Working from home can be glamorous; the idea of not commuting to work daily and having flexible working hours sounds like music to the ears. Although remote work seems to be the golden prize for some people, it comes with its side effects, and an individual’s mental health takes a big blow. Who would have thought having that much liberty would be detrimental to one’s mental health. 

A study conducted by Buffer on 3,500 remote workers for its State of Remote Work 2020 report shows that 25% of work from home staff suffer from loneliness, 18% are unable to unplug from work, and 7% cannot stay motivated to carry on the job. 

So if you fall into the category of people who work from home, here are a couple of tricks you can use to protect your mental health as you thrive in your various fields. 

Work-Life balance

Sometimes remote workers find it difficult to unplug from work. This habit results from their work materials being easily accessible to them; by being repeatedly focused on work, they miss out on other activities in their lives. This cycle goes on without you realizing until one day you wake up drained. 

To avoid this cycle, you can adopt the following tactics:

  • Work with a schedule 
  • Have a designated working period 
  • Take breaks between working hours

Reward yourself 

When working in an office, you get applauded for a job well done by co-workers and your boss. But working from home removes that dynamic, and you these praises might not come the way you like them too. So cultivate the habit of rewarding yourself for a job well done. You can gift yourself a bar of chocolate, buy yourself food, a lot of food, or watch an episode from your favorite show. Also, you can go on various social media platforms to blow your trumpet. This reward system is to enable you to stay motivated.

You don’t have to be all alone while working from home 

Being a remote worker does not translate to being a loner. You have to get up from your home desk and do things with other people. By doing this, you combat loneliness and feeling isolated; you just might get solutions for a problem you’ve been battling. You could also find workspaces; working from home doesn’t mean you have to work from your house; find a working space with people in the same industry as you, and surround yourself with people. Another option is to plan work dates with other freelancers where you meet up and just work. 

Have a designated workspace 

Remote workers often work from any and everywhere in their homes. Having a designated workspace would enable you to move away from work when done with your daily activities. 

Pick up new Skills and Habits while working from home

With the flexible working hours of working from home, you can now pick up a skill you’ve always wanted to learn or develop new habits. This opportunity allows you to do things

you’ve always wanted to do but not had the time to go around it. 

Some skills you can develop as a Remote worker to boost your mental health includes

  • Cooking
  • Sewing 
  • Learning a new language

You can also start a regular exercise routine.