5 Tips to Stay Healthy When Working Remotely
COVID-19 has forced people to stay at home for more than a year now. But even when workers are mostly staying in the confines of their homes, it still does not guarantee complete protection against the deadly virus. Nonetheless, preventive measures are still helpful compared to nothing being done at all. Here are 5 tips to practice self-care and stay healthy when working remotely:
1. Always disinfect the house
When it comes to work from home jobs, regularly disinfecting your home is the most important tip to keep you and your family healthy during the pandemic. Disinfecting has proven to be effective against all types of diseases, even against the Coronavirus to a certain degree. Make sure to disinfect your home every day, not just in your home office but also in every room in the interior and exterior of your house. This ensures that no traces of bacteria stick to any area for too long, resulting in the people in the household avoiding getting sick.
For the disinfection process, disinfectant sprays and wipes should do the trick. It shouldn't take too much time as long as you get help from other people. You can also take turns so that the cleaning and disinfecting will be done faster. Also, if someone arrives from the outside inform that person to change their clothes right away or even take a bath. This should prevent bacteria from roaming all over the household.
2. Stock up on supplies
With COVID causing authorities to shut down cities or towns without any prior notice, it’s best to stock up on supplies. These supplies can pertain to food, medicine, and disinfecting solutions. Stocking up prevents you from constantly going out and bumping with numerous people in the grocery or department store. Basically, the more limited your mobility will be the fewer chances you are of getting infected. Stocking up has been one of the most common activities at the beginning of the pandemic but it’s a practice you still should consider up to this day.
Food and medicine are two of the most important supplies you need to purchase for obvious reasons. You’ll never want to go hungry especially if there are other people in the household, including children and older adults. Also, having food delivered to your doorstep can get costly if you do it every day. Stock up as often as you can but also make sure to purchase within your means. Avoid borrowing money just for the sake of it as you may not even consume everything if you buy too much.
3. Be informed
Being informed will help you stay on top of what’s happening in the community especially when it comes to health protocols and travel restrictions. You can also check the COVID situation of friends and family living in another city or country. The more information you have, the better you will be able to assess the situation which you can inform the other members of the household right away.
Whatever your job is, whether it be a virtual assistant or software engineer, check the news every now and then. It won’t take you a few minutes to get some daily updates. You can also check with other family members from time to time if they are checking the news themselves. When checking the news, always ensure that it is verified. The amount of fake news these days can be distressing so verify from multiple sources at all times.
4. Eat healthy foods
Taking medications isn’t the only way to stay healthy whether you’re working a full time or part time remote job. Eating healthy and having a balanced diet should keep diseases at bay and also prevent you from having physical and mental health problems during the entirety of your remote work shift. These days, the health risks of not having a balanced diet are great with the onset of COVID-19.
Choose your food well by going with fresh goods more instead of processed foods. Also, limit your intake of fried and grilled food as this can significantly increase your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be at your dining table every single day. To help you stay mentally and physically fit at all times, pair your nutritious dishes with regular exercise. Remember that you can still do numerous exercises even if you’re mostly staying indoors.
5. Stay indoors
Speaking of staying indoors, avoiding human contact with people outside your house is still the most effective way to stay healthy during COVID. With less interaction, you won’t have to worry about talking with someone who may have contracted the virus. It has already been reported numerous times that wearing masks in public can still cause infections even in the healthiest of individuals. This should give you all the more reason to stay indoors especially if you’re working remotely or as a freelancer.
If you’ve been given permission by your boss to work remotely until further notice, avoid going to the office even if it’s open. Remote workers should limit personal interaction as much as possible which can result in getting sick in the process. It may already be hard for you to work remotely with the house providing numerous distractions, but if you can still finish all of your work there then there is no reason for you to go outside. As previously mentioned, only go out when it’s absolutely necessary (e.g. food or supply purchase, hospital trips).
Final thoughts
Living healthy while working remotely can be tough but it doesn’t have to be impossible. The five best practices (or survival guide) listed above should help you stay in shape and also prevent you from developing mental issues due to government-imposed restrictions. The road to recovering from COVID is near and it won’t be long before you finally return to a physical office setting.
