Remote Working and Mental Health

As far back as 2001 the World Health Organization predicted that one in every four persons at some point in their lives would be affected by a neurological disorder. 19% of the world’s adult population are affected by mental illness every year. Mental illness can stem from something as basic as eating and anxiety and develop into full blown cases of anxiety disorders, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias, depression, eating disorders, and personality disorders.

The novel pandemic brought about a lot of changes as far as health, and safety is concerned, it also ushered the practice of remote work. The lockdown was essential and according to world news countries like France have gone under a second national lockdown, Portugal, Czech Republic, Greece have also followed suit. While countries like Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium to mention a few have also imposed partial lockdowns and curfews. We can all agree that these measures are essential for the physical wellbeing of everyone.

Nevertheless these unavoidable lockdowns may have affected the mental health of many. According to a BBC report, some people developed eating disorders, depression, while others complained that they experienced creative burnouts and for the most part, since they were not as productive as they would have been under normal circumstances.

So many are working remotely for the first time, the unavoidable isolation from co-workers, friends and family has definitely caused a certain degree of helplessness, stress, anxiety, physical and mentally strain for so many which is totally normal.

Therefore, what are the measures you can take to remain stable and protect your mind while working from home:

• Set up reasonable daily schedules.
• Set up reasonable working hours, avoid overworking.
• Get enough sleep, eat well and stay hydrated.
• Exercise as often as you can or engage in virtual group workouts.
• Stay informed but avoid excessive media consumption.
• Step out for fresh air in a safe location if you can.
• Socialize with coworkers, friends and family via online meeting tools like Google hangout, Zoom, Skype, etc.

Are you taking care of your mental health? What would you do differently starting today?