Not long ago, the streets were brimming with the cacophony of people, panicking to hit the threshold of their office building before the places shudder with the rage of their managers and bosses. You probably wished for this vicious cycle of getting up early and reaching home late to end too.
Well, either your wish carried too much power or the world was just plain unlucky. A deadly virus hit the world and we were forced to isolate ourselves within the wall of our homes. As you are reading this blog, you are probably in your PJs and sitting in front of your laptop screen after attending an office zoom meeting.
Everyone loves to work from their home, but when a person is exposed to an excess of something, there is a 100% chance they will face burnout. A work from home burnout means blurring the line between your work and home while subjecting yourself to incessant work and screen time.
“NEVER GET SO BUSY MAKING A LIVING THAT YOU FORGET TO MAKE A LIFE.” – Dolly Parton
This burnout leads to severe ailments and problems in daily life as your real connection with nature and the world is severed slowly. However, we cannot work in the office while a virus looms in every nook and corner. Hence, there are certain activities that every individual can perform to keep their sanity levels and spirits high during these periods.
These 5 effective ways can help you to relinquish that connection and avoid any burnouts after working from home. So dear reader, before you flip the table with your laptop, let’s take a look at this listicle-
Do Exercise
If we argue about the relevance of exercise in one’s life, that would really be absurd. For ages, exercise has been known to reduce stress levels, keep a person fit, healthy, and happy. All the requisites that are required for a person to live a disease-free and physically sound life.
Its relevance is embraced by every prominent personality all over the world. Even the former president of the USA emphasized the importance of exercise in avoiding burnout by saying,
“You have to exercise, or at some point, you’ll just break down.”
That being said, you must be wondering but how can moving your body can prevent burnout. Right? Let me explain it to you, Cardiovascular exercises are the most effective in such scenarios. They have proven to relieve distress, maintain a favorable state of well-being and regulate the health of a body.
However, no one is asking you to work out incessantly to invite an exercise burnout. The best way to go about this is to schedule 10-20 mins of light cardio and exercise every day. The requirement is that you are cooped up in your house in a lockdown. If that is not the case, you can surely visit your favorite gym and get that snatched body. Don’t think about it, go press play on that exercise video and start your burnout-free life.
Indulge In Your Hobbies
Human beings often forget that there is more in life than working and earning money. You must remember nagging your parents about enrolling you in that painting class or the guitar class. Yes, now you are on a trip down memory lane. There are other things that you like too and since the lockdown, you might not have indulged in any one of them.
Why? You were just too busy. However, you should keep in mind that whilst you are at home, it is the only time you can revive your hobbies again. Be it playing video games or baking fresh pastries and buns. Don’t let this time slip away and subject yourself to the stress of work all day.
“A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.” -Phyllis McGinley
So, instead of exhausting your mind and body in front of the screen all day, give yourself a little ‘Me’ time and eliminate that evil stress and worries and stagnating tension.
Reconnect With Nature
Nature is the most underrated therapy. Recent studies found that as long as one is not afraid of being in nature it can act as an effective antidote against stress. Gardening also proved to be therapeutic and regulating mood swings by inculcating peace in the mind and a sense of achievement.
Think about it, the greenery and the petrichor that emanates from the dewy rain and a cup of coffee in your hands. Even the visual image of that scenario brings about calmness.
During a lockdown, it is not possible to go and wander into the forests or lakeside but you can always take a stroll in your garden or patio and embrace the vast sky and the birds flying by.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Make Use Of Pen And Paper
Go traditional, no, not asking you to leave your home and start life again in the woods and live on fruits and wild game. I am talking about ditching the screen for the good old pen and paper. Prolonged exposure to digital screens can lead to problems like migraines, eye strain, blurred vision, and neck, and shoulder pain.
So, why not use a pen and paper to get the rest of the things done. Instead of writing ideas and in front of your desktop all day. Using a pen and paper will make you reminisce about your school and college days as well as give your eyes the much-needed break from that digital space. Research shows that between 50% and 90% of people who work at a computer screen have at least some symptoms of the CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome). If you already have a depleting vision it can have serious repercussions.
"I need paper and a pen to release my imagination. I can't create on a machine." - Brian Pinkerton
Pomodoro Technique
When you expose yourself to screens for a long time, your attention and focus deteriorate and affect the quality of the work that you do. It is essential to take breaks so that you give your mind and body some rest.
The Pomodoro technique was created by a university student named Francesco Cirillo when he was tired of losing focus and always being distracted. This technique breaks down your day into time slots of 25 mins. And once the timer goes off you need to take a break of 5 minutes. This technique eliminates distractions and interruptions and helps you in completing tasks within a stipulated timeline.
The question is how do you avoid burnout using this. If you are doing your work in a limited time period that means you will be done with everything earlier than usual. Thus, more time for yourself and less exposure to working stress and burnouts.
"Reduce the stress caused by the pressure of time by using the Pomodoro Technique." -Francesco Cirillo
These tips will definitely save you from burnout and you will enjoy this work-from-home opportunity instead of dreading it. It is true that not going out and connecting with people can be daunting but simple tricks like these can make it bearable and help you work efficiently. So don’t wait up! The first step is to do exercise and then follow the other tips as you go through the day. Happy working from home!
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