During The Pandemic
Many people are working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, even if that means trying to finish projects while your child (or, in some cases your pet) desperately seeks attention. On the other hand, those who have to work from their workplace must wear face masks all the time, practice social distancing and wash their hands frequently. In other words, no matter how you’re working right now, the ‘new normal’ is stressful and has changed everyone’s life. For these reasons, we should all be aware of why it is important to disconnect from work.
In our case, the Job Duck’s team has always worked from home! So we thought it’d be great to share with you some of the reasons why it is important to disconnect from work:
Stress and anxiety
There are so many things about our current situation that are stressful. From trying to protect loved ones, traveling to the workplace at risk of infection (in such cases where your company requires you in person), to worrying about family or friends who are sick. Even everyday activities like shopping and exercising can cause great anxiety. Add to that the fact that most people frequently experience some level of work-related stress. It should be clear that, at this point, having higher-than-normal anxiety levels it’s completely understandable.
Burnout
At the same time, many employees who work from home find it increasingly difficult to disconnect from their job tasks. After all, it’s very easy to quickly send a couple of emails after dinner or try and finish a project at night when the atmosphere is more pleasant or calm. Not to mention there’s not really an option to go out and have fun.
However, if you’re thinking like that, you will never be able to disconnect. Forcing your brain with too many hours of work will, in the long run, be damaging. You could become less focused, less creative, and less able to complete tasks that used to be routine for you. You will start to suffer from Burnout Syndrome, which is already recognized as a disease by the World Health Organization. This syndrome leads to exhaustion, a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by the stress of the work environment. Burnout Syndrome can make you feel distracted, worried, absorbed, and depressed and, ultimately, will seriously impact your performance and productivity.
Plan your breaks
Just as athletes give their bodies time off to replenish themselves so as to become faster, stronger, or more agile; we must allow our brains to recover for them to be more creative and productive
You can also plan a “vacation” at home. Of course, a stay-in vacation will be a little different than what we were used to (since many recreational facilities are closed), but there are still many things to do. Here is a short list of suggestions:
- Make a list of the movies you’ve always wanted to see and watch them all.
- Make a list of the books you’ve always wanted to read and read them all.
- Learn a new hobby. There are many videos online to help you learn anything from yoga and gardening to creating graphic novels and repairing your car.
- Get active. Look for videos of different disciplines that you can do from your home, or, if possible, look for an outdoor activity that you do in natural spaces with little attendance.
- Do a home makeover. If you want to give your living room a new look, why not use your vacation days? Go to Instagram or Pinterest for great decorating ideas, and visit different online stores to get all the supplies you need and get to work!
At Job Duck, we believe that everyone should reach their full potential at work and in their personal life. Due to the current panorama, all the signs point to this: you need to recharge in order to be happy and productive in your professional and personal life. So schedule some time off and really disconnect from work, and you will come back refreshed and ready to start over!
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
