Some people work from home by choice and love it. Others – those who have been mandated to work from home may have no choice about their workplace location and no clear timeline on when they will go back to the office.

In such cases, you may find yourself wondering how to practice self-care while working from home, how to cope with anxiety and loneliness, and how to balance time between work and kids.

As a working mom, you probably never put yourself first and self-care may have taken a complete back seat. But you have to realize that practicing self-care is more important now than ever. Taking good care of yourself will help you manage the demands of daily, shelter-in-place life. Remember, when you are happier and healthier, your family will be too.

We have enlisted some self-care tips on how to make working from home feel more connected, meaningful, and fun.

Develop a daily routine

If you are someone who is used to working in an office setting, you might be missing the built-in structure that you used to have – you arrive for work at the same time each morning, have predictable schedule of meetings, take your lunch break, and conclude to the day before dinnertime and put your tasks to an end.

Working from home can feel the very opposite since without creating your own structure, you may find yourself at loose ends, getting absorbed into doing other things instead of staying on task with your deadlines. The solution? Develop a daily routine that you can use as a framework for your work from home days.

You can try the model that works for you in the office. If you are used to begin your day at 9am with a cup of coffee and a review of your to-do list before attending a staff meeting, followed by a two-hour block of focused task time at your desk with your earphones on, then see to it that you set alarm in enough time to get you to your desk at home by 9am with a cup of coffee in hand.

Other ways to create a daily routine for structure include planning out your lunches in a similar way that you did in the office, scheduling regular breaks in addition to lunchtime to stay mentally fresh and energized while working from home.

Use apps to remind you to take a break

You do not have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to self-care and working from home. Once a day, you can take 5 minutes for yourself to decompress, zone out, and recharge. This could mean anything from a quick walk around the house to a short period of meditation, or even just laying down to rest. In order to make things easier for you, you can try different apps that could help you take a break and regain your focus.

Download reminder apps that could notify you when it is time to take a break. Some apps allow you to customize your preferred break time to your specific work schedule. You can set intervals and even look at a seven-day history to see how well you are doing at taking your regular breaks throughout the week.

There are other apps that would remind you to engage in healthy habits like standing up, walking, exercising, and even drinking water.

Aside from taking a break, you might also want to try doing quick meditation to help you get back on track. There are meditation apps that can help you develop mindfulness amidst this hyper-connected world.

You can download these apps that can give you time sessions up to 30 minutes long and as short as three minutes for both guided and silent meditations. There are also those that aid in better sleep, to restore yourself after your busy workday.

Re-hydrate and mind your posture

Remember to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day. Staying hydrated helps your body function optimally and keeps your skin looking fresh and healthy.

Also, since we sometimes mistake thirst as hunger, eliminating that feeling helps to increase metabolism and burn fat.
Since working from home entails long hours of sitting down, making mindful posture as a habit helps ward off backache and pain. It also gives you the appearance of being thinner and taller and engages deep abdominal muscles.

Make your workspace inviting

Take some time to apply some creativity in your workspace. Working in an organized, comfortable, and pleasant space helps you become more productive.

If you have a dedicated workspace, make sure that your work supplies are neatly arranged and you have a proper desk chair to use. Also consider the décor of your workspace. You may want to add plants and pictures to keep you inspired and motivated all day.

Skincare is self-care

With how stressful the world is today, it might feel tempting to just watch TV late into the night or just scroll through your social media account to check on what’s latest on the news feed. Caring for your skin is one of the steps in developing a self-care routine.

What if, instead, you focused on taking care of yourself even in simple ways. Why not spend five minutes to treat your skin and send yourself a message that you are worth it?

Create a routine that feels good and includes gentle and moisturizing skincare products that you enjoy using. This can be done by finding or using a moisturizer that you really love. Do not underestimate the impact of gently massaging skin with a warm washcloth to cleanse and take time to smooth a silky moisturizer on your face. This relaxing experience of an at-home facial or treatment can mean a lot to the wellbeing of your skin and soul.

Working from home as a mom can present challenges but there are also advantages in doing so – save time by not commuting to work, minimizing environmental footprint and increased productivity, among others.

There are various ways to practice self-care so make the best of your work-from-home experience and make sure to maximize your time by focusing your efforts on boosting your overall well being.

For more information on skincare tips, advice, as well as gentle and moisturizing skincare products for your self-care journey, follow @SkinCareforHope on Facebook or call 0917-3174682.
(Photo credits: Freepik)