Working From Home: A Guide to Looking After Your Mental Health

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As of 2023, 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, with 28.2% working on a hybrid work-from-home basis. It’s a new way of doing things, with people choosing to work from home to be around their kids, maintain a healthy work/life balance and follow their passions.

However, as more people choose remote work, it’s important to remember the toll working from home can take on your mental health.

Working from home is great – but you need to find a few ways to look after yourself, which you might not necessarily need if you work in a traditional job.

Why is it so important to look after your mental health as a remote worker?

Unlike people who work from an office full-time, working from home brings different challenges. You might feel isolated or stuck in your house – and this could lead to mental health conditions like loneliness, anxiety or depression.

This is why it’s so important to look after your mental health as a remote worker. Putting a few key steps in place can help to promote healthy mental well-being while you enjoy your work-from-home routine – and it can make you a more productive worker, too.

Working from home: Tips to look after your mental health

There are lots of ways to look after your mental health if you work from home, including:

1. Spend time around people
2. Get out of the house
3. Look after your physical health
4. Stick to a routine
5. Beat the afternoon slump
6. Create a clear separation between work and your personal life

Let’s take a look at these tips in a little more detail…

1. Spend time around people

Working from home can get lonely, so you need to stay connected to other people. This can improve your mental health and help you feel happier throughout the day.

Even if you’re an introvert, we all need people. Arrange video calls, work from cafés or co-working spaces, go into your office regularly or just chat with friends and family when you can.

If someone else in your house works from home, join them for lunch so that you can have a bit of social time before you head back to work.

Those in traditional jobs have conversations with people over the water cooler or in the break room – but you miss out on this social time if you work from home. That’s why you need to go out of your way to ensure you speak to someone each day.

Time with other people can get you out of your own head and it can help you talk through anything that’s on your mind. All of this is so beneficial to your mental health, especially if you struggle with anxiety or overthinking.

2. Get out of the house

If you work from home, or you’re a freelancer like me, make sure to get out of the house regularly. Don’t go a full day without leaving your home. This could be a 10-minute walk around the block or a trip to the shops.

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like to go for walks, try giving yourself an errand to do every day, such as taking something back to the post office or grabbing some groceries. Just the physical act of leaving your home will help you feel better. Trust me!

I go for a walk at lunchtime as a rule, but I sometimes go to the gym or meet my friends and family, too.

3. Look after your physical health

One of my favourite things about working from home as a freelancer is getting the chance to make the lunch I want! I love making healthy, delicious lunches for myself.

If you work from home, you should invest some time in looking after your physical health. There are lots of ways to look after your health, such as:

• Make time for exercise
• Spend time in the garden for some vitamin D
• Choose healthy snack alternatives
• Take regular breaks from your screen
• Sit at a comfortable desk

There’s a huge link between your physical and mental health – so make sure to do what you can to look after your body and mind while you work from home.

4. Stick to a routine

It’s easy to slip into bad habits when you work from home. Sticking to a healthy routine can help to improve your mental health – and it will have an impact on your productivity, too.

This means getting dressed, making yourself a good breakfast and sitting at your desk to work.

As a freelancer, I like to manage my time in the best way for me. If you work better in the afternoon, give yourself more intense work to do at this time. Or if you prefer to work on big projects in the morning, schedule your time accordingly.

This won’t always be possible, depending on your job role. However, there are ways to organise your routine so that you finish everything you need to do without compromising your mental health.

5. Beat the afternoon slump

In my experience, if I sit on the sofa for lunch, I don’t want to get up again. So instead of watching something on TV while I eat, I sit at the dinner table.

I can still watch something on my phone or read my book, but it makes it easier to get back up and start my afternoon. I also push myself to go for a walk after lunch to beat the afternoon slump.

If you tend to get sleepy after eating – or you just find it harder to work in the afternoons – I recommend trying out a different routine.

Whether you’re a freelance interpreter or writer, beating the afternoon slump can do wonders for your mental health and productivity.

6. Create a separation between work and your personal life

Create a separation between your work and your personal life by switching off after work and implementing a healthy evening routine.

I love working from home, but I’m very aware of the need for boundaries. My desk is in my living room – and I could work 24/7 if I wanted. However, that doesn’t mean I should.

Take time to step away from your desk at the end of the day and create clear boundaries with your boss or clients. You can enjoy time off, give your brain a full rest and come back to your work happy and refreshed.

Do you work from home? How do you look after your mental health while working from home? Do you have any tips for remote workers?

Tell me all your thoughts in the comments 🙂

Happy reading x