Working from home is like a dream come true. You can wave goodbye to your regular 6 am alarms, the getting ready rush, and the long early commute to the office. Say a warm welcoming hello to the blessing of waking up whenever you want, basking in your pajama work attire, and only having to leave the house to grab the milk at the front door.
Although working at home sounds like the ultimate work environment for an introvert, it can cause distractions from the temptations of scrolling on your social media feed to watching that addictive new Netflix series that just released. After hours of disruptions, it’s already lunchtime and you are thriving to find the motivation to crack on with tasks of the day that you simply can’t dismiss.
A lot of my friends and acquaintances I know, go through similar scenarios. Therefore, to help enhance your ‘working from home’ life, I have put together three of my best healthy habits to prevent a lazy lifestyle and introduce a productive one. I hope you will find these helpful.
1. Eat A Healthy Diet
We have all experienced the classic 3 pm energy slump, the need for an extra coffee top up, and the thought of “just one more” biscuit from the jar. Personally, I persisted in the regular habit to grab another pot noodle from the cabinet as it’s the quickest food I can possibly prepare. However, living off fatty snacks and easy microwave meals isn’t a healthy or nutritious option for your body and brain, and can develop a negative impact on your work life at home. Healthier workers are generally more efficient and influence positively on their productivity due to their improved nutritional status. According to the CCOHS, "healthy eating and active living – combined with a positive outlook can lead to elevated energy levels and self-esteem, and reduce anxiety and stress”. So put down last night’s Domino’s slice, and try to welcome fresh homemade food into your diet to elevate your working at home lifestyle.
After discovering and introducing delightful and healthy foods into my breakfasts and lunches, I love to jot them down to continue keeping my body in shape. My favourite book I have started using since the beginning of 2022 is “The Universe Has Your Back” Journal by Gabrielle Bernstein. It’s such a helpful tool for my working routine, and fascinating to look back and see how much my eating habits have changed in just three months of journaling! If you’re looking for something luxurious yet so simple to keep track of your meals and recipes, record progress and reflect on how your life is transforming with these changes, “The Universe Has Your Back” Journal is the book for you. It is beautifully designed with inspiring affirmations and vibrant watercolor art that provided the added motivation to continue my healthy lifestyle journey.
2. Give The Screen A Break
Although video chat apps and other technology keep us connected while we work remotely, they can also produce mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion. According to Healthline “Using digital devices up close or for long periods can lead to digital eyestrain”. When your eyes are strained from staring at a blue-light-emitting screen, you might develop dark eye circles, eye strain and headaches. It is suggested that you should spend 5 minutes away from a screen every hour to avoid these side effects, as well as changing your posture regularly, refocusing eyes; and doing some simple stretching exercises at your desk. After a couple of months of trial and error, I discovered the perfect pamper routine to reinforce moisture and brightness under my eyes- and have never stopped it since! To achieve my uplifting and energizing look, I like to massage under my eyes with the top trending Quartz Mini Facial Roller- in which it improves your lymphatic circulation and blood circulation within your eye circles. In addition, it minimises dark circles and eye puffiness and introduces new oxygen and nutrients to the area. I am completely in love with this roller; it’s without a doubt one of my favourite purchases. Whenever I get a headache during day work hours, I apply the cooling and relaxing tool across my forehead as well as my temples. The Quartz Mini Facial Roller is such a handy tool to carry on travels, a complete luxury for my sleep schedule, and has proven effortless and produced game changing results.
3. Meditate That Mindset
Stress and exhaustion are becoming more common as a result of remote working. There's more pressure to react to emails, join meetings, and communicate at all hours of the day and night now that the office is always just a click away. It's nearly impossible to completely detach these days. To minimise these stresses and reconnect with your purpose, it is suggested to practise deep breathing and meditation during your work breaks. Meditation starts with a state of awareness. We can't change something we aren't aware of. You can easily identify areas that require improvement by becoming aware of your own particular work habits and the stress that comes with them. Awareness allows us to see clearly what we can and cannot control. To achieve this, I tend to shut my eyes and ask myself, "How am I?". Meditation can be as simple as that. Turning attention inward with a genuine inquiry may be a transformative and stress-relieving experience. As I am a brand-new member of meditation, I wanted to take a step further into my wellbeing journey and find a product that can help me along the way. I came along an Aromatherapy kit by Clarity Blend called “The Botanical Essentials Set” which is perfect for beginners ready to update and revive their wellbeing routine. Each essential oil blend oil has such a unique rejuvenating and gorgeous scent- reminds me of summer meadow and spring gardens! I love to apply it lightly on my neck and temple, before I meditate and before bed to relax and soothe my busy working brain. It’s seriously improved my sleep schedule and reduced my anxiety levels as well as greatly reduced distractions and mind wanders during my zoom meetings.