Stay Home Stay Fresh (Mentally)
by Jack Hasselmann
I know it’s been a year since we started this COVID, work from home black hole, and many of you have established proven systems to help you navigate this uncertain time.
You may have found the line between work personal life blurring or almost fading away completely. Managers or clients expect you to be available at all times, every minute of your day is scheduled, now you live with your mom and dad, you can’t see your friends, I think we can all relate to at least one aspect mentioned here. This post is meant to help you stay fresh mentally while staying home.
Space and Schedule: Create and maintain a routine and schedule as well as a consistent work environment just as you would in an office. If you can avoid it, do not use your bedroom as an office, it makes a world of difference to keep your bedroom and workspaces separate. I know some of you will still work from bed, you are probably the same people that eat chips in bed. Anyway, do whatever works for you.
7:00 a.m. — Wake up, stretch, take care of kids/animals/plants/inanimate objects
7:30 a.m. — Breakfast and family time (technology free!)
8:00 a.m. — Work and check on updates with small breaks or dance breaks
12:00 p.m. — Lunch break, get fresh air, stretch & exercise
1:00 p.m. — Work with breaks, check in with co-workers, old and new
5:00 p.m. — Dinner and screen break! Call a friend, family, loved one, or shoot your shot
7:00 p.m. — Self-care time
12:00 a.m. — Pls Fix time. Just kidding…unless you are on an implementation project.
Stay connected: Stay connected with family, friends, and support systems. Talk about literally anything not related to work or COVID for once, just try it. If you are able to do so safely, meet up with friends, family, or colleagues in person and vent about something. Could be your mom’s inability to refrain from interrupting Zoom calls, or your roommate’s inability to address the dishes in the sink, whatever it is, trust me it helps.
Exercise and stay active: Not only good for your physical health, but also your mental health. Do chores in between meetings, meal prep, bother your roommates, walk, stretch, do planks, goat yoga, Peloton, make a Tik Tok, do anything to stay moving and you will notice an impact in your mental state.
Limit media consumption: You know that little screen time thing your IPhone shows you. Check that, now reduce it. Maybe delete Tik Tok? Instagram? Read a book, just take your eyes off the screen for a while. This can help reduce eye strain, headaches, and unnecessary and embarrassing social media posts.
Set boundaries on work schedule: Ensure you are working reasonable hours and when you sign off for the night it feels the same as leaving the office. I know work related things come up after hours however drawing a line here can help separate work and personal life immensely. It can be tempting to work more while remote, however it can also be strenuous on your health and well-being, stick to a schedule with healthy boundaries.
The end is near, you have made it this far, you got this…. what’s a few more months? This summer will be normal…right?
