WFH leads to feelings of Isolation

Working from home not all it was cracked up to be?

People are finding that by not having a physical separation between home and work – in neither time nor space – the two are increasingly overlapping. More often than not, work wins and you find yourself slouched at your chair staring at a computer screen for many more hours than you had ever done back in the office. This not only has negative implications for your physical health but also mental health. 

That initial excitement of eating a leisurely breakfast in the comfort of your own kitchen every morning before attending a work Zoom meeting in a shirt and tie above underwear and bare feet has probably started to wane a little. 

Remote Working

Recent studies have also shown that people have been feeling increasingly lonely whilst working from home.  

It seems many of us hadn’t considered that remote working actually meant isolated working.  

Isolation has been repeatedly shown to lead to loneliness and more serious mental health problems.

The Fix

We’ve long said massage is about maintaining mental health as much as it is about physical relaxation. 

Tip the balance back in your favour and do your employer a favour at the same time too! Take real advantage of some of the benefits of working from home.

As good as it would be, it’s pretty impractical to get a massage during the day at the office. But with just a little sensible planning you can easily work a relaxing or rejuvenating massage into your day whilst working from home. 

Suggested Plan
 

1. Choose a specific day during your next working-from-home week

• We recommend a Wednesday, but whatever works best for you
• The important thing is that the day should be chosen so that it breaks up your working week relatively equally
• Pick a time when you would not normally get a massage
• It could be first thing in the morning or mid-afternoon. The point again is to break up your normal working day
   

2. Choose a time that you are sure you will not be disturbed. This is vital. If you’ve got an open work diary, we recommend you block it out for 1.5 hours with a simple “Busy”

• Choose another time in the week, perhaps the evening or very early morning, when you’ll do 1.5 hours work at a time that you wouldn’t normally
• This mentally and practically solves any ‘guilt complex’ you may feel for getting a luxurious massage during the normal work day. Put this balancer in your diary too
   

3. You can book your massage in as little as 60 seconds, so don’t waste too much time choosing a style or therapist.

• Book it quickly just as you would a work meeting. It is after all a meeting that is hopefully going to improve your overall efficiency at work
   

4. Treat your massage appointment just as you would a work meeting.

• Be precise with timing and spend a few minutes beforehand preparing to ensure you get the most out of it
• Meet your therapist professionally and with your focus on the treatment at hand
• Switch off your phone and remove other aspects that could disturb your appointment
• Wrap up efficiently at the end of the treatment
   

Item 4 is crucial. Treating your relaxation massage with a degree of precision may sound like an oxymoron but actually it means it becomes a guilt-free, purposeful, remedial session. The better you feel about having it, the higher the chances of you feeling all-round improved as a result. 

Done correctly, this becomes a virtuous circle which improves your overall health, your work productivity and your sense of work-life balance.

Be Your Own Boss

It is well known that reaching the top of a large organisation is a sign of great success but is also very often a lonely place to be. Unsurprisingly, many of the world’s top executives regularly set aside time for remedial ‘luxuries’ like therapeutic massage. They know it’s good for them and they also know it is good for work. 

Of course, they are in the fortunate position of being able to afford to do so, without anybody looking over their shoulder or questioning what they are up to. 

It is a classic example of the ‘rich getting richer’. They have the ability to decide to take care of themselves, and in turn, they do better. That virtuous circle we were talking about earlier.

But now you can use the new normal of WFH to give yourself a similar advantage. By incorporating precisely timed, remedial therapy, into your days on a regular basis you too can start to feel and perform like the very best. 

Don’t let remote working mean isolated or inefficient working. Use the flexibility that working from home offer for your own long-term advantage!