In our pre-pandemic lives, we could close our laptops, sign off and head home to decompress from the work day. As home now serves many purposes — the office, the classroom, the gym and the place of relaxation — setting up a space that supports both mental and physical well-being is crucial for productivity.
When I work with my health coaching clients, we explore how to create healthy consistent lifestyle habits. Whether it’s rebooting physical activity or designing a mindful morning routine, many of our habits start with our environments at home.
In exploring ways to uplevel your work-from-home space, let’s first look at 3 foundational areas:
Comfort - How comfortable are you in your current setup? Evaluating the ergonomics of your workstation is one way to ensure your work days don’t end with constant aches and pains. Depending on what adjustments need to be made, you might consider investing in a desk, a desk chair, a laptop riser or a foot rest.
Lighting - Do your eyes constantly feel strained? While plenty of natural light is ideal, it may not always be possible at home. Instead, consider setting up a desk lamp and getting a pair of blue light glasses which filter out the blue light given off from digital screens.
Boundaries - Are you able to “power down” after your work day? If you have a separate room where you work, I recommend making it a habit to close the door at the end of the work day. If you happen to use your kitchen table as your desk at the moment, consider creating a ritual of physically putting your laptop and materials in another room at the end of the day. Just as you would normally commute to and from work, I recommend creating a transition between the start and end of the workday by changing up your space.
Top 5 wellness tips
Once you’ve evaluated your work from home foundations, it’s time to think about ways to support your mental well-being during the work day. Here are my top 5 work-from-home wellness tips:
Drink up - Alongside your morning coffee or drink of choice, hydration is key. Invest in a large clear water bottle so you can visually see how much water you’re drinking. I also recommend setting goals and reminders (either with an alarm or through an app like My Water Balance) throughout the day.
Boost your mood - Certain scents like lemon, peppermint or rosemary can be energizing and promote concentration. Experiment with turning on an aromatherapy diffuser or lighting a scented candle in the morning to enhance alertness as you get your workday started.
Get some greenery - Being in nature can spark our creative juices. In the absence of having an ocean or jungle view, I recommend adding a variety of air purifying indoor plants to brighten up your home office space.
Turn on the tunes - Spotify has a wide range of work-themed and focus playlists. If you’re looking for background noise for deep concentration work, try listening to binaural beats which can help reduce stress and improve memory.
Intentional breaks- Keep an alarm clock or watch nearby. One of my top recommendations is building in adequate time away from a screen throughout the day. This can be a quick walk for fresh air, making and sitting down to mindfully eat lunch or doing a short midday meditation.
Focus on the silver linings
While working from home has its own set of challenges, there are a few silver linings. Limited face to face interaction means teams around the world are leveling up their virtual communication in new and engaging ways. Less time in a car commuting to work also means you can finally make it to that earlier workout class.
As you settle into the new normal of working from home, or if you’re a small business owner and this is standard, enjoy exploring ways to freshen up your space that simultaneously support your holistic well-being.
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Livia Marati is a women's holistic health coach and founder of Ina Wellness Collective. You can send her questions and comments at livia@inawellnesscollective.com.