5 tips for working from home during Covid-19 & reduce anxiety

5 tips for working from home during Covid-19 & reduce anxiety

The Covid-19 pandemic has made working from home our new normal. Most of the time, we share our space with our family or housemates, and we don't have the proper office set: Our chair is not ergonomic, our desk might be smaller than the one we had in the office, and our screen is also smaller than the one we had in our office.
Many of our customers have contacted us telling us how these factors are provoking stress and anxiety.
Pay attention to these tips to reduce anxiety and avoiding burnout while working from home.

1. Separate home time & office time

It is vital to create a physical and mental barrier between your home and office space if working from home. If you don't have any other options right now and you are working in your bedroom or living room, keep all work items out of your vision when you finish work. Our brain associates the spaces with activities, and this is why it is essential to keep the areas separated or at least to keep our work items out of your vision to switch off, relax and start your home-time in these spaces.

Try to stick to your regular schedule when you're working from home. Start your day at the same time that you would normally arrive at the office or workplace, and end your day at the same time. Set alarms if you have to as this may act as a reminder to switch off from work. 

2. Optimize your work environment 

Optimize your work environment at home.

Make sure you are using your screen correctly to avoid dry and itchy eyes. The screen should be in front of you, approximately 55 or 60 centimetres away and about 10 or 20 degrees below your eyes.

We spend a third of our time at work and usually we are always sitting in the same place, so it is really important that you get an ergonomic chair. The minimum that your ergonomic chair should have to work is a padded seat, a non-rigid backrest, armrests, wheels for small movements and the possibility of adjusting the height.

There is an abundance of research highlighting the increased benefits of standing while working. The current recommendations is to spend one hour of standing for every two hours of sitting. 

3. Get out of the house: Get natural light

Get out of the house during your work breaks. Take natural light

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has made us spend too much time in front of the screens. We are spending much longer than usual with screens to contact our loved ones, work, and have our work meetings. The long exposure to screens and a lack of natural light exposure lowers our melatonin levels. This disrupts our natural Sleep pattern and has negative consequences on our health.


Working from home shouldn't mean you stay locked inside all day. Get your breaks outside at least once if you can and get natural light. This will help you undo mental blocks and give you a new pair of eyes for whatever task you are doing. If you still find it difficult to get out for a considerable amount of time during the day it might be good to take a Vitamin D supplement as this can boost energy and focus and it can also support your immune system. 

 4.  Take regular breaks 

It's nice to have a routine when you work from home, but you shouldn't stay glued to the computer screen all day either.

Get up from your desk, and move around as you would in an office when you went to the coffee machine to grab a coffee or talk to your workmates. Taking a break every day around noon can help with your productivity and stress.
Scientific studies found that short breaks during the day are more beneficial than less frequent but more prolonged breaks.

Avoid taking breaks at the desk by having a look at the phone. It is better to give yourself time to disconnect from devices. Kocoono™ Weighted Eye Pillow can help you to get a glorious and peaceful moment in the middle of those hectic days. Lie down for 15 minutes and place your Weighted Eye Pillow over your eyes when you are lying on your back, ideally. The Deep Touch Pressure Therapy applied around your eyes will release all your tension! After this little break, you will have a more productive day with an enhanced mood and better focus helping your productivity. If you are really in need of a recharge you can use the Kocoono Weighted Blanket to accelerate your body into a restful state and recharge with a quick 15 minute snooze while using your Kocoono Weighted Eye pillow. 

 

5. Use Kocoono Wellness Work Bundle

Kocoono™ Work Wellness Bundle will help you to relieve anxiety & stress and focus while working from home. 

What can Kocoono™ Work Wellness Bundle help you with? 

  • Digital eye strain: itchy and burning eyes 
  • Neck pain
  • Back pain
  • Shoulder Tension
  • Headaches and head tension

 

What does the Kocoono™ Work Wellness Bundle contain? 

1. Kocoono™ Shoulder Hug: Your shoulder hug will relieve tension from your shoulders and essentially calm the mind while helping you to focus at the desk. The Kocoono™ Shoulder Hug weighs 1.5kg, and it is an ideal tool to alleviate neck and back pain, which are common while sitting at the desk for long hours. You can use this on your shoulders only or some of our customers use it on top of their lap (as a lap pad) while sitting down, which helps to ground your legs while getting you focused and correcting your position!  

2. Kocoono™ Weighted Eye Pillow: It will help you relax your eyes after prolonged screen-time and a powerful tool to reduce headaches and tension in the head. It is ideal to use it during your breaks. The best way to combat these symptoms is by using its cooling relief effect. 

You just need to insert the inner pillow into the freezer for 2 minutes (in a sealable plastic bag), lie down and place the cooling eye pillow over your eyes. This will recover you from visual overload and relax you!

Give us your feedback! 

We hope you found these tips helpful! Do not forget that a good rest, a healthy diet and being well hydrated is essential. Put yourself first! We invite you to read other related blogs such as:


10 tips to sleep better at night
8 tips to cope with Anxiety during COVID


Let us know what Tip resonates with you the most and if you are already implementing one, some or many of the above work from home tips.

 


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