While work from home sounds like a blast to some (shout out to the introverts), we cannot deny that the isolation might also take its toll on our psychological well-being. If you’re like us who are used to working physically alongside our colleagues, the abrupt environment change could be a shock.

As the lockdown period progresses, so do the downsides of working from home. Firstly, there is a difference between enjoying your alone time and being alone all the time. Secondly, some people just don’t do well in a work-from-home arrangement. Thirdly and most importantly, there are some that might get depressed due to the lack of social interaction that can be found in an office setting.

Here are some ways to cope with those work from home blues:

Do your morning ritual

We all have our morning rituals before heading out to the office, whether it’s drinking 3 cups of coffee in the morning just to get those palpitations running or having a fully loaded breakfast meal to survive the first half of the day. Doing the same rituals or establishing new ones before going online to work might help you supercharge your motivation to start the day right.

Establish your workstation

Do you have a workstation in your house? Setting up a workstation will help you perform much better. Don’t just operate in any place in your home, especially on your BED. A combination of comforting sheets and lying down just a little bit usually does not end well for your tasks. Find a perfect spot, with proper lighting, ventilation, and enough proximity from temptations.

Create a to-do list

Making a list of your deliverables will help you meet your deadlines. In addition to that, utilising an online work process channel like Trello or Asana will also help you to keep on track on what you need to do next and, at the same time, see the big picture on how your projects are progressing.

Stand up once in a while

Yes! Stretch your bones! Let’s hear those cracking sounds. We all know that sitting all day and staring at your computer is bad for our health. So take a break once in a while and do some stretching.

Don’t overwork yourself

Have you noticed that you now have more free time after work to relieve yourself from stress because of the work-from-home setup? So what are you waiting for? It’s time to binge-watch your favourite series or play those games that you have long forgotten because commuting already took a huge chunk of your time. Don’t forget to still be updated on the current crisis that we are facing though.

Talk to colleagues and friends online

Don’t let physical distancing get in the way of your clinginess to your colleagues and friends. For instance, you can utilise various chat apps and channels like Slack, Telegram, or Whatsapp, or go old-school by texting or calling them. If that is still not enough, you can set up a video conference. That way, you can see their faces and what they look like now just in case you forgot.

During these trying times, our community needs our utmost cooperation to stay at home and be vigilant to our surroundings when we go out to buy our needs. By doing these simple things, we are not only addressing our own work concerns. We are also contributing to the prevention of the continuous spread of COVID-19.