Crysis and Warhammer) really helpful as these are designed to keep you focused on what you’re doing.

#8 Reward yourself

No, I’m not suggesting to eat a bar of chocolate after every email you’ve sent… but what about a 15 min break for meditation after a hard task. Or a nice cup of tea, a stand-up comedy sketch or a little play with the dog. You get the point.

Breaking your day to smaller sections can help you stay focused during the productive periods and will give you a chance to recharge during your break.

Read the other parts of the series:

Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media, free guides, marketing downloadables, blog, podcast

Hi, I’m Reka,

Welcome to my website. Explore, find inspiration, motivation, and resources.

How to work from home: Set up your perfect home office

Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media
Navigate the website

How to work from home, the right way
- Tips for Successful Remote Working -

How to work from home, the right way: Tips for Successful Remote Working

Part one: Set up your perfect home office

Many of us dreamed of working from the comfort of our homes, but in reality, it can be a challenge. Even without kids, pets, and our significant others, there are plenty of distractions and inconveniences that can ruin our productivity.

I’ve collected you my best tips in this 4-part series to help you keep your sanity, stay healthy and productive.

Part one: Set up your perfect home office
Part two: Boost your productivity
Part three: Take care of your physical well-being
Part four: Mind your mental health

Image source: Pexels, Huseyn Kamaladdin (@kamo11235)

#1 Set up a permanent workspace

Location

First of all, choose a dedicated area. A separate room with a door is the best option, but if you don’t have a spare room a quiet area with some privacy will do. This is especially true if you have meetings with customers or you have noisy flatmates.

Lighting

Lighting can affect mental health, productivity and mood. Pick a spot with plenty of light – preferably natural one. It reduces the likelihood of headaches, eyestrain and improves your attitude. Although, do not sit with your back to the window.  It is best if a window is to your left if you’re right-handed, and to your right, if you’re left-handed.

Plants

Studies found significant reductions in stress among workers when plants were introduced to their workspace. They also clean the air and by absorbing sounds (rather than insulating against noise pollution), plants help to reduce the distracting effects of background office chatter. I personally, just love looking at them!

Desk with plant

Image source: Pexels @lum3n

#2 Get the right furniture

Sitting on the couch with your laptop may seem like a great idea, and it certainly looks good on Instagram, but let’s be real – it’s far from ideal. I can guarantee, within 3 hours you either spill your coffee on your lap, fall asleep, or your back start to hurt like hell. Trust me on this.

What you need

  • A desk – Ideally at least 60×100 cm, with adjustable height.

  • A comfortable chair, that supports your back – If you can afford an office chair with wheels.

  • A monitor, laptop stand or a box to keep your screen at eye level

Bed with table, laptop and tea

Image source: Unsplash @laurenmancke

Sitting on the couch with your laptop may seem like a great idea, but it’s far from ideal.

The chair is the trickiest part as even the cheaper ones usually cost at least 80 €, but if you have back issues or you’re planning to work from home permanently it is a must-have. Regarding the desk, I compromised on buying the cheapest Linnmon / Aldis combination at IKEA for 31 € with shipping. I’m lucky enough to have a laptop stand from my company, but before, I used to use a cardboard box for the job. (If you choose this option put 4 bottlecaps between the box and the paper to prevent overheating.) You can also purchase one from Amazon for as little as 11 €.

Home office settings

Image source: http://ergonomictrends.com

#3 Invest in technology

Keyboard and mouse

Keeping the right sitting posture won’t be easy without a mouse and a keyboard. To reduce the muscle load and prevent back and neck pain your elbows should be to your sides, and your arms at or below a 90° angle. Only using your laptop is basically impossible.

If you can bring your set home from the office. If you need to buy one consider ergonomy and the practicality too. A cheap set would only cost you around 15 €, but it might be worth looking for a wireless version – and if you can afford an ergonomic one that’s even better.

Headphones

Even if your phone is the latest model or you have a new laptop, you’ll probably need a good pair of headphones with a mic. You might be just fine with the one you already have for your mobile, but only if they are comfortable to wear all day long and are good quality enough.

If you need to invest in one, go for those with noise-cancelling features. Don’t forget you’ll need it to help you create personal focus and block out distractions and your colleagues/customers to understand you more clearly. Besides, the ideal headset has long battery life and Bluetooth compatibility.

Monitor

It’s definitely not a necessity, but a really (really really) nice to have. Especially if you’re working with huge excel sheets, graphic designs or multiple tabs simultaneously.

Home office desk

Image: My current home office setup. I’ve been using that monitor for more than 4 years. The laptop, eyboard and mouse is from my company.

If you're interested in learning more about the topic check out these resources:

Read the other parts of the series:

This article is not a sponsored content. I haven’t been hired or paid to recommend anything mentioned in this post.

Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media, free guides, marketing downloadables, blog, podcast

Hi, I’m Reka,

Welcome to my website. Explore, find inspiration, motivation, and resources.

Let me introduce your free proofreader: Grammarly

[elementor-template id="4197"]

Let me introduce you your new proofreader: Grammarly

There are many situations when you would appreciate a full-time proof-reader. No matter it is a hyper hyper (hands in the air Scooter fans 😉 ) important mail for your boss, an urgent reply to a colleague, a contract or a love letter for a crush – probably you want no grammar mistakes.

Have you ever wondered whether you are typing a word correctly while you were writing a mail or a blog post? If you are a non-native English speaker – like me – I’m definitely sure you’ve done it at least once…

Let me introduce you Grammarly

If you run a WordPress site you’ve probably familiar with the plugins that offers you grammar check, but if you listen to me you would give a chance to a browser extension, called Grammarly. Grammarly is a ‘free writing assistant’ that helps you to avoid grammatical mistakes, comma splices, adjective order and wordiness – nearly anywhere on the web including Facebook, Linkedin, Gmail or your blog.

How can I get it? Quite simply:

1) Let's Google

The easiest way is to type ‘grammarly *browser name* extension’ to your commonly used search engine. (I use Chrome so this is how I will show it.)

2) Go to extensions

Select the one result that leads you to the browser’s extensions/add-ons

3) Add it

Click on Add to Chrome

4) Personalise

The extension is now added, but you’ll need a log in. When it is added to your browser it automatically opens grammarly.com to set up your profile. Now you can personalise your account or you can Skip it if you wish – I provided the few info they asked for.

5) Log in

For this you’ll need to give an email address, a password and your name. It is not required to tick the small box, only if you wish to receive promotional emails.

6) Choose plan

Choose the free or the premium plan

Done

And here you are: Grammarly is added to your browser, so anytime you type something to your browser so you can continue to type with confidence.

TAKE NOTE: You can check your documents as well if you visit your Grammarly homepage and upload your document – or you can add Grammarly to Windows.

This article is not a sponsored content. I haven’t been hired or paid to recommend Grammarly. This article was published in 07/2018, so parts of it might be outdated.

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