Don't let your work stress become your home stress

I had a fantastic discussion this week with a prominent International Business Owner around the topic of mental health and working from home. It really hit home for me. For many, unanticipated mental health consequences will indeed result from mandated remote work, and it is important to be cognisant of this reality.

Two causes for concern are isolation and burnout.

Pre- COVID, remote work is a common trend in many industries , especially tech and business services; many are already familiar with how the solitude of working remotely can impact mental health. For those who are accustomed to and appreciative of conventional “office life” and a steady rate of social interactions at the office, the shift to remote work will indeed have consequences. Firstly, it can turn normally optimistic, productive worker bees into tired, unmotivated, irritable toads. Yes I know what you are thinking, "I have never been this productive." But re-think. This is short term. One of the reasons many managers don't approve of remote work is they fear employees will slack off without that physical, in-person oversight. But, in fact, the opposite tends to be the reality: remote workers are more likely to overwork. When your personal life and your work are both under the same roof, it's harder to switch off. Overcoming demands requires self control, which in turn depletes mental energy levels. Over time I would like you to consider that working from home anxiety takes on many forms, including:

1. Pressure to hustle 24/7. You probably squeeze in work whenever you can. But without time to disconnect and unplug, you risk burning out. 
2. Stress from wearing multiple hats. Working from home requires time management, invoicing skills, marketing, IT troubleshooting, customer service, and much more like home schooling, professional dish washer, the maid and cleaner. Switching between these hats multiple times a day will wear out anyone.
3. Intensified family pressures.
4. Feeling a lack of boundaries on when you need to start working (and stop!), when you need to get up and go to sleep, when to log off of social media, and more can feel like true liberation. This feeling, however, can gradually morph into a feeling of being out of control for many who don't expect it.

Here are some tips on how to enhance mental health and well-being when working from home:

1. Set up a dedicated workspace, which should be as free from distractions as possible.
2. Develop a schedule, which includes phases of focused work as well as breaks.
3. Don't eat your breakfast and lunch and dinner at the office desk
4. Organise your email communication and reserve dedicated times for responding to emails.
5. Try to establish simple routines which don’t require any self-control, such as a coffee break or starting your working day with an easy routine task.
6. Set up dedicated times for work and leisure – and stick to these times. It is important to bookend your day.
7. Refrain from setting impromptu goals (such as, “I will stop working once I finish this task”) as deadlines for finishing work.
8. If possible, work in a different room than the one you spend your leisure time in. Particularly avoid working in your bedroom as it may remind you of work related issues, preventing detachment when you go to sleep. (If you don’t have the option of a different room, then try to tidy away everything that may remind you of work.)
9. Refrain from all forms of work related communication during non-work time.
10. Use team collaboration tools and video to re-capture the sense of social presence and interaction with your colleagues, partners, and customers. Video conferences, online meetings, text conversations, and phone calls can be a good substitute for those face-to-face encounters you are missing.
11. Be proactive in reaching out, connecting, engaging and interacting with others. Instead of simply waiting for schedule meetings, sometimes it is helpful to have that “virtual” coffee break or an informal chat with a remotely located colleague. You never know, they may also be feeling somewhat isolated themselves and will appreciate your making the effort to interact with them.

So before you hit rock bottom, learn how to spot the signs of declining mental health so you can address your next steps. What have you got in place to prevent burnout and fatigue?