Working From Home Wellness Activities

Working from home is amazing in many ways. But, it also comes with its own set of challenges. 

One of which is figuring out how to stay well while working from home where boundaries are blurred and routines get thrown out the window.

So, let’s go through some ways to maintain your wellness while working from home.

Go For A Stroll

When you start to feel distracted or unmotivated while working at home, going for a short walk offers a ton of benefits. 

According to Harvard Health, not only does walking help improve your heart health, but it can also relieve mental stress.

Plus, getting out in nature has perks of its own. One study found that people who spent just two hours per week in nature reported good health and psychological wellbeing. But those who didn’t get the full two hours didn’t reap those benefits.

To meet the threshold, you only need to be in nature for 18 minutes per day… just enough time for a short daily walk! 

Breathing fresh air, getting away from your screen, and clearing your mind to do your best thinking on a short walk in nature is a simple way towards wellness while working from home.

Make Time for Meditation

You’ve likely heard people go on and on about the benefits of regular meditation, but it’s worth repeating. Making time for meditation at least once a day can transform your life. 

You don’t have to be a monk to meditate, and it isn’t as daunting as you probably imagine.

All you do when you meditate is focus on your breath and notice your thoughts. But, the point isn’t to stop thinking. It’s to notice the thought and let it pass without judgment or attachment.

After a while, you’ll get better at interrupting unhelpful patterns and gain more awareness of your thoughts and reactions.

It can get pretty deep… but that’s why it’s life-changing. Especially with all the stressors that come with working from home, it’s a good idea to make meditation your friend.

Move Your Body

For many remote workers, it’s easy to find yourself sitting all day, barely moving more than the fingers on your keyboard and not even taking breaks, let alone exercising. 

But, if there’s anything we know, it’s that your body needs exercise. We are built to move, and exercising is not only beneficial physically, but it’s good for your mental health too.

HIIT workouts are particularly effective because they require as little as 15 minutes while burning up to 30% more calories. 

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, which means you’ll switch from maximum effort to short periods of rest. Essentially, HIIT trains your body to recover more quickly and, therefore, efficiently improves your fitness.

Quick, 15-minute HIIT workouts like those you can find on our OOMPH App are perfect for those who work from home. You don’t need a lot of space or time, and you’ll get exercise’s physical and mental benefits.

Take a Stretch Break

It’s true that we hold tension in our bodies. So, a sore back or neck could likely be a sign of major stress. Still, poor posture and sitting in your office chair all day won’t do your aches and pains any good. 

While working from home, get up to stretch every 30 minutes or so. All you need is a few minutes to touch your toes, reach up and over to stretch your sides, or clasp your hands behind your back to open up your chest.

Taking stretch breaks is fantastic for relieving stress and keeping your body as pain-free as possible.

Do an Eye Reset

Don’t forget about your eyes! From endless Zoom meetings to long lists of Trello tasks, we spend a lot of time on our screens while working from home. Even our breaks are usually spent on social media or watching YouTube.

Your eyes definitely need a break… 

So, try an eye reset by looking off into the distance. It’ll help your eyes refocus and relax. To do an eye reset, follow the 20-20-20 rule, where every 20 minutes, you look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Your workouts and walks will also give your eyes time to reset and there are blue light glasses that help too. Plus, it’s important to minimize screen time as much as possible outside of work to give your eyes a break.

So, all of this begs the question, how do you stay well while working from home?