Skip to main content

Your mental health may be at risk working from home

Remote work is getting more common, and as we adjust to this new normal, we need to reexamine our mental health needs. Working from home has many benefits, but it can also take a serious toll on our well-being.

Healthline states the risks of developing issues with mental health increase as we isolate ourselves in our home offices. If you’re making the transition to remote work or have been working from home for a while, it’s time to pay attention to what’s happening with your mental health.

woman working from home
Inside Weather/Unsplash

Difficulty concentrating

Solution: Build a routine that works.

When you begin to work from home, it’s easy to get drawn into the appeal of having no set schedule. There’s no one making you get up early, no alarm clocks, and no one telling you when and how to eat. You can get dressed or not, take a shower or not, etc.

Before long, you may have difficulty focusing, taking longer and longer to get on task and missing important deadlines. You may forget to eat or lose track of what you’ve done that day. All these things build up to a self-esteem hit and confusion or brain fog.

One way to climb out of this hole is by creating a routine, NRP states. While you may not have to get up exactly when you did when you were going to the office, you should get up and go to bed at the same time every day to create some structure.

The structure of your day should include working at the same time and eating at set times as well. As your body learns this schedule, you could have an easier time getting into your work routine, and you may increase your overall focus.

And while you’re at it, schedule regular times to move your body, get fresh air, and drink plenty of water. This is all going to help you manage the lack of external structure.

Isolation

Solution: Schedule virtual meetups.

As you spend more of your time alone, critical social connections fade away, leaving many remote workers feeling lonely and depressed.

If you’re experiencing this, it’s important to acknowledge it. Social connections are a vital part of the human experience — humans are wired for these connections, according to Psychology Today. Some companies are using the increase in remote work to schedule virtual coffee breaks for coworkers to meet online and exchange ideas.

Another way to increase your social life is to schedule your own meetups with friends and family. You could also find online groups that share the same interests as you — think book clubs, music groups, or even movie-watching gatherings. 

Whatever you do, it’s essential to understand that you aren’t weak or silly for missing connections in the office, even if you love to work remotely. Build these connections any way you can through your work and your personal life.

laptop working from home
Christian Bouvier/Unsplash

Burnout

Solution: Create better boundaries.

Burnout is a serious work issue even for those working in a traditional office, but with remote work, the effect can be compounded. Many remote workers report feeling the need to work longer hours than their office counterparts to prove their worth.

Remote workers also report feeling anxious about their work-life balance. Working remotely may make it difficult to turn off your work life, leading to burnout even sooner than office workers. 

According to Psychology Today, these burnout symptoms so that you can take steps to reverse the effects:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Anger at or frustration with things you used to like
  • Disinterest in things that used to bring you pleasure
  • Overindulging in alcohol, food, or other recreational pursuits
  • Feeling the need to work around-the-clock to make up for feeling disinterested
  • Perfectionism
  • Inability to adapt or to be flexible with changes

Once you understand you have burnout, it’s more important than ever to establish a schedule that allows you to turn off your work brain. Give yourself a specific time to turn off from work and leave it be. Establish office hours so your employer knows when and how to contact you appropriately.

Prioritizing your mental health with remote work

You must take steps to protect your mental health when you work from home. Keeping a work-life balance is key to your creativity and satisfaction with work, and you’ll have to understand how to create proper boundaries.

The best way is to check in with yourself continually. Are you feeling anxious or angry? Are you eating healthy foods and getting enough rest? Do you allow yourself to turn work off? These vital questions can help you structure your days to benefit not just your employer, but your own health and well-being, too.

Meanwhile, learn how to keep your home office organized with our top tips!

Editors' Recommendations

Deb Goncalves
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Deb's work has appeared on Moms, Babygaga, and WorldAtlas. When she's not working (that's hard to say about a Capricorn), she…
Designer reveals the 3 flooring options you should never choose for your home
This designer warns homeowners to avoid these flooring trends at all costs
hardwood floor closeup with person in chair

Interior design trends may come and go, but that doesn’t mean every new look is timeless or worth cycling back into the home. And when it comes to flooring, there are some trends that many designers say you should avoid at all costs. So, what flooring options are out of style right now? Bilal Rehman, CEO of Bilal Rehman Studio & Gallery, went to TikTok to share the top three flooring styles you should never choose for your home.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bilalrehmanstudio/video/7246978854693211435?lang=en
Gray hardwood floors
Gray hardwood floors gained popularity in the last decade, and for a while, the gray, washed-out look was considered modern and trendy. However, some trends become overused, and this flooring style is one of them. After many poor executions, grey hardwood floors earned a bad rap in the interior design landscape.

Read more
A polka dot plant adds color and life to your home – here’s how to care for it
Your lovely polka dot plant can thrive indoors with these plant care and maintenance tips
Top view of a polka dot plant

Houseplants have a lot of benefits, like elevating your mood and purifying the air. Arguably their best benefit, though, is that they liven up a room with style and color. That's why the polka dot plant is so popular. It has bright, colorful foliage that comes in a variety of shades, like pink, white, green, and red. That's how this lovely plant adds a splash of color to match any decor.

While they certainly brighten up the room, polka dot plants can be finicky, and they do have a strict care routine. We'll discuss what you need to do to help your polka dot plant thrive indoors.

Read more
25 stellar staircase ideas to freshen up the look of your home
Not ready for an entire remodel? Update your staircase with one of these ideas
Young woman on stairs in a loft caring for potted plants.

If you want to change the interior of your house, you can change out throw pillows and invest in new furniture, but your stairs are a set thing, right? Not quite. You may not be able to move stairs or rip them out entirely, but you can get creative about your stair design.

Changing up your staircase can be one way to upgrade the look of your home and it isn't as difficult as you may think. If you aren’t sure how to accomplish this, we’ve got 25 ideas ranging from subtle to dramatic to help you figure it out. Keep reading for inspiration on how to update your staircase.

Read more