How To Manage Your Work From Home (WFH) Stress

When we go into an office setting, there are procedures and structures put in place that everyone must abide by and lay the foundation for a successful workday. 

Remote work has many benefits, yet it also requires an employee to hold themselves accountable in their job responsibilities, combat loneliness, and make home arrangements that are conducive to a work environment. 

As a remote employee, it becomes your responsibility to make sure your home environment allows you to get your work done. You need to set your own rules — your manager is not visiting you at home to review your work setup. This can add a new set of duties to a remote worker’s task list on top of their current job tasks and workloads. 

What Are Signs My Home Working Environment Isn’t Working?

Remote jobs come in many different shapes and sizes. 

Some companies require employees to show themselves online during their work hours, and others simply ask employees to complete the set of tasks at hand during the day. 

Some managers micromanage, while others only want to be bothered if you need something. 

If an employee has a poor structure in place for their professional life, they may be sleeping in, getting online late in the day, and finding time in the evenings or on the weekends to make up for the lost time. 

Some people thrive in a dynamic work environment where they are physically around their colleagues to receive human connection. 

If this is you and you have made the transition to working remotely, it may be a challenging adjustment to now have more social isolation, regardless of whether you work part-time or full time. 

If you are experiencing exhaustion, mood swings, headaches, sleep issues, or other difficulties with your physical wellbeing, it may be time to switch things up. Below are a few changes that you can make to improve your work from home experience, get relief from these symptoms of stress, and enhance your physical well-being and mindset. 

How Can I Manage Anxiety?

Managing WFH stress can be a process, but there are a few things you can do to make your remote working experience more successful.

Create a Dedicated Workspace

To be successful working remotely, your office ideally should not be in the bedroom. 

Having one room where you both sleep and relax can have negative psychological effects. If there is nowhere else to set up your desk, do your best to divide the room into distinct sections. That way, it can feel like you are stepping into a separate office space. 

It is ideal to have a dedicated office space, especially if remote working is your new norm. 

If you have children running around, a dedicated office ensures that your work papers and such will remain in the same place you left them to keep yourself organized. At the same time, having a space allocated for any meetings or work calls helps make sure they will not be interrupted.   

Proofread Your Messages 

Being remote means no face-to-face interactions and more written communication, which can contribute to work-related stress. 

When we are stressed, we might mix up words or forget to mention something — and the message has already been sent. Reread your messages to make sure you are clear and concise and have covered all necessary subjects. Be as direct as possible in a respectful way, and don’t send the message until you are confident in it. 

If the conversation seems too confusing over email, pick up the phone and create a dialogue with your colleague. You both might be happy to get on the phone and have the ability to talk to break up the tasks for the day. 

Consider Time Zones 

If you work with people who live all over the country or even globally, time zones will play a significant role. 

There will probably be a delay in receiving information that you need to move forward in making decisions, and the end of the workday for you may not line up with that of your coworkers. 

With larger organizations, it is helpful to have announcements sent out via email after any meetings so that everyone is on the same page about what is taking place and how things are moving forward. 

Time zones may also mean you don’t get responses as fast as you’d like — this makes it even more important to ensure your emails or messages cover everything they should. If you have limited access to someone during the day due to time differences, the little communication you do have should be meaningful.

Schedule Breaks

Working non-stop during the day with no time to stretch or breathe can contribute to workplace stress. 

You need time to move your body, change positions, and think about something other than work — for your own wellbeing. Even if all you have is five minutes, give yourself that five minutes undisturbed by emails and phone calls. 

Taking breaks throughout the day can make us more efficient when we do sit down to get our job duties done. 

Have an After Work Ritual

There is no commute home when we are working remotely, which means there can be a tendency to stay at work longer than required. 

Having something to look forward to after work can help you maintain healthy boundaries to ensure you are not getting burnt out from sitting in front of a computer and working longer hours than necessary. 

It could be a sports league that gets you active with friends, simply going outside to unplug and meditate, or having dinner out to get some social interactions for the week. 

Your after-work ritual is the time to implement a healthy work-life balance. 

Exercise

Working from home usually means sitting quite a bit. 

If you have a standing desk, awesome! It gives you the ability to move around throughout the day and changes positions. 

However, even still, exercise is crucial to loosen up those muscles and stretch your body after being in one spot all day. 

Get some movement in. Even if all you do is take a walk around the house or go outside for a few moments of fresh air, this is better than nothing. 

Check In With Colleagues 

You know those side conversations that happen when you are in the office? They might no longer happen when you work remotely. 

As we know, human connection is vital to our health, and those impromptu moments can be a game-changer when we need a break or a boost of energy. 

Reach out to a teammate and see if they have a few minutes to chat. Or see if you both can hop on a video call while you have lunch, just like old times. 

Boundaries Between Work & Home Life

When working from home, you may have family members that are around and bidding for your attention. 

Furthermore, it can be tempting to try to tackle both work tasks and home-life tasks during the day, but this makes for an exceedingly long to-do list that you might not be able to tackle. 

It is okay to not get everything done in one day, and your family members will be okay if you communicate that you need to focus on work. Creating those boundaries between your work and home life can make it easier to focus on one thing at a time.

Unplug 

When you have completed your work hours, take a break until those hours start again. 

There may be times when a project has a major deadline that requires some flexibility, but overall, you should be able to disconnect from the work world when you are off the clock. 

Stress Relief Gummies 

If you ever need some additional support to manage your anxiety and practice self-care, ASYSTEM is here for you. 

Unaddressed stress can turn into burnout and mental health problems, so it is important to manage the things that are creating tension for you. 

ASYSTEM’s De-Stress Gummies can help you let go of anxiety and turn that lack of energy into an enhanced mood with improved focus. 

Our gummies include Rhodiola Extract, Day Terpene Blend, and Lemon Balm Extract to help reduce anxiety, enhance cognitive function, and support your mood so that you can complete the tasks at hand with ease. 

Summary 

More people are working from home these days, and remote work can be a tough transition if you are used to commuting into the office. 

Setting boundaries between work and home life, holding yourself accountable, and staying connected with colleagues and friends can help you combat the stress of working from home, and ASYSTEM supplements can take this tension relief one step further. 

Sources: 

Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control | Mayo Clinic 

5 Ways to Limit the Stress of Working from Home | Lifehack

8 tips to work from home and manage time more effectively | World Economic Forum