In August, AXA Healthcare updated the remote-working Wellcome Sanger Institute staff on ways to work well, wherever your desk. For those of us on the coroncoaster, who have perhaps over indulged on the quarentinis and gained a corona stone or so, this was a timely intervention.
The key is of course to aim for sustainable health change, not just in COVID times. The basics sound very simple: Think well, move well, eat well. But could this be easier said than done?
According to AXA, 41% of us like working at home but are looking forward to being back in the office. There is a fairly equal split between those who like 100% home working and those who find it a challenge. (For me, it depends which day you speak to me whether I appreciate it or hate it).
AXA covered the 3 main aspects to health – physical, mental and social health.
Mental health challenges you might experience:
- Stress, anxiety and depression
- Problems setting life / work boundaries
- Motivation and self discipline issues
- Isolation and loneliness
- Presenteeism
Being solitary can give you opportunities for self reflection but risks becoming a negative experience over time. Around 39% of self employed homeworkers feel lonely due to long working hours and a lack of regular communication. If other issues come along, such as personal relationship breakdown or an unhelpful line manager, this can leave you feeling isolated without the support of colleagues.
AXA recommends keeping a balance between time for self and time with friends and family. Have a coffee with colleagues to give you a chance to share feelings and maintain two way communication. Make sure you put these things in place before you feel lonely, rather than as a fix once your health starts to deteriorate. After all, around 59% have found that their mental health has been up and down during COVID.
Looking after your mental health
Put a priority on ensuring you have a good life-work balance. Maintaining boundaries is crucial, including a start/stop schedule – when you are not working, make sure your laptop and phone are off or out of sight. Take frequent breaks with regular social interactions. Get away from the desk and take fresh air to break the cycle of feeling exhausted and unmotivated.
Most importantly, don’t bottle things up and make sure to seek help if you’re struggling before a crisis has a chance to get established. Looking after all aspects of health and wellbeing, such as physical health, will protect your mental health too.
Try to take a different perspective on home working to turn what you might feel is a negative into a positive – think about the increased control, autonomy and flexibility you have with your hours of work.
Five elements of resilience
- Being positive – see it as an opportunity for change
- Staying focused – identify what is important for you
- Be flexible – take a break or switch activities if you are flagging
- Be organised – establish a daily schedule
- Be proactive – pre-empt challenges if you can
Coping strategies include:
- Physical – stretches, exercise to release mental stress and tension
- Social – maintain social networks and communications
- Mindset – positive outlook, emotional and attentional control
In summary: Stay in touch, look after mind and body, cultivate resilience
How to stay active
General fitness protects against diabetes, cardiovascular issues, dementia, cancer and many other conditions. Government guidelines are to break up long seated periods and to take 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.
As life gets busier and busier again, you will probably need to be efficient with your time. Give yourself simple rewards or try something new to stay motivated. Use technology, like SMART watches to track your progress and commit in advance to exercise rather than waiting for the mood to strike. Fix a time to exercise and set achievable goals and you will be more likely to stick to them. I find that the time when I least feel like exercising, when I’m sad or self critical, is when I am most likely to get a boost from it.
There are 3 aspects to fitness, which include cardio, resistance and flexibility and your exercise plan should cover each one.
While working at your desk, set an alarm to move and vary position frequently. Take micro breaks and make sure that the environment is suited to the task you’re doing.
In summary: Optimise your time, utilise what you have, move more – something is better than nothing!
Eating well
Inadequate nourishment can reduce your efficiency by 20%, can affect your sleep quality, weight management, mood and lead to lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes.
A healthy diet is one that achieves an energy balance (between what you eat and what you burn up), is nutritionally dense and sustainable without gaining or losing weight. (Very much easier said than done when you spend your working day literally steps from the fridge!)
Try to eat a variety of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, while limiting saturated fats, sugary foods and salt. Food is not just energy, it communicates with your body and makes you feel well or indeed, ill.
Plan the meals for the week in advance (preferably not when you are hungry), make a list and include snacks. You’ll eat what you have in the fridge! Avoid highly processed items, which are high in calories and low on satisfaction. Be resourceful with recipes and try something different. I’ve tried getting a veg box delivered to coax me away from the usual endless carrots and spuds. Be mindful of what you are eating and make a meal out of meal times. The days of hastily stuffing down a sandwich at your desk in between meetings should be over (for now at least).
Don’t forget that water and milk are both good for hydration but milk feeds into the system more slowly and has other beneficial nutrients. Dehydration of as little as 2% of body weight can influence mood, lead to greater feelings of fatigue and reduced levels of alertness. Surprisingly, 20% of our fluids come from food anyway.
Aim to drink more, perhaps using fruit slices for flavour without adding sugars. Alcohol and strong caffeine work against the body, so keep to a minimum. You should increase the quantity of fluids when exercising but be careful not to overdo it.
In summary: Use variety, establish routine, be resourceful
Good luck, and whether you are still working from home or returning to the office, keep a close eye on your physical, mental and social wellbeing – this is still the long haul for most of us.
KatieGee 