Maintaining A Healthier Regime
for Full-time Remote Workers
See also: Stress and Stress Management
To most people, remote work is like a dream come true. They experience more freedom and comfort in their jobs without having to think about the transportation time they would have to spend just to get to their office. Managing all your tasks from the comfort of your own desk is probably the best deal you could experience, but one should be mindful of the possible adverse effects of having to work at home for an extended period.
Do not rely on anyone. Equip your life with different strategies to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health.
In whatever you do, purposely promote a self-care plan that could address different areas of your well-being.
What Is Self-Care?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” It recognizes the abilities of individuals to take care of their physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual health - this includes their medical care, nutrition and diet, sports activities, leisure, personal hygiene, cultural and social responsibilities, community participation, and more.
Self-care is an important concept and an ongoing dilemma for many remote workers. Not separating your work and personal life may decrease the quality of life you have for yourself, thus making it challenging to build resilience in caring for your mind, spirit, and body.
1. Physical Self-Care
When it comes to your physical health, it is crucial to understand the strong connection between emotions, mind, and energy. A full-time remote worker tends to sit all day without him even noticing it. An activity like this may adversely affect your physical state - an example would be the accumulation of fat cells around your body, also called love handles. These are excessive fats formed whenever you have an excessive calories intake. To lower the risk of any underlying health illnesses, remote workers may start planning a healthier lifestyle. With the right combination of exercise and diet, different vitamins, minerals, and supplements, you are sure to boost metabolism, also promoting weight loss. Incorporating any vitamins or supplements like vegan fat burners into your lifestyle may not only make you physically fit, but may also give you higher brain activity, increase your energy, promote better sleep, and more, thus correlatively affecting your work productivity, creativity, energy, and focus.
In promoting physical self-care, it is vital that you stay active but at the same time get adequate rest and sleep.
Some areas to improve in your physical self-care journey
Try some different kinds of exercise that do not require you to go to the gym. Start with some leg workouts, squats, pushups, lunges, wall sits, and planking.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night to ensure you provide your body with enough rest.
Eating healthy foods is part of your assignment to yourself. It might be difficult for individuals who live by themselves to prepare some meals. Just try to slowly lessen your consumption of fast foods and find a better delivery service for your meals.
- Get some fresh air.
2. Mental Self-Care
Taking care of your mental health, especially in trying situations like working remotely at home, can be more difficult. Employees have a stressful work environment, overpopulating tasks, unmanageable schedules, and the feeling of isolation. Constant stress and pressure only lead to loss of motivation - thus affecting your performance and work experience.
Mental self-care is all about filling your mind with positive energy and, at the same time, influencing your psychological being with proactive activities. You may start reading books that could also provide inner peace, or you may try to engage with puzzles and problem-solving games. It is very common for remote employees to be more present on social media, but you must try to unplug from technologies as they only show unrealistic life expectations.
Life can get so busy, and your mental health is as important as your physical health.
Are you doing these mental self-care activities?
Do crafts like painting and play some instruments. This will definitely boost your creativity.
Have a journal. Help yourself have a healthy inner talk by writing down your feelings, worries, and problems.
Reflect before you sleep. Think about how your day passes by. Was it productive? Are you grateful? Is there something you regret not doing?
Set a schedule and follow it. This way, you are making sure that you are in control. Having a goal and plan allows you to be more committed to whatever you do, creating tolerance and resilience.
3. Social Self-Care
Socialization involves having a close connection with other people. People beyond and within your circle impart support, care, memories, gratitude, and appreciation. Remote workers are left vulnerable to the negative effect of social isolation. Without having to engage in any face-to-face communication is instead a frightening situation as it only adds stress, anxiety, and overthinking. You are compromising your work ethics whenever you allow yourself to feel irrational, anxious, moody and feeling tired all the time.
Social self-care could also mean engaging in empathic listening. Remember that even with your own well-being, you have a social responsibility to understand life from a different perspective. Emphatic listening is therapeutic. You are allowing yourself to care, to be involved, to empathize, to be kind and caring without having to judge.
Making yourself available to others is the simplest form of social self-care. You are allowing yourself to feel, love, and care.
Different social self-care practices to try
It is challenging at first, but there are great benefits if you take the initiative to socialize.
Create quality and fruitful time whenever you're with friends and family. Do not be distracted by your work and focus on the activity you’re in.
Have a pet. They are the best loyal companion and have proven to reduce stress.
Join and be a member of any group. If you love tennis, swimming, or other activities, look within your area, and try to make a team by joining them.
Keep At It
You have been working so hard. It may be for your family, career, or yourself. But always remember that self-care is the most precious gift you could provide for yourself. Invest in providing better self-care and stay committed to whatever healthy lifestyle you desire for yourself.
Further Reading from Skills You Need
The Skills You Need Guide to Life
This two-part guide is an easy-to-read summary of the essential skills you need for a healthy mind and body.
The first eBook, Looking After Yourself, covers some of our most popular content and will help you to live a happier, healthier and more productive life.
The second eBook, Living Well, Living Ethically, considers how you can live your best life all the time. It helps you to answer the question: how can I avoid having too many regrets about my life?
About the Author
Amy Waters is a content writer who provides creative and strategic content that raises awareness and engagement towards the community.