With more people working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s normal to feel burned out now that your place of relaxation doubles as your office.
Clinical psychologist Maneet Bhatia recently joined The Morning Show to share his tips on ways to prevent burnout when working from home.
Bhatia advises you should look for signs like physical and mental exhaustion including headaches, body aches and a consistent negative shift in your emotional state.
READ MORE: Burnout — Here’s how to recognize the symptoms
“A lot of times people share they are feeling more cynical or doubtful about their work prospects (and) losing motivation. It can be across many layers and it’s important to pay attention when these signs start to emerge,” he said.
According to Statistics Canada, once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, close to one quarter of businesses expect 10 per cent or more of their workforce will continue to work remotely.
While the flexibility of rolling out of bed and immediately starting your workday may be tempting, Bhatia advises against this.
READ MORE: WHO classifies burnout as ‘occupational phenomenon’ related solely to work
He suggests you should have healthy transitions to start and end your work day, similar to working at the office.
“Listening to podcasts, reading your paper in the morning or going for a workout … these transitions from work (and) on your commute home can provide mental and physical buffers that are healthy for you.”
And if you’re feeling isolated without the normal face-to-face interaction with colleagues, he suggests creating a virtual “water cooler” session.
READ MORE: ‘Burnout’ is a thing, doctors say. Here are the symptoms
“I encourage people to create those 10-15 minute ‘water cooler’ moments in their day,” he said.
“Whether it’s a 10-minute phone call while you’re walking, getting fresh air (and) chatting with your co-workers, … break up your day and reconnect.”
For more tips to help prevent burnout when working from home, watch the full video above.