Bringing Your Work Home: 5 Benefits for Mental Health
In a few short months, the world has been turned upside down, with COVID-19 creating a new set of challenges for employers and employees to navigate. Many employees are working from home for the first time. No doubt, there will have been challenges. But the pandemic has placed a spotlight on the role of teleworking, and the benefits it can bring, notably for your mental health. Even a pandemic has its silver linings.
For a long time, many employees have been calling out for a more flexible work-life: to be liberated from the daily commute, office politics, and the constant anxiety from juggling their roles as worker, parent and friend. In a 2018 survey of over 3,000 professionals, FlexJobs discovered that 97% of people thought a more flexible job would have a ‘huge’ or ‘positive’ impact on their quality of life.
Here are some of the fantastic ways, bringing your work home can improve your life and mental health.
Time to Exercise
Commuting devours time, with those in the South and East of England spending an average of an hour a day shuttling to the office. Time that you could spend focused on building mental and physical health. Be that a run around the park, a quick gym session, or a period of quiet meditation. Plus, with most Westerners failing to get their nightly 8-hours – with disastrous consequences for mental health – having time for a lie-in, will make you happier, healthier and more productive.
Healthy Eating
Rushed at work, many people eat on the go; grabbing an unhealthy sandwich or snack. However, nutrition is pivotal to mental health. At home, you have time to fix yourself a proper lunch, taking care to add in foods that boost mental health.
Less work-place stress
No daily commute. More time to sleep. More time with family and friends. Overall, working from home leaves you more time to breath, thus reducing stress. In the survey from FlexJobs, respondents revealed that remote work reduced stress by reducing distractions during the day (72%), keeping them out of office politics (65%), and allowed for a quieter work environment (60%).
Improved Flexibility
The increased flexibility that comes with working from home allows you to tailor your work to your needs. Providing you haven’t got a meeting to attend, remote working takes the sting out of a busy schedule. You’ll be able to attend to other aspects of your life, including children or elderly parents with greater attentiveness, reducing underlying anxieties and crippling guilt.
Plus, it opens doors to jobs you previously could not have applied to due to location. Thus, giving you a new sense of opportunity and success. An essential foundation for good mental health.
Independence & Empowerment
Finally, working from home, lets you do your work, your way. You might still have a toxic boss or colleague(s), but now they’re no longer breathing down your neck. Multiple studies have demonstrated that independence leads to higher job satisfaction, which increases the time employees remain with a company. So, you can feel confident in your abilities, as your productivity increases as well!
Sources:
https://www.theselfemployed.com/can-working-home-improve-mental-health/
http://workplacementalhealth.org/Employer-Resources/Working-Remotely-During-COVID-19
https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/working-from-home-a-checklist-to-support-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus/
https://www.mhanational.org/blog/mental-health-benefits-remote-and-flexible-work
https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/flexjobs-2018-annual-survey-workers-believe-flexible-remote-job-can-help-save-money-reduce-stress-more/
https://blog.zestful.com/10-health-benefits-of-working-from-home/
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/the-health-benefits-of-working-from-home/
