With the sudden outbreak of novel coronavirus, the world faces a new phase where physical consultations have taken a back seat, and virtual work has become the "new normal." In the initial weeks of lockdown, remote working was considered a flexible arrangement for employees to dive in work, ensuring the comfort of their couch. Today, millions of employees work from home, not by choice, but as a compulsion due to safety norms.

What makes Remote Working so stressful?

While working from home may have its perks, but when it comes to work stress, remote job "environment," the situations are far from perfect.

According to Swasth, a tech-based emotional wellness coach, sharing workspaces with family or roommates can cause one to develop numerous dysfunctional behaviors like overeating, to overwork, and so on. This can be problematic on many levels as they make a person stressed and anxious but, in the long-run, also hamper their relationships.

A study conducted on 1200 remote working employees found that employees who got adequate sleep, ate healthily, interacted more with their family members and friends, engaged in recreational activities in between work, experienced lower stress levels, and reported greater positive feelings in their life.

The study also revealed that employees who experienced tremendous stress indulged in binge-eating and overuse of social media as a coping behavior to acquire temporary relief.

6 Tips on Combating Remote Work Stress

This is a vulnerable transition for everyone, especially when it comes to mental health, and it is essential to have enough confidence that we do not find ourselves in the vicious cycle of self-criticism and judgments. Despite the difficulties inherent to the current circumstances, remind yourself that you are doing your best and ensure mental wellness while working from home. Here are some of the ways you can combat remote work stress at ease:

1. Elevate your level of productivity

If you are worried about the unavailability of a tech-enabled system or inability to meet deadlines at home, there is good news. Research says you can be as productive as you are in the office while working from home. However, there are specific parameters you need to set up for seamless remote work.

Firstly, you must organize a specific workspace at home with no distractions. It might sound easy but challenging to incorporate if you are living with your family, but assigning a designated space to yourself will ensure a successful workday. If you expect transcendent productivity, you have to give up on leisure while working. For that, avoid working at bed or couch, make sure you work at a setup that consists of a chair and a table or desk. This will keep you more focused.

2. Enhance Communication

After an active workspace setup, communication is a cardinal requirement for elevating one's productivity. Establish precise performance and support-related Communication with your team. Ensure proper planning on your goals, meaningful projects, and performance graph and set your timeline accordingly. This will help you stay determined. It is also essential to stay in touch with your favorite colleagues/ workplace friends for successful coordination and hearty conversations. Also, do not forget to take breaks, in between, to spend some time with family. This not only keeps work stress at bay but also allows you to enhance your relationships.

3. Maintain Your Daily Routine

It's highly essential to maintain your routine even when you are not setting your foot to office. Doing so will help you stay organized and maintain a work-life balance effectively. As you stay consistent with typical business hours and follow daily activities like break hours and lunchtimes, you can prevent work from seeping into other aspects of life, making it burdensome. Although it seems tempting to finish all the work in a day, it is not reasonable to work overtime just because you can. Maintaining these healthy rituals can keep work stress and anxiety at bay.

4. Take Breaks

Taking breaks in between work promotes mental wellness, boosting your productivity and cognitive ability. When possible, take a break amidst work for a short walk and give yourself a much-needed change of surroundings or indulge in diaphragmatic breathing. One of the approaches as suggested in DBT Coach app, is diaphragmatic breathing - recommended to lower stress levels and anger issues, resulting from various underlying circumstances like overwhelming work. It is also a good idea to have lunch at the right time to avoid overworking.

5. Stay Connected

The lack of in-person communication can weaken team bonds; therefore, it's always a great idea to connect with colleagues via video calls. The face-to-face interaction allows us to reminisce about office days and perceive the other person's current reactions without assumptions based on their tone via voice-mail or instant message. It also ensures smooth connectivity with colleagues and a sense of normality, just like work-from-office days.

6. Be empathetic

Work from home is bound to take a toll on most of us for reasons like background noise, slow internet connection, or unavailability of office-like amenities. Hence, it is essential to show empathy towards others just like you would expect them to show as we all are dealing with highly challenging circumstances at present. When you struggle with precise work in your standard office days, your colleagues and seniors help you detect the problem and solve it. Now that you are working from home, and that face-to-face interaction is missing, you need to be extra aware and active to seek help from your manager or team members. Make a phone call, give them an idea of your struggles - personal or work, to ensure support.

If you notice that remote work stress is taking a toll over you and affecting your mental health immensely, seek professional help. This can help you avoid stress coming on your way of finishing tasks, maintaining relationships, and giving importance to self-nurturing. There is also the option of practical psychological help. Various applications are now available to understand and analyze your difficulties and provide you a result-oriented therapy.

Conclusion

Remote working stress has become a global issue, especially during this COVID-19 period, when situations are despicable outside and unmanageable inside. The United Nations claims that work stress is a collective challenge that we all must tackle and deal with together. There is still much to learn about working remotely and how to deal with resulting mental stress. At present, various online apps that focus on evidence based modalities such as CBT as used in CBT Companion to helping people to work on stress effectively. Please contact your therapist if you think your symptoms are unbearable and you need help.