Enhance your mental wellbeing during remote work with these 6 clever Microsoft Teams hacks:
In the current time of lockdown (2.0), many individuals find themselves grappling with the challenges of working from home. One such person, who wishes to remain anonymous, shares his personal experiences and learnings to help others manage their digital and home working habits during this period.
The individual experienced anxiety and an inability to switch off during lockdown (1.0). He found virtual meetings draining, often putting him in a fight-or-flight state (3.0) and triggering his arousal response. The lack of natural body language and delays in virtual meetings made his brain work overtime searching for non-verbal cues (3.0).
During in-person meetings, he often sat 2ft away from colleagues (3.0), and at times found himself involved in uncomfortable staring contests. However, a mirror in the corner of the view during in-person meetings was a distraction he could have done without.
The individual was reluctant to delegate tasks during the lockdown and was part of the 78% who checked emails well after normal working hours (6.0). He was also among the 30%+ who checked emails before getting out of bed. This constant connectivity blurred the boundaries between work and personal life, causing chronic stress and burnout.
The individual felt guilty when not working during the lockdown and admits to being fortunate to have recognized the early signs of work-related stress during this period. He recognizes the importance of establishing clear work-life boundaries, maintaining social connections virtually, and practicing mindfulness or stress management techniques to combat these effects.
Prolonged digital and home working significantly impact mental health. Increased loneliness and social isolation, blurred work-life boundaries, higher anxiety and stress, emotional regulation difficulties, and burnout symptoms are common manifestations [1][2][3][4][5]. To mitigate these impacts, it is recommended to strengthen emotion regulation skills, maintain social connections, establish clear work-life boundaries, practice mindfulness or stress management techniques, and delegate tasks where possible.
The individual aims to share these learnings to help others manage their digital and home working habits, especially during lockdown (2.0). Addressing these factors is vital for sustaining mental well-being in home-based work environments.
- The individual, struggling with anxiety and an inability to disengage during lockdown (1.0), acknowledges the detrimental effects of prolonged digital and home working on mental health, citing increased loneliness, social isolation, and burnout as common outcomes (5).
- To combat the negative impacts of digitally connected home-based work on mental well-being, our anonymous sharer recommends strengthening emotion regulation skills, maintaining social connections virtually, establishing clear work-life boundaries, and practicing mindfulness or stress management techniques (6).
