It’s the fall of 2022 and many of us are still working remotely, a trend that could continue for years. Make sure your physical and mental health stay fit at home.
Health is still number one
Worker burnout following the 2020 Covid pandemic lead to the Great Resignation, a phenomenon waking people up to reprioritize their lives both professionally and personally. 4.53 million workers quit their jobs in March of 2022 beating a previous high of 4.51 million in November of 2021. One constant through this tornado of change, though, has been remote work. Employees across industries are still avoiding the office for a mix of health, location preference, and other factors proliferated by the pandemic.
The flexibility of remote work comes at the cost of inactivity and lethargy that develops without movement and interaction, and many still struggle with the related declining health. Here’s a friendly reminder list of habits to pick up while working at home.
“Your work doesn’t lead to good health, but good health usually produces good work.” Says Alyssa Mastrangelo, CSS PSG National Recruiting Director.
Promote brain health through gut health with a balanced diet
You should take advantage of whatever cooking area you have if you’re working from home because your gut health determines your brain health. Professor James Goodwin, author of “Supercharge Your Brain” regards your gut as a so-called “Godzilla brain,” a direct organ sending feedback to your cranium reporting your ingestion habits. Your normal brain needs a variety of nutrients, mostly plant-based, to function at the highest level. If you’re neglecting that culinary variety, your stomach lining receptors send alarms to your brain slowing function and jeopardizing focus. Be kind to your brain and eat a balanced diet
Exercise once every 90 minutes to keep your body moving and your brain active
Hours and hours on end without any movement slows metabolism and stunts healthy bodily functions. With the flexibility of remote work, we have the freedom to get up and move around whenever we start feeling stagnant. Getting up and walking, stretching, or engaging in other exercises ideally once an hour (every 90 minutes at the very least) will kickstart your bodily functions and reengage brain activity.
Figure out the time of day that you’re most productive
Continuing the theme of freedoms gained from working from home, we’re able, for the most part, to set our own schedules. The classic 9-5 in-office schedule was the principal timetable for everyone, but not everyone naturally fit those work hours. Some enjoy getting up to the crow of the rooster and others enjoy ramping up while the sun sets. Talk with your manager and build a personalized schedule around the time of day when you are most productive.
Find time to chat with your coworkers
The biggest deficiency in working from home is the disconnect from coworkers. Yes, project collaboration and work-related tasks suffer without physical presence, but we also lose those casual moments to bond with coworkers in the office. It turns out the cliché water cooler talk and happy hour sessions are more important than we thought. Non-work-related camaraderie builds in these casual moments and strong teams are built with the mortar of this causal connection.
So, as much as we dread Zoom calls, it’s healthy to make time for facetime with fellow coworkers, even if the content isn’t work-related.
Diversify your work environment if possible
For those working from home without official home offices, try to get out of the house and diversify your environment. Merging workspace and living space can blur the lines between when work begins and ends and adds stress off the clock. If you have the flexibility, try a day or two working from a coffee shop or other Wi-Fi-equipped public space in the area to separate work and home for a calmed mental state off-hours.
Fill your space with living organisms
Accent your workspace with a biolithic design adding plants for cleaner air. Not only do they emit oxygen, but they move and grow making your space dynamic and pleasant. Add flowers for fresh aromas. A University of Technology, Sydney study found that plants in the office or in work-from-home spaces result in a 58% drop in depression or dejection and a 37% drop in tension and anxiety.
Be open with your manager about your mental health
Don’t be afraid to talk with your manager if you feel strained, stressed, depressed, or mentally checked out for one reason or another. This is common among all work-from-home warriors and managers are happy to help alleviate these pains. Clear communication is always preferred to ambiguity. If you’re underperforming or just not your normal self, go to your manager before it gets out of hand and make it understood you may need time.
CSS Professional Staffing Group has the talent experts to match managers and candidates for the perfect remote roles
Remote working widened the talent pool tenfold, and the recruitment professionals at CSS PSG have a broadened scope of candidates and clients to alleviate remote work needs. Specializing in Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, Office Support, and Call Center Support, the CSS PSG team builds the best internal corporate teams across a multitude of industries. Connect with CSS PSG today and let your top talent flow in.