Considering Your Health Throughout the Workday.
Whether you work in an office or from home, it’s important to establish a daily routine with your health in mind.
Understandably, you have important job tasks to complete that can pull your focus and result in little to no time for yourself. And while you might think that staying focused on your job makes you more productive, in the long run, it can negatively affect your physical and your mental health, which can then interfere with your productivity levels.
Luckily, there are things you can do to be more mindful of your health throughout the workday.
This week’s article is written by the wonderful Katie Brenneman. Thank you Katie for writing this for me.
Establish a Healthy Morning Routine.
How you start your morning can have a significant impact on the rest of your day. So make sure you are starting the day right with a healthy routine.
This is especially important for those who work from home because it’s easy to jump right out of bed and onto your computer without taking any time for yourself.
Healthy morning habits can include:
Waking up at the same time each day;
Stretching to wake your body up and get your blood flowing;
Doing some meditating, journaling, or any other activity of choice that helps you clear and focus your mind to prepare for the day ahead;
Eating a healthy breakfast to give you energy.
Create a Schedule With Timed Breaks.
Create a routine and stick to it. For people that work from home, not having a scheduled routine can make it hard to stay motivated and productive. It’s also easy to forget to take breaks when you work from home because there are no set breaks or lunchtime like there are when you work in an office.
One of the best remote work hacks is to create a schedule with timed breaks for yourself just like you would in a more traditional work setting. For example, you can set timers for one or two hours of focused work and then take 10 to 20 minutes to get up and stretch and focus on your needs.
When you do this, you will likely find that you are more productive in those one to two focused hours of work throughout the day than if you work for long stretches without taking breaks.
Squeeze in Some Me Time.
Scheduling “me time” into your workday is not selfish; it is essential. You are allowed to say no to things and focus on your needs from time to time.
It’s not uncommon for companies to forget that their employees are human beings with personal needs. You are not a robotic machine, and it is 100% okay to address your needs at work.
Playing the part of a cog in the machine without needs or feelings while working is incredibly unhealthy and can lead to poor productivity and mental health issues.
So, when you do take breaks, make sure they are genuine breaks that focus on you and what you need, whether that’s a short little walk outside, a moment of meditation, or just a quiet five minutes to yourself to breathe and rest.
Move Your Body.
It’s also important to regularly get up and move your body throughout the workday. Sitting for long periods of time can actually make you more tired, and it can lead to health issues. You may be at increased risk of developing varicose veins, poor circulation, and vascular disorders — among other things.
For this reason, make sure you are moving your body and getting your heart pumping at least a little bit throughout the day. This can be as simple as standing up and stretching for five minutes here and there, going out for a short walk on your lunch break, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or even squeezing in some yoga or other exercise in the middle of your day.
Plan out Your Meals Ahead of Time.
Eating healthy snacks, packing your own lunch, or planning out healthy meals ahead of time if you work from home is another important healthy habit for your workday.
When you’re busy working, it’s easy to often reach for convenient, unhealthy foods, or you might forget to eat altogether if you don’t have something at the ready. But eating healthy throughout the workday is crucial.
You need healthy, nutritious foods to keep your body working right, which includes healthy brain function for good focus. To avoid drops in energy and other pesky side effects of not eating right throughout the day, plan healthy meals ahead of time or pack healthy snacks and lunch so they are already set and ready to go when you need them.
Communicate and Stay Connected.
For remote workers, staying connected and socialising with people throughout the day is important. In the traditional job setting, you are often surrounded by coworkers whom you interact with throughout the day. But when you work from home, it’s easy to forget to communicate, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
It’s important to take the time throughout your day to connect with others. You can do this by using messaging apps to chat with coworkers, meeting up with a coworker or a friend on your lunch break, or by making phone calls to family now and then. You can even schedule regular video calls to connect and talk, even if just for a couple of minutes.
Address Issues That Are Causing You Stress.
Weaving self-care into your workday is an important part of staying happy and healthy so you can remain focused and productive. And while most people view self-care as taking breaks for “me time,” as mentioned earlier, it can also look like addressing issues head-on that are causing you stress.
When people say to rest and focus on our needs, we often think that means we need to get away from things and ignore our problems for a little while. But sometimes, self-care is actually about recognising the issues that are causing you stress and addressing them to find a solution, rather than running away from them.
Thus, the ultimate self-care is not about having a rest but taking a closer look at what is causing you stress so you can diminish it, cope, and experience stress less often.
For example, if you have a coworker that constantly says things inappropriate things, instead of taking breaks to get away from them, sit down and have a talk with them or talk with HR about them, so they don’t continue to say things that trigger and hurt you.
Final Thoughts.
Being more mindful of your health and well-being throughout the workday is important. Just because you are at work, does not mean you cannot or should not address your needs.
When you are happier and healthier, you will be able to work harder and better, which means it’s actually beneficial to your company for you to consider your health more often. So whether you work in a traditional work setting or from home, make sure you take the time to take care of yourself and address both your physical and mental health needs.
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specialising in lifestyle, mental health, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.
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