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There is no denying that in today’s uber-stressful times, coping with work stress is an everyday issue with which you have to deal. Work is faster paced than ever, with increasing pace and methods of communication. Now that people are given the added responsibility of working from home remotely in an efficient and productive way (something that the vast majority of us have never done before), and there is more stress in the work-at-home workplace too.

It is now almost possible to turn off that smartphone, because you’ll be expected to communicate with colleagues via text, Zoom or Skype, and respond to texts, emails, and social media posts almost instantly.

In fact, the use of instant messaging has mushroomed even in the past year, where the use of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp is growing twice as fast as Facebook itself, around 30% year on year.

So if you want to stay ahead of the competition in your career, company or business there is no room to relax and take your time. But in order to have a healthy career, you have to stay healthy as well, and that is not always easy in these times where so many of us are still in semi-lockdown and are spending so much time at home.

So let’s explore three easy ways to stay healthy and to help you to better cope with stress in the workplace.

1. Reduce Your Working Hours

Sounds simple, but impossible, doesn't it? But you have to bite the bullet and find ways to delegate or automate the simple and time-consuming tasks that eat into your working hours. For example, you could delegate your data entry or social media posting cheaply, via an outsourcing freelancer site like Fiverr, where you can find help at a fraction of the cost of employing someone, and you can get help just for the time that you need it.

Longer working hours increase the risk of health problems

Research by the British Medical Journal in 2015, covering a dozen modern economies, including Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the United States, analyzed behavior of more than 400,000 people.

It concluded that longer working hours can lead to ‘risky’ alcohol consumption (defined as more than 14 units per week for a woman and more than 21 for a man) and that “among workers subjected to long working hours, alcohol can seem like a fast acting and effective way to dull work-related aches and pains and smooth the transition between work life and home life,” Cassandra Okechukwu of the Harvard School of Public Health wrote in an editorial.

In addition, you might feel that you lack the face to face interaction with friends and colleagues during long hours working from home. Most of us are not used to this isolation, as well as emotional stress caused by the pandemic. A June 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control found that from June 24-30, 2020, adults in the United States reported “considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19.” with as many as 40% of those surveyed reporting anxiety disorder, depression and new or increased substance abuse.

If you find yourself in this category and can relate to this scenario, then you should take immediate steps to deal with stress that could cause a decent into mental distress, then do seek professional help. You can click here to seek suitably qualified counselors and therapists who can help prevent you from spiraling out of control before it is too late.

2. Eat Healthily

This can be a challenge for anyone who works from home – after all you have easy access to all of your favorite snacks, anytime you like!

Part of the way to successful healthy eating is to understand healthy habits – so do your research, as if you were tackling a new business project. Invest time in yourself as well as your career or business - learn about and understand what your actual physical needs are for nutrition and calories. No two people are the same, so read health magazines or even consult a nutritionist to find out what you should be doing, and the hidden sugars in “healthy” foods that you should avoid.

The make a food schedule, and stick to it. Take time at the weekend to prepare healthy meals and snacks that you can safely eat at the desk. Set reminders on your phone to make sure that you eat small meals throughout the day that will keep your metabolism burning, your waistline smaller, and increase energy levels up all day long.

3. Exercise and Your Mental Health

The famous journalist George Lorimer once said “It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.

There is no point in becoming a winner in your career or business and a loser in your life, health, love and relationships. Exercise is a starting point to deal with stress, and the American Psychological Association has found that regular exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits, too and can help you:

Increase confidence - meeting even small exercise goals or challenges can boost your self-confidence

Cope with stress in a healthy way.

There will be times in careers or business when things go completely wrong but you will just have to keep going. Doing something positive will help you improve your mood even when things are bad. Most gyms are closed so add small amounts of activity during the day. If you can, have your meetings socially distanced in the park and go for a walk with your client or colleagues. Take breaks from your desk every 20 minutes, and do a short yoga practice twice a day – there are great programs online, our personal favorite is Yoga By Kassandra which are free, available for all levels and run from just 10 minutes in length!

Use your exercise times to plan your day, to free up your thoughts, and you may find a great business idea and inspiration from the most unusual sources, as you enjoy your extra mind space! In addition you’ll find that the time that you used to spend commuting and perhaps socializing when you didn’t really want or need to spend time on, is now focused on improving your physical and mental states instead!

If you take these three easy steps and incorporate them into your working environment on a regular basis, you will be amazed at your increased efficiency and ability to cope with the highs and lows of long stressful work from home pandemic days.

How are you coping with lockdowns and quarantine? Do share your best healthy work from home tips in the comments, and if you are struggling with your health, don’t hesitate to contact us, we are here to help.