Remote Work and Mental Health: Dealing With Challenges
Remote work can be double-sided, with flexibility being on one side, and stress on another side of it. While it can offer much-needed time and cutting of expenses, it has its challenges too. Working from home isn’t about Netflix and chill; often, it is not “easier” than working in the same in-office position. Having one place, your home, be the space for both work and rest is where remote work can get “harder”.
Let’s explore common mental health challenges of remote work and how you can manage them.
Managing challenges of working from home
While remote work has many advantages, it can be hard to navigate. And if confusion persists, working from home can negatively affect our mental health. While the following are typically temporary experiences, they might feel too real and too big in the moment. The important thing here is to recognize the challenges, and their root cause and do your best to manage them.
Burnout
The source of burnout when it comes to working remotely is usually the lack of an applicable schedule. Sometimes it is hard to do what you signed up to do in a specific timeframe. Distractions, a rush to complete a task, issues that come up in the process, etc., all contribute to overwhelm. Burnout can also come from the need to prove your competence and the pressure to work long hours (i.e., when you feel there’s competition).
How to manage: through sticking to a balanced schedule and assessing your capabilities.
Working from home provides you with flexible, but still, a schedule. Try creating the balanced one for you, incorporating breaks in it. Also, separate time for work and rest, and stick to it (for example, you work until 17.00 o’clock and you have the rest of the day to yourself). If you encountered work-related issues during that time, do your best to resolve them, but don’t overstretch yourself into working overtime. They will still be there the next day, and you can face them tomorrow with your most productive self. There’s also no need to jump over your head to prove that you are competent. You know the effort you put in, and that’s enough.
Isolation
It is true that some people don’t thrive off of daily human interaction. More introverted people enjoy having time to themselves and working independently. Yet, even for those people long-term isolation can be too much. Isolation in this case is linked to existing in a somewhat rigid environment, boredom, and the “same old” atmosphere. It comes down to feeling disconnected, including from your team (even with virtual calls in place), and from the rest of the 3D world.
How to manage: through a hybrid work model, co-working, or going outside.
If your employer gives you a choice between fully remote and hybrid work, try the latter and see if it helps with your needs; or ask if such an option is available. If you find that a hybrid work model is not really your thing, try switching up the atmosphere by visiting co-working spaces. And if you’re not a big fan of that either, simply going outside can help tremendously, with it being a breather you might not know you needed.
Troubleshooting
Working independently can be great, but also incredibly stressful when problems start to arise. In situations like this, it is easy to get lost in the feeling of being left alone with your problems. And even though this reaction can be hardly noticeable, it still has the time to ignite a stress response. It’s also really easy to get lost in the idea that it’s unfortunate that you cannot resolve a problem on your own.
How to manage: through changing the perspective and communicating.
There’s no shame in admitting that you may not know some things. If anything, you can view this as an opportunity to learn: learn from other people and learn how to resolve a particular problem so that you know how to manage it in the future. Communication can take the stress off of your shoulders as well. It is likely that the problem will be gone quicker if you engage other people in its resolution. And when it’s gone, it’ll take with the stress it brought, leaving you with an accomplishment.
Communication
Communicating with teammates can be tricky, especially for those struggling with social anxiety. And virtual distance does not necessarily eliminate the stressor. Sharing your honest opinion might be hard for some people as well. Being too concerned with keeping communication professional can also be an issue, especially when just starting a job.
How to manage: through not doubting your competence and communication skills.
First, if you were hired for a position, this means you already have the necessary skill set to succeed at a job. Secondly, you shouldn’t think that there’s a need to hide parts of yourself when communicating. If anything, being real is what builds an authentic relationship at the workplace. And lastly, nobody expects perfection from you: it’s okay to ask questions and then follow up with more questions, it’s okay to disagree with your teammates and, ultimately, it’s okay to stay human at a workplace.
Regulating free time
Scheduling work and rest time can be difficult when you work from home. It’s also easy to devaluate your work. If you don’t have an hourly schedule, you might work on a task-to-task basis. And not seeing tangible results right away can cause you to diminish your input. This can result in overworking, including in cases of compensation for the lack of personal satisfaction. Allowing yourself to take the time off can also be an issue. The idea of “just doing it” or “just completing it” can put a significant mental strain, eventually, resulting in burnout.
How to manage: through setting boundaries and taking breaks.
It might be helpful to distinguish when your work day ends, whether it’s bound to hours or tasks. Once you establish that, work-related boundaries come into play: you don’t have to answer that work email when your work day is over, and you don’t have to work extra hours even if your boss says that something has to be done immediately for a project to succeed. You are entitled to rest and taking breaks, whether during the day or for an extended period of time (vacation, leave, etc.). At the end of the day, if you feel like you go far and beyond to get your work done while you struggle mentally, will Far Far Away end up with a Happily Ever After?
How remote work can contribute to your mental well-being
Undoubtedly, remote work brings about challenges, but in-office work has its challenges too, as any work model does. And if out of all of the options, remote work is what you enjoy best, the good news is that working from your home can actually better your mental health.
With remote work, you are:
Free from stress related to commuting. You save money. You save time getting ready for work. You can potentially sleep a few hours more. You can work in your sweatpants, and nobody has to know.
Free from adhering to a rigid schedule. You can dedicate more time to yourself. If you are a parent, you can spend more time with your kid. You can potentially do more around the house, but only if your heart calls for it.
Free to explore and improve your work ethic. You can assess how good you are at being self-organized, and learn how to be better. And since your work ethic is not that limited to the company’s culture, with remote work, you can develop a solid sense of work ethic that will be reflected in everything you do in life.
Free to be more compassionate toward yourself. You can seize the opportunity to listen to your body when it needs rest. You can learn not to be so harsh toward yourself when things don't go the way you expected them to. You can establish a way of doing things that is more in line with who you are.
More free, in general. You can listen to your favorite podcast or music while working. You can take a break whenever you feel the need to. You can relocate and still be able to work. You can experience the freedom and flexibility that everybody’s talking about firsthand.
The thing is that if you keep working remotely, you probably recognize that it fits your needs better. And if so, it is a tangible step towards bettering your mental health. Because if you follow the things that sound, feel, and are more like you, that is in and of itself a sign of care toward your mental health.
