Working “Well” From Home
With lockdown upon us, being forced to work from home and/or self-isolate may seem like a relief for some – especially if you’ve been feeling drained, exhausted, stressed, depleted or off-balance through job or life stress. However, the uncertainty surrounding the unknown on top of added caring, home-schooling, cooking and cleaning responsibilities, may incite another level of overwhelm.
Whatever the emotions you are experiencing, the truth is that any sudden involuntary change to the structure of your life will have an impact on your mental and physical wellbeing, your energy and your sense of self.
If you are feeling disempowered right now – it’s OK. I want to give you back that power.
Being faced with a heavily restricted and contained lifestyle is daunting - I know. In fact, this is a wonderful opportunity to get back in touch with your natural ways of working, enhance your energy and gain a greater sense of connection to how you are meant to function – yes, really! There is something to be gained from this from a health perspective and I am determined to help you find it.
Under normal circumstances, most of us work according to necessary, yet nonetheless imposed systems of work – day in day out. Consequently, we have seen an alarming increase in the rates of job-related stress and burnout worldwide, especially among women.
Whilst there so many reasons for this shift, one thing is clear – we are out of touch with what “health” really means for us. So, what better time than now to reclaim your mental health and enhance your energy and performance – naturally?
To start, I’ve put together some simple tips on how you can work from home, stay efficient and start to feel noticeable health benefits, whilst setting some amazing foundations for when you eventually return to the office (whenever that may be..)
10 STEPS TO WORKING “WELL” FROM HOME
1. Dress the part – one of the beauties of working from home is that we don’t actually need to get out of our PJ’s, right?... WRONG! In fact, research shows that the clothes you wear not only shape your figure, but they actually shape the way you think, feel and perform . Dressing for the occasion sharpens your sense of self and abstract thinking; and improves your problem-solving and decision-making abilities (yes, really!). So, get up, wash, get dressed into something that makes you feel good, add a dash of colour, perhaps a hint of make-up and feel the subtle yet uplifting shifts in mood and perspective this brings.
2. Establish a routine – getting into a new rhythm over the coming weeks is going to be really important to your overall vitality. Our bodies are routine machines! In fact, we rely on cyclical physiological phenomena (a branch of biology known as chronobiology) to enable optimal health. Your energy, alongside your mental and physical health depend on a complex and intricate dance of fluctuating hormones like cortisol, melatonin, insulin, thyroid and sex hormones. These hormones respond to timely patterns of behaviour to balance blood sugar, energy, mood, digestion, appetite sleep, memory, and even sexual desire – so being “regular” in your activities can actually help you to feel and function better!
Tips to get you started:
o Stick to regular wake and bedtimes. Allocate 7-8 hours for sleep (more if you are feeling stressed, rundown or if you are in the later phase – luteal – of your menstrual cycle). Try and resist the temptation to go to bed later and be in bed by 10:15pm if you can. Oh, and save watching the News until the morning!
o Be consistent with your mealtimes and breaks.
o Allocate that 30-45 mins each morning (your commute time) for something new before you hunker down to work. It’s a great time to get your daily quota of fresh air and exercise (brisk walk, light jog – lockdown permitting), do some stretches, take a stroll around the garden (or as near to nature as you can get), play with your children or even learn a new skill. This new “habit” is your most important gift during this transition. Practice it for 21 days and commit. Stick with it and it will serve you later on.
3. Find a new “jus” – this is the perfect opportunity to bypass your morning coffee and develop a relationship with a different morning brew. Whilst many of us grab a coffee on the way into work, caffeine on an empty stomach effects cortisol (our main stress hormone) impacting our blood sugar, energy, stress response and anxiety levels. Caffeine will also interfere with sleep and disrupt oestrogen metabolism contributing to PMS-like symptoms and anxiety. If you must have a coffee, have one mid-morning (away from food) and avoid decaf coffee! Most companies use chemicals to extract the caffeine (look for water-filtering methods if you must).
Some alternatives to try:
o Rooibos (African red bush) – a naturally sweet, caffeine-free tea, high in antioxidants with a balancing effect on cortisol.
o Other great options include: lemon & ginger ,echinacea, elderberry, acerola cherry (naturally high vitamin C), hibiscus, reishi and rose hips for added immune support.
o Top tip: if you’re having your tea before your morning walk or jog add a tsp of MCT-rich coconut oil (MCTs, “medium chain triglycerides”, provide an energy supply, boost metabolism, fat-burning and focus)
4. Take breaks – don‘t get glued to your screen all day. Stand up, stretch, do a down-ward-facing-dog (I’m serious) and get outside (if you can and/or are not self-isolating). A different perspective will also undo mental blocks and give you a fresh pair of eyes for any tasks you're struggling with.
5. Move your body – even if you can’t leave the house, find ways to move your body – get creative! If you don’t already have an established exercise routine, prioritise low level activity such as online yoga or dancing in your living room (do it!). The best movement for your energy and physique will depend a lot on your age, body type and where you are in your daily and monthly cycles (aka. your hormones!) but given you may be short on choices right now, ANY movement is better than none. It will support your immune system and your mind frame as well as just about every other aspect of your health.
6. Get in the kitchen – whilst there is no need for complex recipes, you now have your kitchen at your disposal! Use it to your advantage to create simple, tasty meals from a variety of fresh and colourful ingredients. If you’re not confident in the kitchen start with soups and “sheet pan recipes” (google it!), which are a great way to start building nutrient dense meals. General “healthy” meal building guidelines:
o At each meal, fill half your plate with colourful vegetables or salads (dark leafy greens*, broccoli, red/orange/yellow peppers, green beans, sugar snaps, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes)
o Add 80-100g animal protein (oily fish like salmon, tinned sardines or mackerel, left over organic chicken or turkey, organic tofu) or 100-120g of plant protein (cooked lentils, chickpeas, edamame beans, peas or beans) – or a bit of each!
o Add healthy fats (1 tbsp olive, avocado or hemp oil, half an avocado and/or 25g nuts or seeds)
o Add 50g complex carbs, if not using legumes as your plant protein (batch cook quinoa, buckwheat, brown, wild or black rice; or add oat cakes, wholemeal, rye or sourdough bread with soups and salads).
By building your meals in a smart way, you’ll help reset your overcooked, stress hormones and stabilise blood sugar.
7. “Support your gut health”: your gut contains over 100 million neurons and is responsible for the production of ~ 90% of the body’s serotonin (the body’s ‘happy hormone’). There is no better time to start balancing your brain chemistry and mood by giving your gut some TLC with probiotics. Choose full fat kefir, kombucha (fermented tea, I love Equinox Ginger) sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented tofu or use a good quality probiotic supplement (which may also support and maintain normal immunity).
For more details on specific foods to support brain function, stress, anxiety, sleep, mood, concentration and energy, sign up to my newsletter on our homepage here (launching soon) or for individualised guidance book a call with me here.
8. Get connected. If you like bustle and being around people and find yourself self-isolating or working from home alone, use sound to create atmosphere. Listen to low-level music, use apps to create background noise or try Brain FM if you need to concentrate on a complex task. Certain days you may wish or need to hide behind your email (and that’s OK - you are not the same everyday!), but on other days make a commitment to pick up the phone and talk to colleagues and contacts. Sign up to an online yoga class before or after work, schedule a video call with a friend or me! And DO check in on your community. Do you have an elderly neighbour that may need your support? Even a note through their door, a mini care package, any extra supplies of (dare I say it) a spare loo roll..?!!
9. Don’t over-compensate – a lot of us tend to over-compensate when working from home. There is an inevitable need to be “seen” and ensure people know what you are up to. According to the results of my recent survey (results will be published in Q2), over 72% of women exhibit these signs of “presenteeism”. Don’t give in to this behaviour, especially when working from home – you will end up over-working and under-performing! If you know you’re on task and being productive – so will your colleagues.
10. Be more “Hygge” – “hygge” is a Danish word describing a mood of coziness, comfort, and a sense of wellbeing derived through the manipulation of one’s surroundings. Start by creating some physical boundaries by designating an area for “work” (even if this is a corner of a room); separate it from where you feel most relaxed in your home.
At the end of the day harness this space and make it work for you:
o Shut down your laptop and place it, along with your phone, in a separate room
o Set the table for dinner
o Change the light environment – light a candle, dim the lights
o Play some music or change the tone
o Invest in a diffuser and some essential oils
o Plan an evening of fun (films, games, books – get back to basics)
Self-care through self-isolation is possible. You can stay efficient and keep your spirits up. You can reduce overwhelm, manage your energy and actually enhance your health at this time. It is possible to live it up in lockdown!
If you’ve found this article helpful, please share it with colleagues and loved ones. If you’d like to get in touch with me to see how I can help you or your business thrive (not just survive) the foreseeable, it would be a pleasure to hear from you.
© Holly Dunn Nutrition