When your used to working at an office away from home, working from home can sound like a dream come true. When my boss told us that we could work from home, at first I was hesitant, but eventually caved in and stayed home. It was nice having that extra 40 minutes to sleep in I admit, and not dressing up was also a plus. I could go out to the yard in the sun and read a book on my break. Everything was fine and dandy for a while but eventually I missed being in the same room as my co-workers.
When I quit my job and started working on my own projects, the feeling of isolation got worse. I no longer had co-workers to share the job experiences with. I had my boyfriend who also works along side with me, but he’s at work away from home, 8 hours a day. This is probably the worst ” gotcha ” of working from home. I personally don’t mind being alone for most of the time, but it can effect anyone. Emails and social media sites do not compensate for being around someone physically.
The other issue that I realized was over working. You feel obligated to keep working since the office is just a few feet from you. I had the habit of getting out of bed, turning on the computer 6 feet away and staying there till midnight, just to get back in bed and doing it all over again every day. After a while, this becomes a numbing routine for your mind and can feel down right depressing.
Another issue that took over was not caring about my looks. Why should I care? After all, I’m in the house all day so there is no need to. In reality, this only caused me to get more used to inactivity. Being out of touch of the physical world, I felt like a shy child around people because I was out of practice of interacting with people.
There are definitely physical issues with sitting in your chair all day in front of the computer. I’ve had horrible eye strain that then keeps me from sleeping due to the tense feeling around my eyes. I also used to have back issues from the computer chair. You may get that ” nerd ” look were you become pale from lack of sun. This is more than a physical look because you will not get vitamin D from sun exposure and can lead you to feeling more blue. Eating junk food ” because you don’t have time ” will lead you to malnutrition and weight gain(or loss sometimes) and create more mood issues. I personally have been at fault from snapping at my boyfriend and feeling irritable and I very much believe that it’s from not getting out of the house and having a small, routine schedule.
With the many issues that result from working at home, there are a few things that I have done to make me feel better and can make you work more efficiently.
-Take walks/go outside
-Exercise
-Eat a nutritious meal
-Let the sun shine in your office
-Have lunch/fun with friends
-Rent an office building that is away from home if you can
-Set a schedule for yourself (include lunch)
Working from home definitely can have it’s perks, but it is at a hidden cost by challenging your sanity and is not for everyone. Even for a hermit like me, it can feel pretty lonely at times. The main thing is to change your daily routines and scenery.