Five Health Habits For Work-From-Home Professionals
The pandemic has forced millions to work from home, a situation that could lead to mental, emotional, and physical health issues. To avoid this, read about the five habits that would make remote working a healthy experience.
The global pandemic has shaken entire economies and disrupted businesses not just in the United States, but in practically every country around the world. The quarantine that many governments imposed also forced millions of professionals, employees, and workers to stop completely. Some who work in tech-enabled industries had the option of working-from-home.
More than a hundred days after the quarantine took effect, how has the work-from-home arrangement affected the health and well-being of people. While people stayed at home to avoid the possibility of becoming infected with the novel coronavirus, other health challenges began to arise.
As published in the respected medical journal, The Lancet, the quarantine produced a number of psychological effects including exhaustion, a sense of being detached from other people, insomnia, irritability, and depression. The lack of exercise, resorting to fast food deliveries, loss of social life and the overall anxiety about the pandemic and the economy all add up and burden a person’s mental, emotional, and physical health.
What can an average person do to prevent illness, or go back to the pink of health despite the current situation? Getting back to a health and fitness level that you want takes some effort but it is something that absolutely everyone can do. Here are a few easy-to-follow ideas to become fitter and more fab when working from home:
Skin Care Cleansing and Supplements
Remote work is possible because of internet and communications technology (ICT), a network that allows employees of a company to connect, collaborate, and produce outputs. This work arrangement, however, could lead to adverse health conditions if not enough is done to maintain one’s health.
Online, on Zoom and other video conferencing apps, one can easily notice either pale complexion or acne-marked skin. This poor skin health is caused by a host of reasons such as poor nutrition, lack of sleep and exercise, and limited sunlight exposure.
A good remedy is to use scientifically proven, effective retinol products that help improve skin health, especially for people who struggle acne. Taking care of one’s skin is vital to keep one’s confidence high and become presentable during online meetings. Some people nowadays turn to an at-home solution that can be utilised whenever they have time. This includes products such as Omnilux led mask range and other red light therapy leading products and treatments.
Stretch Your Way to Health
Working many hours behind a desk at home is bad for spine health. Aside from causing undue stress on the lumbar area of the spine, extended hours of sitting also leads to excessive fat around the waist, high blood sugar, and erratic blood pressure.
To prevent back pain and other negative effects of sitting, get up and walk around the house for a few minutes to help improve blood circulation. Much better, do a few simple yoga stretches to allow the spine to get relief from the compression brought about by sitting.
Right Eating Is Right Living
Aside from getting a good stretch, eating the right diet cannot be overemphasized. There is so much truth in the saying that “we are what we eat”. During our teen years and 20s, we could probably manage eating junk food every single day, being sleep deprived, and physically tired.
Our body’s ability to recover is still very high when we are young. But as we get on with life, it is important to become more conscious of the kind of fuel we take to make our bodies work and perform well.
Sun and Air to Make All Things Fair
It is already common knowledge that sunlight helps to trigger the production of Vitamin D, a substance that fights inflammation, lowers blood pressure, strengthens muscles, and may help in the fight against cancer.; Staying for days on end inside one’s home or apartment because of the quarantine is unhealthy. People need to take some time, even for just about 15 to 20 minutes daily, to allow sunshine to warm the skin.
Getting fresh air from a window, balcony, backyard, or the rooftop is also highly recommended.; However, if the location of your house is in a crowded place, it is better to go walk in the park and find an isolated area where you can breathe freely without a mask. Inside the house or apartment, one can also practice a simple but highly effective breath control method that helps relieve stress.
This method is called the 4-Count Box Breathing Method, which is done by inhaling slowly through the nose for four counts, followed by a 4-count breath hold. After four seconds of holding one’s breath, exhale slowly using the nose or mouth over a 4-count period. Then the cycle starts over again. It is best to do this cycle for about 4 to 6 times.
This method is so effective that even the elite US Navy Seals are taught his breathing method to help them calm down in a stressful, highly dangerous military operation.
Time Efficiency Is Key to Work-life Balance
Lastly, it is important to recognize the need to decompress from work since it allows one to enjoy a quality work-life balance. To achieve this, one needs to be really conscious and efficient in the use of time. Working from home is very comfortable yet, at the same time, it can be challenging since one has the convenience of not being at the office. This means there are no supervisors or colleagues to watch over you and make sure you are working hard.
The way be time-efficient is simply to be disciplined in the use of time, making sure to accomplish the day’s task within the scheduled work day. If you’re struggling with time management, the licensed therapists at BetterHelp can help you learn how to accomplish your tasks during work hours. By doing so, one can look forward to spending leisure time and, thus, have a daily routine that mixes business, hobbies, and whatever pleasure one has in mind.