Managing your mental health while working from home
The virus crisis has shifted our lives in many directions, and working from home is clearly one of them. Times like this, when people are working by themselves without the camaraderie and banter of an office environment, can have an effect on mental health. Especially with all of this uncertainty, the stress and mixed feelings can compound existing emotional preoccupations. According to the ABC, calls to Lifeline have gone up 20% in the last three weeks* and Beyond Blue have received an increase in calls too.
These stats should be an incentive for you to call if you need it. You’re not alone if you’re feeling overwhelmed and being affected by the current climate. If you’re struggling without family and friends directly around you-- particularly if you’re living and self-isolating by yourself-- try to help yourself. Take time out if you need it, adjust some of your behaviours and ask for assistance where you need it.
To help you along, we thought we’d round up some tips on how to monitor your mental health while working from home.
Reduce your screen time:
Working from home and working in media can mean increased screen time. You can spend your time scrolling and clicking most of the week, so why not decrease your screen time on weekends? Keep your phone in another room while you spend time with other people, or simply yourself. Despite working in the industry, understanding that we all need a break from social media to benefit physically and mentally, is important.
Check out the Screen Time feature on your phone to see how much you’ve been picking up your phone, as well as which apps you’ve been using and how long for. I will sacrifice any dignity I may have by showing you mine! And… wow. Four hours a day last week on average! Whilst I use it a fair bit for work, this still seems excessive. (I am working!) Have a look at yours and see whether you need to wind your time down a bit.
Check out some more tips here for reducing screen time.
Monitor and filter your feed:
Social media platforms have developed many ways to filter your feed so that it can be tailored even more specifically to what you want after the algorithm does its thing.
The Following tab on Instagram has options to reduce how much you see of particular accounts. You can turn notifications on or off for specific accounts, mute Stories and posts if someone is over-posting, restrict how much an account can see of your account, or simply unfollow.
Instagram’s profile account preferences.
You can do this on Facebook too on someone’s profile: hit the person icon on their profile and pick from Unfriend, Take a Break (mute posts for 30 days) or Unfollow (mute posts until you turn it back on).
Twitter has an option to block hashtags, so you don’t see profane or unwanted content.
Facebook’s friend profile settings.
Manage your notification settings:
Turn them off! Use Do Not Disturb! Put your phone in a different room!
It’s great to be aware of the changes around the world but constant phone dings showing you the latest update will get too much, as well as being super distracting while trying to work. Motivate yourself to dissect your day into blocks of work, self-care (eating, exercising, meditation, etc.), and other errands you may have to do at home.
If you don’t need your device right now, perhaps try leaving it alone for a while. Put in somewhere where it is not immediately in reach so you can concentrate on what you need to in that moment. Have breaks and check in on people via messages when you get up for breaks, and then head back to another block of work.
Get outside for some air and exercise:
A great quote I once heard is: “The best way to cure a short temper is a long walk.” Does your mind feel cloudy? Can’t concentrate? Feeling sluggish? Go for a walk or run to clear your mind. The current rules aren’t keeping you locked in your house 24/7, but try to avoid the busy streets and wander around the backstreets of your neighbourhood. You might just discover a nice spot that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise.
Ask for help or time off:
Mental Health Days are becoming just as common as Sick Days. With the rise in mental health issues, especially amongst younger generations, it is more important than ever to recognise yourself or others who may be struggling, whether you’re an employee or an employer. Organise time off as you would usually by letting your boss know that you’re not feeling great, whether it be physically or mentally. It’s not worth being unproductive when you can relax and get yourself feeling better again.
If you need help, let someone know that you need it. Use fun video calls such as House Party to chat with family and friends or call them to discuss your thoughts. Otherwise, there are plenty of hotlines and services to help you out and have a talk about what’s upsetting you:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
SANE: 1800 187 263
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
e-Headspace: https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/.
e-Headspace is an online chat service that offers counselling for youth and their families.
*Statistic time frame was looking back from March 30.