The pressures of working from home

The Pressures of Working at Home

We aren’t just referring to the weather with this question (it’s a hot summers day at the time of writing), but also to the pressures of working from home.

For many of us, working from home has meant that we’ve spent the time we would be commuting each day doing extra work – doing and 8 – 6 rather than a 9 – 5.  That’s 2 extra hours a day, or 10 extra hours a week , or 160 extra hours of work over the 16 weeks of Lockdown/post covid time.

So it’s no wonder that so many of us are feeling even more stressed and pressured at the moment.  Add to that the fact that many of us have had parenting and home schooling responsibilities to balance along with work, plus the home admin that doesn’t stop (like trying to find a home delivery slot) and you can see why so many of us are feeling frazzled at the moment.

Here’s the god news.  This period of turmoil will end.  It has caused anxiety and many of us have struggled to get a good nights sleep because of that.  For those struggling with anxiety we recommend an app called “Calm”  which promotes meditation for sleep.  Then there are some great ASMR videos out there like these by Whispers Red who also has a book out – ASMR are relaxing noises like crackling and scratching (trust us, it’s more effective than it sounds).

Working from home every day can mean we sometimes feel like there’s no separation between work and home, as one meme said “I think we need to stop calling it “working from home” and start calling it “living at work”.  So it’s more important than ever to get out of the house.  Head for somewhere green if you can like a local park.  If it’s raining then exercise is still incredibly important and you can use apps like Fiton who have a lot of free content.  But mix it up – put music on and dance like no ones watching, then try some yoga, then go for a walk outside.  If you can go further afield in the car then do, and try and separate yourself from home for a while.

DIY is also a great way to get rid of stress.  Have you ever steamed wallpaper and scraped it off in big strips! – So satisfying!  Seeing you space transformed with paint, new sheets, or an upcycled piece of furniture is worth the effort.  The Art in Offices team have had lots of enquiries from people wanting artwork for their home – sometimes for their home offices, but often its our clients’ and their staff who know us well, and want something beautiful for their home.

Well being workshops are now frequently offered by personal trainers, but there are also individuals and companies out there offering hypnotherapy like Bianca Reimer.  It’s going to be important to extend well being workshops to teams at work though, who, after so long of not working together in the same space, are going to need something to help them re-connect.  The Art In Offices team have already been contacted by companies looking for creativity and wellbeing workshops, and we think it’s a great way of bridging the gulf between working at home and being isolated, and going back to a space where people work together again.  We must be careful to avoid the old pressures of work though – the commute and the rush home to get the kids etc.  we’ll all be find a new balance, and employers now have more options to create a supportive and productive company that promotes staff wellbeing.