Challenges of Working From Home
In early 2020 the pandemic caused many of us to be suddenly thrown into working or attending school from home. Unless we already had a designated home office, we immediately were challenged by finding a place to work. We used dining tables, couches, basements, and bedrooms as our workspace. Often we had to share these spaces with other family members who were trying to work from home or with children attending a virtual classroom. And, we had to figure out a new process for routine activities such as meal preparation and household chores.
Early on, many of us were excited about having a little extra time in our day. After all, we didn’t have to commute to work or put on our “work clothes.” However, many of us quickly realized that working from home is a lot harder than we thought. That’s because we began to experience new distractions that don’t occur when we are at our workplaces. You know, distractions such as barking dogs, delivery people, and our family members interrupting us.
Without a clear separation between home and work activities, we also found that the workday never ends. We start earlier and work later. Furthermore, it is hard to unplug even during times we designate to be with our families. This is concerning because numerous research studies point out that the lack of mentally disconnecting from our job can lead to lower productivity, reduce motivation, increase stress, and negatively impact mental health (Giurge & Bohns, 2020).
Based on what we are experiencing today, it is likely that many of us will be working from home for some time to come. Many companies have already announced that their employees will work from home well into 2021 (Kelly, 2020). Because of this, we must develop techniques that will help us not only be productive but will also protect our overall well-being.
Mindfulness is a great antidote to heightened stress, distraction, and the inability to unplug (Giurge & Bohns, 2020). The following describes how a mindfulness practice can support some of the challenges of working from home.
Disconnecting from Work. One thing that keeps us from detaching or unplugging from work is work rumination (Querstret & Cropley, 2012). Work-related rumination is defined as the inability to stop thinking about work-related issues and events when we are not working (Querstret & Cropley, 2012). Our mindfulness practice helps us notice when our attention is focused elsewhere and provides us with the ability to refocus our attention to the present. When we focus our attention on the present, we are not locked inside heads, replaying concerns, and worries.
Distraction. Because our home environment introduces lots of distractions, it can be a suboptimum environment for work. Our mindfulness practice helps us gain the skills to manage our wandering attention and be able to quickly refocus our attention when we are distracted.
Zoom Fatigue. Today, people experience a new emotional and physical drain called Zoom fatigue (Fosslien & Duffy, 2020). To manage the fatigue from screen time requires us to develop practices that provide relief from the symptoms that come with ample screen time. Our mindfulness practice helps us become more aware of our physical body and our emotional responses.
TAKE ACTION!
Here are three simple things you can do to manage the unique challenges working from home provokes:
RELEASE TENSION
Every hour scan your body to find tension spots, such as in your neck and shoulders. Once you identify that tension, take a few slow and even breaths, visualizing your breath and releasing tension in that area. Here’s a two-minute exercise that you might find useful to release tension.
BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT
When you notice your mind is wandering, say to yourself, “not now,” and then take a few breaths to bring your attention back to the present. You may have to repeat this several times. The exercise, “Your Wandering Mind” may provide you with a better understanding of what this looks like.
USE BREATHING TO REFOCUS
Take one to two minutes between meetings or tasks to practice a breathing exercise. Here’s a 4-7-8 breathing exercise that you may find helpful to refresh and refocus your attention.
WHY NOT START TODAY?
Developing these skills now will help you protect your mental well-being and lessen the challenges of working from home.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Working remotely during COVID-19: Your mental health and well-being. Available at http://workplacementalhealth.org/Employer- Resources/Working-Remotely-During-COVID-19.
Fosslien, L., & Duffy, M. W. (2020, April 29). How to combat Zoom fatigue. Harvard Business Review. Available at https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue.
Giurge, L. M., & Bohns, V. K. (2020, April 3). 3 tips to avoid WFH burnout. Harvard Business Review. Available at https://hbr.org/2020/04/3-tips-to-avoid-wfh-burnout.
Kelly, J. (2020, May 24). Here are the companies leading the work-from-home revolution. Forbes. Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/05/24/the-workfrom- home-revolution-is-quickly-gaining-momentum/#760106331848.
Querstret, D., & Cropley, M. (2012). Exploring the relationship between work-related rumination, sleep quality, and work-related fatigue. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,17(3), 341e353.
Querstret, D., Cropley, M., & Fife-Schaw, C. (2017). Internet-based instructor-led mindfulness for work-related rumination, fatigue, and sleep: Assessing facets of mindfulness as mechanisms of change. A randomized waitlist control trial. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(2), 153e169.