Despite its challenges, if you’re able to maintain a healthy work life balance and schedule, working from home can actually have positive impacts on your mental health and overall wellbeing! In fact, many individuals think that a flexible work schedule would drastically impact their lives positively- and due to unique circumstances, many of us have been presented with this opportunity. It’s up to us to make the best of it, and learn how to make it work for us- in the short or long term!
One significant way a flexible, work from home job can impact mental health is its ability to lower work related stress. For many working professionals, their daily commute alone can take a huge toll. Additionally, working at home can eliminate many daily distractions that come from coworkers, and allows you a more comfortable, quiet work environment. Flexible work allows families the opportunity to spend more time together, take more vacations and maintain a slower paced life. Sounds like a win-win!
At the same time, working from home has its disadvantages as well. When working remotely, you miss out on the fellowship and community that comes with working in an office. You’ll miss out on lunch breaks with colleagues and day to day conversations that fulfill our need for regular social interactions. While zoom meetings can help with this, it’s important for those working from home to recognize this social need, and plan to socialize in other ways.
Another potential downside is falling out of routine. It can be tempting to take advantage of the flexibility remote work brings, and start sleeping in later or putting off work to watch TV. It’s important to be honest with yourself about your personal motivation and work habits so you can set yourself up for success. Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. Perhaps working from a local coffee shop, out and away from the house will make you feel more productive. It’s all about finding what works for you!
Whether you’re loving working from home or not, it’s a situation many of us are facing currently. Use this time to experiment with it, and see if it can work for you. You may find it brings some positive, unexpected benefits to your work-life balance!
