Self care is necessary, but something we usually put on the back burner when life gets a little hectic. It could be work, kids, our relationships or sometimes our mental health. It’s easy to find an excuse not to take time for ourselves, and the obstacles that come up in life give us these excuses. The truth is, if we don’t take care of ourselves we won’t be any good to our kids or our job. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Just like we make time to check in and make sure everyone else is okay, we need to take time and check in with ourselves.
But, what happens when you work from home? How do you separate work from your personal life when it’s literally down the hall from you?
Working from home is great because you don’t have to travel, or clock in and out in most cases. You can set your own hours and work from anywhere. That all sounds amazing, but how do you turn it off? Yes you can make your own hours but we all know that there are times when we say, “I’ll do this one thing and then I’m done”. Four hours later you’re still on the laptop and responding to clients (I’ve done it). The lines start to blur and it gets difficult to separate the two. It’s also hard to turn things off and focus on yourself especially if you have kids at home. It’s even harder to make time for yourself because you have someone else that needs you, and that can cause a little guilt with wanting to take 5 minutes for yourself. Like I said before, you can’t really take care of anyone else if you’re running low on energy and motivation.
It’s difficult but, here are a few things you can try:
- Set boundaries
If your work hours are 8-4:30pm, be firm on that. DO NOT respond to clients after this time. Make sure that’s in your contract. Also make sure that you have a clause about emergency tasks, and define what an actual emergency is.
- Take an actual break
It’s hard to take a relaxing break when you’re working from home. Take a quick walk outside, or sit on your porch if you can. Maybe take a nap if you want. Taking a few minutes to recharge your batteries will go a long way.
- Work on you
On your off days, work on something that will benefit you. Maybe update your website for your business. Make some new business cards for yourself, or maybe try a new skill you’ve been wanting to learn.
- Know when to say No
I know making money is great and everything, but your mental health isn’t worth it. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Burning yourself out is no good to you or your clients. Take on the tasks that you enjoy and tasks that you truly have time for.
- Log off completely
Log out of everything work related. Get a google voice number and leave a voicemail with your work hours. When work is over, stay out of work files. I have an external hard drive with all of my work. When I unplug it, that’s it. It’s a great way to really make sure that I’m not clicking into any client files and ending up in a rabbit hole of work.
These are just a couple ways that you can practice self care while working from home! It’s easier said than done, BUT completely worth it! Leave some comments on how you practice self-care while working from home.
Creative Ambition Virtual Solutions 
Oh yeah, the main problem with working from home is separating your work from your personal life, and it’s super easy to meld the two. I myself am looking at streamlining this experience, because it’s really creeping into my daily life. Anyway, thanks for this post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Streamlining is the best idea! Don’t let it take over your daily life! And you’re welcome!
LikeLike