September 24th, 2022

Work From Home Blues: 4 Ways to Care for Your Mental Health On and Off the Clock

Lauren Bouyea, LICSW

 The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of unprecedented change in all aspects of life. As businesses closed their doors and people were urged to limit their social contact, many Americans found themselves leaving the office in exchange for setting up shop within their own homes. While many workers prefer working from home, it does come with unique challenges.

For some, it can be difficult to separate work from home. Whether this is due to the nature of the job or the environment itself (one-bedroom apartment, anyone?), it is not always easy to strike a balance. If this resonates with you, read on for tips to combat some of the most common difficulties one might encounter in this new normal for over one-third of Americans. 

1. Take an actual lunch break

Many of us are guilty of this both at the office and at home. Our stomachs are rumbling, the clock is approaching afternoon hours, and we’re trying to find a natural break in the workflow to enjoy lunch. Unfortunately, this break is not always so natural and we end up answering e-mails between forkfuls of last night’s leftovers. While it’s easy to become complacent in routine, there are real benefits to stepping away to enjoy your food. 

A lunch break affords your brain a midday recharge. Taking a break from any task is associated with increased concentration, motivation, and productivity. Take the Pomodoro technique, for example, which encourages five minute breaks throughout the day with longer 15-30 minute breaks interspersed throughout for peak performance. For an extra mental health boost, experiment with mindful eating free from other distractions. 

2. Aim to leave the house at least once per day  

Whether before, during, or after your work day, make a point to step outside. This is especially important during the winter months when we often wake up in the dark and finish work when the sun has already begun to set. Even sitting on your front stoop or sipping your morning coffee in the backyard is enough to soak in mood-boosting Vitamin D. Leaving the house is also beneficial to combat loneliness - seeing other things beyond your own four walls can serve as a reminder that life is happening all around us and we are not alone. 

3.  Switch up your work space.

Working from home can become redundant or distracting. Thankfully there are many different options available to you if you feel like switching up your scenery. One such option that has grown in popularity are coworking spaces. These are communal spaces you can rent a desk in, often for a monthly fee, to enjoy the benefits of limited personal distractions and the power of social presence. 

Other spaces outside of the home to consider working from could be a coffee shop, a town or university library, a local park (if you have a hotspot), or even a friend’s house who is also working from home. Whichever location you may choose, you not only reap the social benefits of these spaces, but may also be able to concentrate better due to the ambient background noise which has been linked to increased creativity. 

4.     Harness the power of rituals 
The lines of work and home can be further blurred by the convenience of this set-up: you can roll out of bed five minutes before you need to begin your day, work in your pajamas, and end your day exactly where you started it without needing to change location. However, if you find work-life is encroaching on home-life, one way to separate the two is to establish rituals that signify the beginning and end of a work day. 

Some suggestions for rituals to begin your work day are changing into work clothes, writing a to-do list with tasks for the day, putting your personal phone on silent, or even just the act of logging into your e-mail. As for ways to symbolically switch into home-mode, try playing the same song at the end of each day, change your clothes, physically put your laptop away, or go for a walk. 

Working from home is beneficial to many, and it is important to regularly check-in with your mental health and make adjustments if needed to get the most out of your day on and off the clock. 

Lauren Bouyea, LICSW

Lauren is a licensed independent clinical social worker who completed her undergraduate studies at University of Rhode Island and received her graduate degree from Boston College. Lauren works primarily with adults and older adolescents, and enjoys utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to assist clients in making contact with what they value most in life in order to begin shifting thought patterns and behavior to align with their desired goals.