Wise Telecommuting in the COVID era

[Worker A has been working from home due to the COVID 19 pandemic for the past 4 months. He was happy at first, that he didn’t have to commute, and it was good to work in his own space in a free atmosphere without being nervous about difficult work relationships. However, as time went by, he became lethargic, his motivation disappeared, and his work quality suffered adversely. Also, since he was single, he spent most of his time at home without talking to other people all day. Most of the communication was non-face-to-face, in the form of text messages and e-mails. He even started feeling guilty for being lazy on his own.]

As telecommuting increased due to the coronavirus quarantine measures, more and more office workers complained of depression and helplessness termed as “Corona Blue” due to the decrease in the amount of activity and interaction with people when living only at home. Check yourself for any of the following symptoms which could be the result of prolonged work from home.

• Your daily life seems bothersome, you hate doing everyday tasks such as cleaning the house or simple exercise, which was done instinctively before, and now you feel exhausted all the time.
• Unlike in the past, when you were actively working with novel ideas, it is difficult to meet the deadline even for what you are asked to do now.
• You feel depressed throughout the day and my motivation continues to decrease.
• Eating is annoying, and most of them depend on food or instant food, or they skip meals because they have no appetite.
• You feel lonely at home, but meeting people is also burdensome and anxious.
• You are easily annoyed even in small things and get angry for no reason.
• You often blame yourself, think about your past actions, and criticize yourself negatively.
• When you think about the future, you can’t see the future harbour a feeling of helplessness.
• You sleep less or too much. You can’t sleep deeply, wake up often, and can’t sleep until late at night, hence spend a lot of time in front of the computer.

<Tips to regain vitality in life…>

1) Creating a Healthy Homework Environment: For example, when working from home for a long time, move your desk to a place with good sunlight. Growing indoor plants to reduce stress and anxiety, regular exercise such as walking in place or stretching for 4 to 5 minutes to reduce stress and anxiety by moving your body regularly.

2) Make a “list of activities that give you pleasure” that you have given up so far: When you feel tired, helpless, or anxious, you take action first rather than just waiting for some ‘positive change or desire’ to come up in your mind may be a smart choice. By making a list of each of the activities that give you energy and how much energy you consume in the day, you will see which activities you can do more or less to get your balance right.

3) Try positive self-talk: “It’s a difficult time, but I’m holding on and controlling myself well. It is also said that words of positive energy form a barrier in our body and mind that prevents stress from penetrating.

If we could comfort ourselves and end the day with this positive feeling, wouldn’t it be possible to rekindle positive energy in our weakened hearts?