How to Deal with Stress Working at Home?
Working from home is touted as being the ultimate stress-free position, right? After all, you’re not fighting traffic or answering to a boss. But here’s the thing… When you work at home it’s not that you have zero stress, it’s just that the stresses are different.
One of the most common stressors I’ve found is that no one seems to think you’re actually working. So they will barge in on you and demand your time, even if you’re chasing a deadline. Another big stress I deal with daily is not knowing when to stop working. Because there’s always something to do, right?
Some great tips in this contributed post.
How to Deal with Stress When Working from Home
No matter if you are a freelance writer, blogger, virtual assistant, or are trying your hand at trading, working from home can be stressful. You will have limited interaction with other people, and we all tend to push ourselves too hard when not in the office environment.
Many entrepreneurs develop stress-related illnesses and mental health problems when starting to work from home. Below you’ll find a few tips on how to deal with the negative side of managing your business from home.
Have a Daily Schedule
No matter how busy your workday is, you will need to take regular breaks. There are several great apps that will help you manage your time and breaks and improve your productivity at the same time.
You can create a timetable and give yourself some breaks, just like you would if you were working in an office environment. Try Pomodoro, a free app that helps you keep an eye on your productive time.
Prioritize
Sometimes there’s just not enough time to do everything in one day. You need to have a to-do list and a priority order. Obviously, things that are urgent should be done first. However, you should also be impartial when determining the priority of each task; we tend to do the easy ones first and neglect the ones that require us to get out of our comfort zone.
Take Regular Breaks
Even if you have to stay close to the computer and keep an eye on the accounts or online chat, you will need to take a break sometimes. Find an activity that relaxes you and clears your head. If you are trying to make money trading futures, you will need to reflect on your performance every now and then and look at the trends with a fresh pair of eyes.
Have Fun
Most people experience work-related stress because they think that the more they work the more productive and efficient they become.
However, all work and no fun will just make you burn out. You have to find something that will motivate you to go on.
From sports to a nice coffee or a nighttime catch up with friends, there are several ways you can improve your day and mood.
Learn to Switch Off
When work gets the worst of you and you simply think that you can’t go on any more or your mind starts wandering around, it is time to switch off. If – after you go to sleep – your head keeps on spinning and you can’t stop the train of thoughts, you have to find some new ways of dealing with stress and getting a good night’s sleep.
From meditation to hypnosis, there are several non-invasive methods you can try.
Working from home can be a lonely job, and you will have to learn to deal with the stress on your own. There are no team meetings or huddles to help you relax, and it is your responsibility to manage your time and work day.
Have you found working at home to be more stressful than you thought it would be? Would love to hear what your main stresses are in the comments below.
