Make time for self-care when working from home

Make time for self-care when working from home

In the post-Covid era, working from home has become second nature for many in the American workforce, and with it comes a list of advantages - and potential pitfalls. The trick is finding the happy medium between distractions in the home that can draw you away from your work and having an office that's never too far away.

"I think the key thing for somebody who works from home is finding that balance between work responsibility and the home life, personal time responsibility," says Amanda Westphal, community benefits specialist at Emplify Health by Gundersen.

To be sure, there are several physical benefits from working at home. Not having a commute may allow you extra time in your day for physical activity such as going for a walk or getting in a workout. That increased opportunity for self-care can help relieve stress, Westphal says, as does the ability to focus more with fewer office-like distractions.

However, working from home can cause a feeling of social isolation. Connections with co-workers - outside of Zoom meetings - can be more difficult to foster.

"Folks who work from home may be at more at risk for that, which could lead to feelings of loneliness," Westphal says, "so it's important to think about how you can connect with your co-workers to avoid increasing that social isolation."

And with the increasing popularity of meal and grocery delivery services, it can be easy to forget to leave the house some days.

"It is important to get out of the house and do things," Westphal says. "Take time to go out for walks and intentionally connect with co-workers."

She suggests scheduling in-person meetings with co-workers, or plan to meet up at a coffee shop or library together to work for a couple hours - anything that can fill that need for social connection.

For more tips on how to succeed when working from home, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionwebsite at cdc.gov/niosh/blogs/2020/working-from-home.html.