I recently was asked to write about WFH and thought I was being cussed out! It turns out that it means working from home. Now that I am up on the current abbreviations let’s talk about WFH! During this pandemic, we have all had to make some significant adjustments. Many of us who are fortunate to still be working have had to adjust to working from home. This can be a substantial change for many, and if you have kids going to school from home, the task is even more challenging. In this blog, I will give tips on managing stress and anxiety, meeting deadlines, and coping with the uncertainty that this pandemic has presented to us.
Tip 1:
Have a designated workspace. For many of us, a home is a place of rest, and it is difficult for our brains to adjust from making our house a resting place to a work area. So, create a space for you, even if it is a small corner, which is exclusively designated for work.
Tip 2:
Have a set schedule with scheduled breaks for yourself and your kids. Also, have a specified lunchtime – this will help you get into a work routine quicker.
Tip 3:
Stress and anxiety build up over time; for example, stress on Monday will carry over into Tuesday and keep building throughout the week if you do not have daily outlets for stress and anxiety. So make sure you designate time for daily stress and anxiety-relieving tasks. Examples of daily outlets can be exercise, yoga, simple stretching, taking daily walks, watching a funny T.V. show or movie, taking a drive, reading a good book, cooking (or not cooking), meditating, connecting to your higher power, talking with family or friends (even it is facetime), taking a bath, invest in self-help books/YouTube videos/podcasts.
Tip 4:
Make sure that everything you do for yourself, do for your kids. Kids can get anxious and stressed just like us; remember, they are little people too, and mini versions of you. Ensure they have a good schedule, designated workspace, set breaks, and have positive activities to relieve the day’s stress. When our kids have bad days, it makes our day that much more stressful, so minimizing your kid’s stress will also help you out in the long run.
Tip 5:
DO NOT beat yourself up; we are all struggling with this!!! Nobody is perfect, so don’t hold yourself to unrealistic standards. We all fall short from time to time. Do not let a bad day turn into a bad week. Implement all the steps above with consistency, and you will see that your stress, anxiety, and ability to manage will improve.
If you tried all of these steps with no progress or find it difficult to get these things started because the weight of what you are going through is too heavy, please contact a therapist and get professional help; therapy is a good thing.
Dr. Mario Rocha, PsyD, LMFT
IG: @dr.mariorocha @project57ie
