How to Stay Positive While Working from Home

Just over a year ago, working from home was an incredible accomplishment with many positive associations. Being your own boss, customizing your work schedule, and working in your pajamas were such exciting prospects. Now, thanks to COVID-19, 42 percent of the U.S. workforce is currently working from home.

While 2020 will likely go down in the history books as the longest year to ever exist (figuratively, of course), many people are still learning how to adjust to an entirely new way of life. Combined with limited social interactions, forced isolation from friends and families, and the fact that people are just stuck in their homes almost all the time now, this pandemic has had a significant impact on our country’s collective mental health. 

That’s why we put our brains together and came up with some advice for keeping the positivity flowing when you’re working from home.

Give Yourself a Break

First and foremost, it’s super important to remind yourself that it’s okay to be stressed and anxious. We’re living during a global pandemic. Things are bound to be stressful, and that’s okay. It’s okay to feel and experience your life. In fact, it’s essential if you want to improve your circumstances.

Next, ask yourself a simple but important question. Is your home office the environment in which you want to work? If you aren’t comfortable in your home office, that might be the first thing to fix. Invest in your personal comfort. If you want bean bag chairs and disco balls, go for it! It’s your home; you get to decide.

Boundaries Are Essential

Remember to keep your work life and home life separate. While it might seem like a no-brainer, many people struggle with this because they now work and relax in the exact same place. That’s why creating a workspace separate from your living space is essential.

Beyond that, it’s also important to set and keep a schedule. Now that you’re working from home, it’ll be easy to work whenever the need arises because your commute is currently under a minute. Resist that urge. Set a schedule a stick to it. If you receive an email or phone call after hours, leave it alone. It’ll still be there in the morning.  

Make Yourself a Priority

Remember to get out of the house whenever time permits. Even if you’re practicing social distancing, you can take walks in parks, along trails, and in nature. You can set up weekly virtual board game nights with your friends. You can read a book, play a video game, or binge-watch the latest season of your favorite TV show. Whatever it is, try to do something for yourself every day.

 If all else fails, remember the positive things about working from home. No morning commutes, which means you get to save money on gas. You get to work in your pajamas, which means you finally have an excuse to prioritize comfort over style. And you get to spend way more time with your pets, significant others, kids, and roommates.

Why is this so important?

This is important because you’re important. 

Doing these small but essential things are just a few ways to stay positive while working from home, and positivity is absolutely vital. Many of us are now working from home to keep our families and our neighbors safe. While many don’t want to complain about that, it’s still important to recognize its effect on us. Remember: self-care is the best way to invest in your mental health. 

If you have any other tips and tricks for staying positive at home, fire off in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you.  If you would like to find support or connect with a therapist you can find more info or request an appointment with someone our our team at www.compasscounseling.com.

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