A Guide to Healthy Home Working

Working from home is a dream many of us aspire to achieve but, although it has a number of benefits, there are also a few ways in which it can impact on your general health. However, there are a number of ways that you can take care of your health while you work from home, so that you can avoid any health implications and make the most of your home working setup.

Move Around 

A sedentary job tends to mean a lot of sitting which is not great for our overall health. Working in an office environment usually involves getting up to make drinks, use the photocopier, or speak to other members of staff but, at home, we are much more likely to sit for longer periods. Short, frequent breaks are an important way to keep healthy and active, particularly if there are already any underlying health problems. Try to get up and move for a few minutes every hour, remind yourself by setting a stopwatch or build in a movement when you’re speaking on the phone. You could also use gym equipment or doing reps for a few minutes every hour or so to get the muscle groups working. 

Check your posture

Sitting at a desk can encourage poor posture, as we tend to slouch down into our seats as the day goes on. Crossed legs, hunched shoulders, and rounded necks can lead to all kinds of long-term spine problems but investing in the right equipment will help to alleviate these issues and encourage good posture. Ensure that your computer screen is level with your eyes by raising the screen with a desktop table and invest in a chair that provides good lumbar support. Regularly get up to stretch the spine and neck and do some spine strengthening exercises to help maintain a good posture all day.  

Minimize distractions

Not everyone has the luxury of enough space to create a dedicated home office, but there are ways of working with the spaces you have to optimize your working day. Whether you’re working from the dining room table or the local cafe, there are a few tricks you can use to ensure that you aren’t distracted. At home, play relaxing beach sounds or classical music in the background to help with focus, or if you are in a busy coffee shop, invest in some sound-canceling headphones to help you tune out the background noises. Tidy and uncluttered spaces are proven to enhance our feelings of wellbeing, and spending some time clearing up will also make you feel as though you have already accomplished something, making it easier to kickstart the working day in a positive way.

Get into the zone

When you commute to a job it helps your mind to get into the zone for work, but without those daily cues, it can sometimes be tricky to get into the headspace for it. A healthy morning routine is essential for creating the right mindset when getting ready for work. Top poker pros adopt a healthy work routine involving exercise, meditation, and cold showers to kickstart their morning and prepare them for the day ahead. Prepare breakfast and lunch the night before so that all you need to think about is getting yourself into the zone to work. 

Set boundaries 

Working from home means that the lines between work and home can get very blurred. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm as it feels as though you never really leave the office! Being surrounded by piles of work at home can have an impact on mental health, so it’s important to set boundaries between work and home life to reduce the impact of that. Use screen dividers to close off the part of the room that you work in, or ensure that all laptops, files, and paperwork are put away somewhere out of sight at the end of the day. Get dressed for work each morning so that you can change at the end of the working day to signify that your work is finished. 

Working from home has plenty of benefits, and if you ensure that you look after your health it can have a great impact on your overall working life.