Aside from a global pandemic and the economic catastrophe that the coronavirus brought, the normalization of remote learning and working from home have also taken the world by storm.
While many people have a hard time due to the setup’s obvious social shortcomings, there are still those who found the work-from-home setup as a great alternative. If you’re one of these people, then you’d probably be considering working remotely for good. And nobody can blame you.
The schedule is semi-flexible. You have control over your workspace. You can work without pants on. You don’t have to brush your teeth before a meeting. You don’t have to stress yourself out with the commute. It can be seen as somewhat more convenient than the traditional means. And nobody can disagree. However, just like everything else, there are still health risks that working from home presents. From something trivial like constipation and excessive weight gain to long-term complications like osteoporosis, blindness, and heart diseases, there are dangers that you’d be better off avoiding. And that’s where we come in.
Here are the five things you should avoid to achieve and maintain a healthier lifestyle while working from home.
Avoid Vices
Now that you’re working from home, you may feel that you have power over everything. But remember, with great power comes great responsibilities.
Remember that too much of anything can be harmful to your body. Avoid drinking too much coffee to stay awake on lazy days and take a bath before your shift instead. It will serve as a signal letting your body know that it’s time to be active. You should also avoid snacking too often while working, especially if it’s junk food and fast food. They both take time to digest, and within a couple of months, you might not recognize the person in the mirror. Having the freedom to smoke or get intoxicated during working hours is also quite enticing. But make sure you remember to dial it down since they are obviously damaging your body.
Avoid Digital Eye Strain
Computer vision syndrome is a common condition in this era. It starts with easily ignorable symptoms like blurred vision, light sensitivity, headaches, and neck pain. But continuous exposure to computer screens and mobile phones daily could lead to retina damage and cataract development. Two things that, if left unchecked, could eventually cause vision impairment.
To avoid this, take breaks in between tasks and rest your eyes. You should also lower the brightness of your computer screen. Letting in natural light can be helpful as well. Note that sitting in front of a brightly lit screen while the rest of the room is dark can damage your eyes quickly.
For more serious cases, make sure that you contact your ophthalmologist and get treatments such as cataract extraction with IOL (intraocular lens) as soon as possible.
Avoid Consistent Poor Posture
This one is simpler. If you’re sitting in front of the computer the whole day without working out, the least you could do to help your body is to fix your posture. A good posture can do wonders in avoiding muscle pain. If you have to work for a third of the day, make sure to change your position from time to time to lessen muscle and bone strain. And most importantly, practice sitting straight and avoid slouching at all costs.
Avoid a Sedentary Lifestyle
As stated above, you’d probably be spending a chunk of your day sitting down with your fingers and hands being the only parts that actually move. This is one of the most dangerous risks when working from home. Remember that you are still experiencing a pandemic outside your house. Staying physically fit has become necessary now more than ever. Since your casual walking around has been taken away from you, you can start by doing physical activities that you enjoy. You can make DIY workout equipment at home. You can even just do squats while typing away. Clearly, there’s no excuse anymore. So, you better get yourself ready to sweat it out.
Avoid food that’s difficult to digest
Since it’s been established that you probably don’t move around that much, you have to carefully plan, prepare, and consistently eat your diet. You’re not alone in this. Keep that in mind as you struggle to take that last piece of broccoli.
You should also remember that food that’s hard to digest usually causes gastric problems that could be quite damaging to your wallet. To avoid having to spend unnecessary money, eat healthily.
Bonus Tips
You should also avoid getting burnt out by focusing on your mental health and giving yourself scheduled “me time” from time to time. And some of your “me times” can be focused on resting. Avoid sleep deprivation at all costs. Lack of sleep usually causes your immune system to weaken. And that’s something you wouldn’t want during a pandemic. Lastly, avoid dehydration. Water can do wonders for your body. Staying hydrated does not only help your physical health but your mental stability and productivity as well.
The Bottom Line
Working from home has its perks. But to truly and fully enjoy the benefits of working remotely, you’d have to learn to take care of your body. Things are bound to get better. The situation is slowly but consistently improving. So you’d better be prepared to enjoy it when the world goes back to where it was a couple of years ago. Stay healthy. Stay alive.
