Personal Productivity
Five Tech Tricks to Cope with Stress When Working Away From Home
AUTHOR: Kyle McDermott
Working from home can be an unfair advantage as much as it can be a burden. With the rise of technology, many companies tend to outstaff part of their workers to cut business costs. It might seem that distant jobs are way more beneficial than on-site ones because remote workers enjoy flexible working hours, less supervision, and larger freedom.
However, there is a flip side to it. Most remote workers are faced with difficulties in maintaining a good work-life balance as they have to fulfill multiple tasks as it is difficult to differentiate between work and household chores. Another common challenge of remote work is the lack of focus. Being at home also means plenty of distractions that can capture your attention in no time while the project can wait. Social media, TV, and calls from your friends are all contributing factors to a decrease in work efficiency. As a result, you find yourself less productive and spending more time on the tasks that have never been time-consuming. Besides, a person can be a distraction on their own. The home setting is usually cozy and habitual, which encourages few people to start working once they have turned on their laptop.
Irregular work scheduling often leads to negative effects on the human body and behavior, which may entail stress and anxiety unless a worker decides to change their work routine.
Top 5 tips on how to relieve stress
These are 5 simple daily tips that you can incorporate in order to reduce stress levels when working from home.
1. Set a schedule
Working from home requires the same discipline and planning as on-site work. The first rule for avoiding work-related stress is to choose a fixed time schedule which fits your body rhythms. For example, if you are a night owl, do not push yourself into working once you wake up. Give yourself time to engage in a less stressful activity first before getting down to your projects. Next, you can try using various time tracking apps that let you better manage your plan and motivate you to finish all the tasks before the time is up. One of them is Tomato, a simple timer that helps you alternate work and rest intervals and monitor your progress during a day.
2. Exercise regularly
The negative effect of distant jobs is a sedentary lifestyle that may harm your physical and mental health unless you have a habit of exercising routinely. Any physical activity is considered to be an effective remedy for stress and anxiety. You can jog in the morning before breakfast or go to the gym after you complete your to-do list. Exercise triggers the release of dopamine and endorphins, so-called happiness hormones that also reduce your perception of pain. To get to know your body better, you can use fitness tracking bands and smartwatches that help you keep track of your heart rate during your training session.
3. Get to know your fellow workers
The biggest threat of telework is the lack of face-to-face communication, which has an immense impact on a worker’s emotional state. Some jobs are not meant for teamwork and put a person in a solitary environment that can make employees feel happy first as they are free from talking to toxic people but at the same time deprive them of their social aspect of life. Living this lifestyle for years eventually may lead to a variety of health disorders, including insomnia, depression, heart diseases, etc. The need for real-life social interaction is even higher when someone works remotely. For this reason, one should try establishing good connections with their colleagues outside of work. You can organize your party or offer your fellow workers to visit some places together. It will be an excellent way to avoid the negative effects of social isolation arising from remote work.
4. Establish good sleep hygiene
Healthy sleep habits are a basis to resist numerous stressors that are typical for any job. However, remote workers should be conscious of sleep hygiene more as their flexible scheduling often results in sleep deprivation. Short deadlines and engagement in multiple problems at a time is a cause of insomnia and other sleep disorders in many individuals occupying distant jobs. If it is difficult to get on a sleep schedule, the least you can do is to start using blue-filter software as well as apps that help you give your eyes a break.
5. Cultivate a positive mindset
You can improve your stress resistance by developing the right attitude to hurdles facing you at work. Get comfortable saying ‘No’ to people and things you have never liked. Start listening to your needs and what prevents you from feeling at ease. Working from home is not always a problem if you know how to make the most of this opportunity. As an alternative, you can start practicing meditation and breathing exercises that are both said to help workers be unaffected by stress-related triggers.
How to use technology to de-stress
- Stress-relieving apps. You can find dozens of apps that are meant to help you deal with stress after a hard work day or in a tense situation. You can find the one to your liking. There are game-based or just nature sounds that sometimes have a positive effect on the human mind.
- Apple Watch breathing exercises. If Apple Watch is an essential part of your daily outfit, make the most out of it and do breathing exercises every single time you feel uneasy or anxious.
- Set up a smart home. Housework is one of the common reasons for an increase in stress levels, especially among women. By installing smart devices that greatly cut your house chores time, you can focus on how you feel and the ways of improving your emotional comfort.
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