Thousands of people are still working from home in what was initially thought to be a temporary solution to fight coronavirus.
Six months later, psychologists said working from home could be here to stay.
“The measures we took to keep happy and healthy when we are thinking about more short term, a band aid, they are different than long term,” said Dr. Julie Braciszewski, a clinical psychologist.
People like Ami McMurphy are still working from their dining room table.
“I would love to stay working from home. Just being able to see my family walk through all day,” she said.
But working from home does have its challenges - primarily her Internet connection.
“I’ve had to work via hotspot, so I’ve had a little bit of a learning curve to go with that. Every time my hotspot goes out, I have to resign into everything,” said McMurphy.
Dr. Braciszewski said it’s even more important now to create space between work and your life.
“As we move through the band aid phase, we have to make sure we are communicating our needs to our supervisor about what hours we are available,” she said.
Dr. Braciszewski said now is also the time to stop going to work in your pajamas.
“I myself love a yoga pant day just do to paper work. However, when we get sunk into that, if we are doing our daily routes of hygiene and getting ready, it can actually negatively impact our mood and our sleep,” said Dr. Braciszewski.
Dr. Braciszewski said communication is more important now than ever before, especially if you are feeling burned out.
“Really in the last five to six months, people’s lives have substantially changed. How people are doing has really been on a roller coaster ride,” she said.
That’s why McMurphy picked up a new hobby.
“I started a farm with chickens and a duck. There is always something to do,” she said.
Dr. Braciszewski said if you are feeling more anxiety and stress while working from home, talk to your boss about any resources your company might have.
